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49-414: Sefton Park is a public park in south Liverpool , England. The park is in a district of the same name , located roughly within the historic bounds of the large area of Toxteth Park . Neighbouring districts include modern-day Toxteth , Aigburth , Mossley Hill , Wavertree and St Michael's Hamlet . The park is 235 acres (0.95 km) in area and is designated by English Heritage at Grade I in

98-451: A 10-minute walk , provides multiple benefits. A park is an area of open space provided for recreational use, usually owned and maintained by a local government. Grass is typically kept short to discourage insect pests and to allow for the enjoyment of picnics and sporting activities. Trees are chosen for their beauty and to provide shade , with an increasing emphasis on reducing an urban heat island effect. Some early parks include

147-455: A deer park and strong water theme with pools, waterfalls and stepping stones. Exclusive villas and ornamentation of the park reflected the city's grandeur during the mid Victorian period when Liverpool was the second city of the Empire. The perimeter road's outer edge is lined with Victorian buildings constructed to around 1890, and Edwardian houses. Additional park development continued with

196-492: A registered charity (Friends of Sefton Park Palm House). Among the supporters of the project were Liverpool jazz singer George Melly and actress Margi Clarke ; Melly described it as "the magical palace of my childhood" and "a fairy castle". The Palm House was partially repaired and reopened in 1993. It was fully restored at a cost of £3.5 million with Heritage Lottery and European funding and reopened in September 2001. It

245-934: Is an annual international cross country running competition. Organised by the European Athletic Association , it is the area championships for the region and is held in December each year. The championships was inaugurated in 1994 in Alnwick and the venue for the championships changes each year. Unlike the World Championships for the sport, the European Cross Country Championships consists of six races in age categories, with separate senior, under-23, and junior races for both men and women. There are individual and national team medals awarded in each race. In

294-490: Is in the form of a tall granite obelisk , which stands at the head of an avenue leading to the park’s central plaza, where the Shaftesbury fountain and central cafe stand, and where the aviary once stood. The obelisk is mounted on a plinth with two (now non-functioning) drinking fountains either side (N&S); above each is the legend " Whosoever drinketh of this water  shall thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of

343-695: Is now both a popular visitor attraction offering free and paid-for public entertainment and is venue for hire. The eight 'corners' of the Palm House are marked by statues by the French sculptor Léon-Joseph Chavalliaud . These include explorers Captain Cook , Christopher Columbus , navigators Gerardus Mercator and Henry the Navigator , botanists and explorers Charles Darwin , Carl Linnaeus and John Parkinson and landscape architect Andre le Notre . Inside

392-562: The La Alameda de Hércules , in Seville , a promenaded public mall, urban garden and park built in 1574, within the historic center of Seville. The Városliget ( City Park ) in the City of Pest , what is today Budapest, Hungary , was a city property when afforestation started in the middle of the 18th century, from the 1790s with the clear aim to create a public park. Between 1799 and 1805 it

441-632: The Liverpool Half Marathon , Rock & Roll Marathon and Spring 10k. The park has also been a site for Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra 's summer pops season, Africa Oyé and the Moscow State Circus . Bands have also played at the park in the '80s such as Echo and the Bunnymen . In 2005 the park received provisional approval for a major £5 million Heritage Lottery funded renovation project which involves

490-594: The Marie Curie centre in Woolton, which had received a donation of daffodils from Geests to be used for fundraising, had the idea of planting a "Field of Hope" in order to inspire cancer sufferers and carers. In co-operation with the city council, a million daffodils were planted across the south-east corner of the park. This has led to similar fields being established in other parts of the city, including Stanley Park, Clarke Gardens, and Woolton Village. An aviary

539-515: The Register of Historic Parks and Gardens . The site of the park was once within the boundaries of the 2,300-acre (9.3 km) Royal Deer Park of Toxteth which became "disparked" in 1591. The land eventually came under the Earl of Sefton 's control. As Toxteth rapidly grew, green fields and woodland of Toxteth Park became narrow streets and courts packed by tiny uninhabitable houses where air

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588-623: The Village of Yorkville Park in Toronto , which won an award from the American Society of Landscape Architects. Parks are sometimes made out of oddly shaped areas of land, much like the vacant lots that often become city neighborhood parks. Linked parks may form a greenbelt . There is a form of an urban park in the UK (officially called a "recreation ground", but commonly called a "rec" by

637-463: The 1980s on grounds of safety. In June 1992, a public meeting was held highlighting the dereliction and calling for restoration. A petition was presented to the City Council by what had become the "Save the Palm House" campaign. A public 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

