Merseyside Parks

Princes Park is situated in the area of Toxteth, Liverpool. South East of Liverpool’s City Centre. It was designed by Joseph Paxton and James Pennethorne. In 1842, the park was officially opened in celebration for the newborn Edward, Prince of Wales. Originally the Park was a private development of grand Georgian style housing around the park. However, in 1849 the park was handed to the city.

Sefton Park is a public park located in South Liverpool, neighbouring Toxteth, Aigburth and Wavertree. In 1591, the land came under control by the Earls of Sefton who held power over many lands and wealth. In 1867, the council purchased the park from the Earl of Sefton for public use. Officially, the park was opened in 1872 by Prince Arthur who dedicated it to the health and enjoyment of the townspeople. 

Court Hey Park is a park in the Bowring Park suburb of the Knowsley Borough in Merseyside. It is one of the oldest areas in Liverpool and can be traced back to 1783 when it was used for Farmer’s fields in Lord Derby’s estate. Robert Gladstone, the elder brother of the four times Prime Minister, acquired the estate for the use of his 60 acre Mansion home. The estate stayed in the Gladstone family until the death of his sons in 1919. 

Croxteth Hall and Croxteth Park in West Derby, Liverpool is the former county and ancestral home of the Molyneux family, the Earls of Sefton. The original house was built in 1575 in Tudor, Georgian and Queen Anne styles. It was often host to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. After the death of the 7th Earl and last Earl in 1972 a worldwide search began to find a successor of the Estate. As nobody was found, the estate was passed to Liverpool City Council and is now open to the public. 

Birkenhead Park is a public park situated in Birkenhead, Merseyside. It was designed by Joseph Paxton in 1847, largely influenced by New York’s Central Park and Liverpool’s Sefton Park. In 1841, the park was constructed in order to provide a municipal park for members of the public, however large parts of the park were sold off to investors in order to finance the parks construction. The park was a designated conservation area in 1977 and declared a Grade 1 listed landscape by English Heritage in 1995. 

Researched by Laura Stewart