Liverpool Parks

Liverpool has a wealth of public parks, green spaces and gardens. There are over 2,500 acres of parks and open spaces in the city. Time ago the most of land, which today is in public ownership, was for centuries private estate land. Some of the most important are as follow below.

Stanley Park with its 100 acres was developed by the architect Edward Kemp, 1868-70. His design comprised three elements: an informal “soft” side, at the foot of a slope with four interlinked lakes in a woodland setting; a formal “hard” side, at the summit of the slope with a amazing terrace architecture and planting displays; and a grass “buffer strip” designed to segregate the other two elements maximising the landscape impact.

Until 19th century the formal layout remained unaltered, however at this time the introduction of bowling greens adjacent to the terrace diminished the impact of the grand terrace architecture and its planting displays; so the Gladstone Conservatory and bandstand was addition too. Between 1893-1900 a channel was introduced to replace the third lake and link the small fourth lake and many years later (1928) this feature had been replaced with the Audley (Children’s) Garden.

Today Stanley Park is included in the Grade II listed. In 2007 a multi million restoration and improvement project started, with propose of full refurbishment of the Gladstone Conservatory and the reinstatement of the original flowing landscape design with the reintroduction of the third and fourth lakes.

Newsham Park

Once the private estate of “Neusaum” owned by Henry Waleton, then around 18th century it was owned by Thomas Molyneux who replaced the Yellowstone Manor House with the present Newsham House and sold to Liverpool Corporation in 1846.

By 1850 the Yellow House Estate had been added to create over 350 acres of land and the town approached Edward Kemp. His design for Newsham was presented in November 1864 and many of the elements of today’s park are evident, such as the large lake as the main ornamental feature. In 1868, Newsham Park finally was opened as the first of Liverpool’s great mid-Victorian public parks.

Newsham Park is included in the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Historic Interest (Grade II listed). Today it counts with a large lake and smaller model boating lake, bandstand remains, a children’s play area, rose’s garden with a mature park landscape setting.

In 1802, William Roscoe a poet, author and artist founded the Liverpool Botanic Garden but around 1836 when the original town centre site became unsuitable, the garden was re-established in Wavertree becoming in a fully public amenity by 1847.

Formally it was opened in 1856 and the walled garden remained the principal attraction with a grand conservatory amid colourful bedding and feature planting displays. Many events were holds in the park as the popular Liverpool International Exhibition of Navigation, Travelling, Commerce and Manufactures in 1886.

Although the great Victorian glasshouse was damaged in the Second World War, the walled garden retains a charm with vestiges of the site history remaining throughout the park. A new sports changing facility is being introduced to support football and the park features a children’s play area.

Sefton Park

Sefton Park is 269 acres and is the city’s largest urban park once known as Liverpool Hyde Park. It was designed by the gardener in Chief, Edouard André and the Liverpool architect, Lewis Hornblower. The design blended the natural undulating topography and two branches of a Mersey tributary to create a landscape in which there was a spinal ornamental watercourse, embellished with rock features including cascades, grottoes and stepping stones leading to a 7 acre lake.

Park features include listed statuary, grottoes, gateways and buildings. Statues include full replicas of Peter Pan by George Frampton and the Shaftsbury Memorial (Eros fountain) by Sir Alfred Gilbert. Sefton Park Palm House was constructed in 1896 and recently fully restored and refurbished. In 2001, the building was reopened as a major botanical and events attraction.

Sefton Park is undergoing a major Heritage Lottery Funded renovation with substantial works to reinstate the flowing watercourses and features. Works also improve park facilities with the introduction of new children’s play area, café and toilets.

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