686-620: The Council purchased 375 acres (1.52 km) of land of the park's development for £ 250,000 from the Earl of Sefton. Sefton Park is one of the largest in the "ribbon of Parks" originally envisaged in 1850s by the Liverpool Improvement Committee and which came eventually to include Newsham and Stanley Parks. Even though it was recognised by politicians that clean, fresh open spaces were now regarded as necessity there

735-526: The Palm House are two sculptures by Benjamin Edward Spence "Highland Mary" and "The Angel's Whisper". The grounds of the Palm House feature a statue of Peter Pan which was one of the last works by the British sculptor Sir George Frampton . This is Grade II listed and is a replica of a similar statue given as a gift for the visiting public to Kensington Gardens by author J.M. Barrie . The statue

784-602: The UK, with around 2.6 billion visits to parks each year. Many parks are of cultural and historical interest, with 300 registered by Historic England as of national importance. Most public parks have been provided and run by local authorities over the past hundred and seventy years, but these authorities have no statutory duty to fund or maintain these public parks. In 2016 the Heritage Lottery Fund 's State of UK Public Parks reported that "92 per cent of park managers report their maintenance budgets have reduced in

833-522: The United States and the world, though cow grazing did not end until the 1830s. Around the country, the predecessors to urban parks in the United States were generally rural cemeteries . The cemeteries were intended as civic institutions designed for public use. Before the widespread development of public parks, the rural cemetery provided a place for the general public to enjoy outdoor recreation amidst art and sculpture previously available only for

882-842: The United States are Central Park in New York, Lincoln Park in Chicago, Mission Bay Park in San Diego. In the early 1900s, according to Cranz, U.S. cities built neighborhood parks with swimming pools, playgrounds and civic buildings, with the intention of Americanizing the immigrant residents. In the 1950s, when money became available after World War II , new parks continued to focus on both outdoor and indoor recreation with services, such as sports leagues using their ball fields and gymnasia. These smaller parks were built in residential neighborhoods, and tried to serve all residents with programs for seniors, adults, teens and children. Green space

931-496: The confines of a serpentine carriageway, put in place the essential elements of his much-imitated design for Birkenhead Park in Birkenhead . The latter commenced in 1843 with the help of public finance and deployed the ideas which Paxton had pioneered at Princes Park on a more expansive scale. Frederick Law Olmsted visited Birkenhead Park in 1850 and praised its qualities. Indeed, Paxton is widely credited as having been one of

980-641: The construction of the iron bridge in 1873. The park had a gallops which led to it being nicknamed "the Hyde Park of the North" but was always referred to by locals as "The Jockey Sands". A major park improvement programme was undertaken in 1983, for the International Garden Festival , and 30 years later (2013) Sefton Park was granted the prestigious Green Flag Award for high standards. Sefton Park Cricket Club moved their ground to

1029-453: The designed landscape as a setting for the suburban domicile (an idea pioneered by John Nash at Regent's Park in London) and re-fashioned it for the provincial town in a most original way. Nash's remodelling of St James's Park from 1827 and the sequence of processional routes he created to link The Mall with Regent's Park completely transformed the appearance of London's West End . With

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1078-499: The establishment of Princes Park in 1842, Joseph Paxton did something similar for the benefit of a provincial town, albeit one of international stature by virtue of its flourishing mercantile sector. Liverpool had a burgeoning presence in global maritime trade before 1800, and during the Victorian era its wealth rivalled that of London itself. The form and layout of Paxton's ornamental grounds, structured about an informal lake within

1127-779: The form of walking, running, horse riding, mountain biking, snowshoeing, or cross-country skiing; or sedentary activity such as observing nature, bird watching, painting, photography, or picnicking. Limiting park or open space use to passive recreation over all or a portion of the park's area eliminates or reduces the burden of managing active recreation facilities and developed infrastructure. Many ski resorts combine active recreation facilities (ski lifts, gondolas, terrain parks, downhill runs, and lodges) with passive recreation facilities (cross-country ski trails). Many smaller neighborhood parks are receiving increased attention and valuation as significant community assets and places of refuge in heavily populated urban areas. Neighborhood groups around

1176-525: The founder of Princes Park ) gifted £10,000 to the city to fund the construction. It was designed in the tradition of Joseph Paxton 's glass houses and was stocked originally with a rich collection of exotic plants. During the Liverpool Blitz of May 1941 a bomb fell nearby and shattered the glass. It was reglazed in 1950 at a cost of £6,163 with costs covered by War Restoration funds. A period of decline and deterioration culminated in its closure in

