What's On in Everton Park
More information about events in Parks
Everton Park Nature Garden
View Larger Map
Everton Park Nature Garden is a ¾ hectare walled garden located within Everton Park. The garden is close to the City centre and 1.8 kilometres from the Pier Head. It is accessed via Roscommon Street off Netherfield Road North, Liverpool 5.
Opening & Closing Times
At present we are experiencing problems with damage to the Garden and unfortunately have had to limit our opening hours to protect it. The Garden will be open on Fridays, 10:30 to 12:45. The Nature Garden will be closed outside of these hours including weekends and Bank Holidays (excluding Ranger and community events). However, we will try to accomodate visitors at other times as much as possible. If you would like to visit the Garden outside of these opening hours please call us on 0776444 3866.
A 'Ground-breaking' Borehole Project
The Nature Garden has always been a unique and valued asset; however it's now even more distinctive!
The Garden is the first in the country to have a borehole (supplying water to the Garden) powered by solar and wind turbine power. The borehole is being installed to combat the constantly falling water levels in the lakes, and this approach is the most sustainable way of filling the lakes, as opposed to using mains water.
Following the installation of the borehole, the only components that will be visible are the wind turbine and solar panel, all the other components will be below ground level.
Historical Background
Everton Village was, in the 18th century, a pastoral village, set upon Everton Brow, some distance from the increasingly prosperous Port of Liverpool. With unsurpassable views across the River Mersey to the Welsh hills and over the city to the as yet unspoilt rolling countryside, it must have been a desirable place to live.
With the onset of the Great Irish Famine and the Industrial Revolution, immigrants from Ireland and Wales, as well as the impoverished victims of enclosures in rural England, poured into the city to attempt to make a living in the burgeoning factories serving the manufacturing industries.
The demands of such a population upon the area changed the landscape dramatically. To accommodate this influx, densely packed rows of back to back houses were built on the hills surrounding the village. The village was quickly subsumed into the industrial conglomerate.
Following the Second World War, which left many derelict bomb sites, the advent of 'Prefab' housing enabled many people to move away from the area. And with the arrival of the 60s came the demolition of terraced streets, which had become such a landmark, visible as they were from the river, to be replaced by high rise blocks of flats. A section of one street has been preserved in The Museum of Liverpool Life.
The green and pleasant hills of Everton were just a distant curiosity to be wondered at in antiquarian prints and books. But it took merely a decade or two to realise the disaster that was 'sixties built' high rise dwelling.
The 1980s brought a return to a more sociable style of housing development and with this the creation of the open green space that became Everton Park. At the heart of this park, enclosed by sturdy brick walls, lies a rustic gem. Which is Everton Park Nature Garden, which must surely recall the surroundings of an earlier time.
The Garden
Built between 1990 and 1992, the garden is enclosed by an attractive brick wall with two gated entrances. Two pebble mosaics close to the entrances depict wildlife that can be found within the garden. These were designed by children from local schools and created by local artist Allun Jones.
Located in a densely populated area, the garden provides an invaluable learning and recreational experience for the local community, which uses it extensively. It is however also used and can be booked by groups visiting from much further afield.
There is a wide variety of native flora to be found in the garden, which provides a wildlife haven in the middle of a densely populated area. The garden provides:
- A valuable educational resource for schools and other groups.
- A natural habitat for wildlife within an inner city location.
- Opportunity for pond dips, minibeast hunts and bird watching in the lakes, woodland and meadow.
- Alternative recreational opportunity in a natural setting for local community and visitors.
- A sensory experience for people with disabilities.
This page contains Adobe PDF documents. If you have problems accessing PDFs you can download a PDF viewer, use a PDF conversion tool or find out more about PDF accessibility.
View the Everton Park Nature Garden leaflet![(PDF [1.7Mb] opens in new window)](/images/PDF.gif)
Garden Features
Lakes
Two small lakes are fringed by an emergent jungle of plants, which provide a valuable habitat for a wide variety of wildlife. A stone weir divides the two lakes within the garden with footpaths and boardwalks meandering throughout the whole garden. Plants include Reedmace, Flag Iris, Water Lily, Flowering Rush and Water Mint. Dragonflies and damselflies are frequently observed over the surface of the water during the summer months. The aquatic life includes sticklebacks, Water Boatmen, Pond Skaters, Great Diving Beetles and frogs.
Grassland Meadows
Flower rich grassland includes many early blooming wild flowers such as Cowslip, Meadow Buttercup, Salad Burnett, Yellow Rattle, and Wild Daffodil. The meadow is left uncut until early July to allow seeds to ripen. This meadow is particularly attractive to butterflies as it provides a late summer supply of nectar from plants including Oxeye Daisy, Field Scabious and Wild Carrot. The meadow is left uncut from June until late September.
Woodland
The woodland provides valuable cover for wildlife including many insects dependant upon the trees and shrubs for food. Birds enjoy shelter, nesting sites and song perches. Regular visitors to the garden include Song Thrush, Blue Tit, Blackbird, Pied Wagtail and Mallard. Native trees including Oak, Rowan, Hazel, Birch, Cherry, Alder and Willow are planted.
Geological Samples
There are several groups of rock types around the garden which are of interest to amateur geologists and also provide shelter for many invertebrates such as beetles, snails and spiders.
Accessible Sensory Garden
The Garden consists of accessible raised beds where visitors can join in with gardening activities if they wish. Planted with fruit, herbs and a wide variety of decorative plants it provides satisfaction for all the senses.
Access
The garden is also available to schools and community groups outside of the above opening hours through a booking service operated by the Ranger Service
Education
Contact the Ranger Service to find out about opportunities for educational visits to the Nature Garden, led by our experienced Ranger team. There is a temporary shelter on site for use as a simple interpretation and teaching facility.
In recognition of the high standards attained, this greenspace has achieved and sustained Green Flag status since 2003.