Sefton Park Area

[marky]

That large stone is still there on the right as you head up into the Palm House (original entrance, that is). I wasn't told it had a name, but it was always hard to climb.

[AK1]

Why does park restoration have to involve so much tree felling? The same thing is happening in Stanley park. Simply planting new ones doesn't have the same effect. One of the best things about our parks is seeing all the mature trees which create the illusion your in the woods. Alot of this is being lost all over the city.

[drone_pilot]

What a disaster, just council sponsored Vandalisim.

[Ingo]

Absolutely agree with everyone. For me, the worst part is the way they've ruined all the islands in the middle of the watercourses. It made me realise how integral those areas are (were?!) to the beauty of the park. I'm sure that when Andre & Hornblower laid out the park in the 1800's they fully intended it to grow and mature into the vistas we see today (before restoration), so the idea that the park should to be returned to its Victorian appearance is a strange one. I'm prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt and see what it all looks like when the've finished, but there's no denying they have been way too trigger happy with those chainsaws. Eros better look f***ing good when it's restored.

[Digital Fanatic]

I does look a mess at the moment, but I am prepared to put my faith in the restoration, afterall it's a park not a nature reserve? There will be some upset to the local wildlife, but nature is great at bouncing back when things like this are done. The park has been neglected for far too long and was overgrown in many parts.

The water courses were chocked and certainly not running at the rate they were designed to.

I'm sure it will look fab once the work is completed (Well i hope so )

[johno]

Hi folks,
Does anyone have any idea how they drained the lake in sefton park.
Wonder if the opened the outflow into the culvert underneath Aigburth road leading to Otterspool park. Any ideas

[knowhowe]

The KKK on their day off? Actually the Liverpool Century Cycling Club in Sefton Park. Anything more known about these guys or when the picture may have been taken?

[A.D.W]

Ducks on the boating lake.

[Kev]

an excellent pic and very sad at the same time

[knowhowe]

The Palmhouse in 1985...



...and how it appeared in 1990, a mere five years later- disgracefully boarded up and derelict.



As it looked when it was new in 1899- the pride of the city



...and here it is in all its restored glory during the Summer of 2002.

The Palmhouse in Liverpool's once-splendid Sefton Park was a gift to the city by Henry Yates Thompson. It was designed by a Glasgow firm, McKenzie & Moncur ("hothouse builders and heating engineers to Queen Victoria") and completed in 1895.
Designed in the tradition of Joseph Paxton's classic glass houses, it was stocked originally with a magnificent collection of exotic plants. There were nine marble statues on display inside together with a marble bench. On plinths around the outside there were a further eight bronze & marble statues by Charalliand of famous explorers and naturalists including Charles Darwin and Christopher Columbus.

At the beginning of World War II the Palmhouse was camouflaged in case the glass reflected the moonlight and thus act as a guide for enemy aircraft. Matt oil paint was used on the outside of the building- grey stripes were painted over the dome, and the rest was coloured green to blend with the surrounding parkland.
In the blitz of May 1941 a bomb fell nearby and shattered all the glass. It was reglazed in 1950 at the considerable cost of £6,163 and continued to be enjoyed by the people of Liverpool. From childhood on, it was for years one of this writer's favourite places to visit.
However, a period of decline and deterioration culminated in its closure in the l980s. Many at the time considered the deliberate neglect of the Palmhouse to have been an ideological act of vandalism by Derek Hatton's Militant Labour government.

In June 1992, a heated public meeting was held highlighting the dereliction and demanding the building's restoration. A petition of 5000 names was presented to the City Council by what had become the "Save the Palm House" campaign. For the first time ever this cause generated cross-party support from the Council for the refurbishment proposal.
A fund raising campaign was established, with a "sponsor a pane" programme generating over £35,000. This led directly to the conversion of Save the Palm House into a registered charity, the 'Friends of Sefton Park Palm House', later the Sefton Park Palm House Preservation Trust.

There was a feasibility study into possible uses of the Palmhouse and a number of events were held there- which were surprisingly successful in view of the unglazed state of the building.
Working in partnership, Sefton Park Palm House Preservation Trust and Liverpool City Council were successful in bringing together a funding package to restore the building and construct new facilities to ensure a viable future for the building. £2.5million was raised from the Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage, the European Regional Development Fund, Liverpool City Council and the Sefton Park Palm House Preservation Trust. The reconstruction started in Februrary 2000 and, in September 2001, the glorious palmhouse was at last officially re-opened to the public!

[Kev]

£6million upgrade unveils Sefton Park pond's hidden secrets

Mar 18 2008

YEARS of debris have been uncovered in the lake of one of Liverpool’s most popular parks as it undergoes a £6m upgrade.

Workers have started draining Sefton Park’s lake in order to carry out restoration work.

Swan mussels, some the size of a mobile phone, and 10 species of fish have been moved to Calderstone Park while the work is carried out.

Stone sides of the lake are being repaired, and a new kiosk is being created. The old jetty is being demolished and a new one rebuilt

Liverpool Council will not be offering a boating service once the lake reopens, but there will be potential for a boating business to use the new jetty.

The Aviary Cafe will be repaired and enlarged to create a central feature and make space for a community meeting room and ranger base.

The silt from the top of the lake has been dried and re-used as soil elsewhere in the park.

The water levels have been lowered to allow for mainten- ance work, but ecologists have asked for some water to remain in the middle of the lake.

The fish have already been moved and will not return until next spring, to allow time for the pond to return to a habitable environment.

The project is being monitored by the Environment Agency, and the health of the fish will be monitored.

Tom Duckworth, park manager, said: “There has been some disruption but there are also long term benefits.

“It’s a very complicated project, but it is going to plan.”

Work on the trees was finished a month before schedule after the weather conditions meant the birds returned earlier than the ecologists had expected.

The £6m regeneration of Sefton Park began in January and includes building a play area and repairs to the various buildings in the 200-acre park.

Specialist restoration of the monuments is being done by expert William Anelay.

A grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund will cover 75% of the cost, and Liverpool City Council will pay for the rest.

The park’s famous grade II listed Palm House, which was also refurbished in 2001 with Heritage Lottery cash, will remain open while the park upgrade takes place.

Fishing in Sefton Lake is prohibited until the work is finished and the park will remain open to the public, 24 hours a day.

[Digital Fanatic]

Does anyone know if the Terripins have been re-homed? I heared they were going to a Terripin sanctuary?

[Digital Fanatic]

Feature on BBC Liverpool about Sefton Park with pics!


Click Me!

[Max]

Too many pathways are blocked for my liking, I use Sefton Park to get to Lark Lane faster when I need to get to St Michael's station, there wasn't that much wrong with the park to be restored anyway.

A few repairs on street lamps maybe some more lamps, clean a lake and fill In lumps and bam It;'s fixed.

[naked lilac]

Thanks Digital Fanatic..I was wondering on that update.. It will be smashing to see , I believe , in 50 weeks.. Hope it is done by August..??? Lovely park