1225-765: The lake was refilled in 2010. There was a small pirate ship located in one of the lakes until the early 1990s when it was removed due to falling into disrepair. Ringo Starr mentions the park in his song " In Liverpool " on his album " Ringo 2012 " 53°23′N 2°56′W  /  53.383°N 2.933°W  / 53.383; -2.933 Public park Depending on size, budget, and land features, which varies considerably among individual parks, common features include playgrounds , gardens , hiking, running, fitness trails or paths, bridle paths , sports fields and courts, public restrooms, boat ramps, performance venues, or BBQ and picnic facilities. Park advocates claim that having parks near urban residents, including within

1274-525: The large amount of open space and natural habitat in the former pleasure grounds, they now serve as important wildlife refuges, and often provide the only opportunity for urban residents to hike or picnic in a semi-wild area. However, city managers or politicians can target these parks as sources of free land for other uses. Partly for this reason, some of these large parks have "friends of X park" advisory boards that help protect and maintain their semi-wild nature. There are around estimated 27,000 public parks in

1323-416: The monument was raised by public subscription. The obelisk is Grade II listed . The park features a Gothic drinking fountain and several prominent statues including a memorial to William Rathbone V by Sir Thomas Brock unveiled in 1887. There is a bandstand, popular since the Victorian era, which is said to be the inspiration for The Beatles ' song Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band . An iron bridge

1372-567: The need to provide substantial space to congregate, typically involves intensive management, maintenance, and high costs. Passive recreation, also called "low-intensity recreation" is that which emphasizes the open-space aspect of a park and allows for the preservation of natural habitat. It usually involves a low level of development, such as rustic picnic areas, benches, and trails. Passive recreation typically requires little management and can be provided at very low costs. Some open space managers provide nothing other than trails for physical activity in

1421-503: The park in 1876 and W. G. Grace was amongst the three Gloucestershire players who made up a "South of England" who won there in 1877. The park also has tennis courts , a bowling green , and a popular jogging circuit. It is also used every November to hold the European Cross Country Championships trial races for the British team , and makes up part of the route of various annual road races including

1470-404: The park was built was purchased by Richard Vaughan Yates, an iron merchant and philanthropist, in 1841 for £50,000. The creation of Princes Park showed great foresight and introduced a number of highly influential ideas. First and foremost was the provision of open space for the benefit of townspeople and local residents within an area that was being rapidly built up. Secondly it took the concept of

1519-420: The past three years and 95 per cent expect their funding will continue to reduce". Parks can be divided into active and passive recreation areas. Active recreation is that which has an urban character and requires intensive development. It often involves cooperative or team activity, including playgrounds , ball fields, swimming pools, gymnasiums, and skateparks . Active recreation such as team sports, due to

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1568-457: The principal influences on Olmsted and Calvert's design for New York's Central Park of 1857. Another early public park, the Peel Park, Salford , England, opened on 22 August 1846. Boston Common was purchased for public use grazing cows and as a military parade ground and dump in 1634. It first started to get recreational elements in 1728, arguably making it the first municipal park in

1617-464: The public.) and some EU states that have mostly recreation grounds for kids to play within a park, but may also have a duck pond, large grassy zones not meant exclusively for sports, many trees, and several bushy places. When it occurs as a separate facility on its own, without any parkland, at a street corner or by a shop, the play facility is called a playground . European Cross Country Championships The European Cross Country Championships

1666-604: The refurbishment and improvement of many of the park's features. The work began in June 2007 was expected to be completed in summer 2009. This work was very controversial with some regular users of the park as it included destroying trees and breeding sites of birds. The work led to the formation of the "Friends of Sefton Park" campaigns. This is a Grade II* three-tier dome conservatory palm house designed and built by MacKenzie and Moncur of Edinburgh which opened in 1896. Liverpool millionaire Henry Yates Thompson (the great nephew of

1715-418: The summer holidays. This was removed in the 1970s. The lake was a popular venue for boating until the 1970s, with a jetty and boat hire facilities. The lake was totally emptied in 2007 for the extensive renovation work and all of the fish (which included specimen weights of carp, tench, roach, pike and golden orf) were caught with large nets and sent to various locations across the UK. Following its restoration,

1764-433: The team competition, the top three from a team of up to six are scored. The first edition of the competition featured only senior races and 180 athletes took part. Men's and women's junior (under-20) races were introduced at the third edition in 1996 and under-23 races were added to the programme in 2006. Source: Source: Consist of all individual and team events in senior, U23 and U20. Updated after 2019, including

1813-476: The water that I shall give them shall never thirst ", taken from St. John's Gospel . Above the fountains on each side of the plinth are four bronze plaques representing Smith's life and work. The front plaque (W) bears an image of Samuel Smith in high relief; and the two sides (N&S) have images of Christian charity, and the rear (E) plaque bears an inscription detailing his biography, and underneath " Them that honour Me, I will honour ". The plaque also states that

1862-490: The wealthy. In The Politics of Park Design: A History of Urban Parks in America, (Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 1982), Professor Galen Cranz identifies four phases of park design in the U.S. In the late 19th century, city governments purchased large tracts of land on the outskirts of cities to form "pleasure grounds": semi-open, charmingly landscaped areas whose primary purpose was to allow city residents, especially

1911-488: The workers, to relax in nature. As time passed and the urban area grew around the parks, land in these parks was used for other purposes, such as zoos, golf courses and museums. These parks continue to draw visitors from around the region and are considered regional parks , because they require a higher level of management than smaller local parks. According to the Trust for Public Land , the three most visited municipal parks in

1960-531: The world are joining together to support local parks that have suffered from urban decay and government neglect. A linear park is a park that has a much greater length than width. A typical example of a linear park is a section of a former railway that has been converted into a park called a rail trail or greenway (i.e. the tracks removed, vegetation allowed to grow back). Some examples of linear parks in North America include New York's High Line and

2009-456: Was an outcry from the public that £250,000 was extravagant and wasteful. The park's layout was funded by selling plots of land for housing on the perimeter of neighbouring Princes Park. Soon after, a European competition was launched to design a grand park. 29 entries were received and the competition was won by a French landscape architect Édouard André with work on the design also undertaken by Liverpool architect Lewis Hornblower . The park

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2058-566: Was donated to the park by George Audley in 1928 and was unveiled in the presence of Barrie. It originally sat in Sefton Park but was damaged in the 1990s. It was restored at Liverpool's Conservation Centre , and returned to the more secure location of the Palm House's grounds in December 2005. This is Grade II listed and situated in the centre of the Park next to the café and former site of the aviary. The fountain, made from bronze and aluminium,

2107-416: Was introduced to the park in 1901 and was home to many exotic birds. After falling into disuse in the 1990s, the old cages were removed during the restoration project and replaced with a new curved viewing point overlooking new outside planting. The park also boasted a small open-air theatre – "The Concert" – near the café which featured singers, magicians and talent contests to entertain local children during

2156-530: Was of secondary importance. As urban land prices climbed, new urban parks in the 1960s and after have been mainly pocket parks . One example of a pocket park is Chess Park in Glendale, California. The American Society of Landscape Architects gave this park a General Design Award of Honor in 2006. These small parks provide greenery, a place to sit outdoors, and often a playground for children. All four types of park continue to exist in urban areas. Because of

2205-719: Was opened in 1873 which spans the Fairy Glen. There is a café in the centre of the park called the Aviary Cafe and a pirate themed children's play area opened in 2009. Barrage balloons and anti-aircraft guns were established on the Review Field in the Second World War. The Field of Hope is an area in the south-east quarter of the park. It was planted with thousands of daffodil bulbs through a charitable planting programme and continues to bloom each year. In 1990

2254-448: Was opened on 20 May 1872 by Prince Arthur who dedicated it "for the health and enjoyment of the townspeople". The Park design is based on circular, oval and marginal footpaths, framing green spaces, with two natural watercourses flowing into a 7-acre (0.028 km) man-made lake. Hornblower's designs for the park lodges and entrances were elaborate structures, and included follies , shelters and boathouses. The parkland itself included

2303-547: Was rented out to the Batthyány family to carry out such a project but the city had eventually taken back control and in 1813 announced a design competition to finally finish the park; works started in 1816. An early purpose-built public park, although financed privately, was Princes Park in the Liverpool suburb of Toxteth . This was laid out to the designs of Joseph Paxton from 1842 and opened in 1843. The land on which

2352-642: Was stagnant, little or no sanitation and running water was from one tap in the middle of the court. At the same time there was demand for large aristocratic mansions in the South of Liverpool. In 1862 the Borough Council Engineer recommended a site for this development. The Public Works (Manufacturing Districts) Act 1864 permitted corporations to borrow sums of money of up to half a million pounds to be repaid over thirty years. This allowed steps to be taken towards land purchase for Sefton Park. In 1867

2401-685: Was unveiled in 1932 and is a replica of the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain created by Sir Alfred Gilbert in London's Piccadilly Circus . It was restored in 2008 with a new aluminium Anteros statue replacing the original which was residing in Liverpool's Conservation Centre before the centre closed to the public. The principal entrance to the Park, opposite Lodge Lane, is the location of the Samuel Smith memorial. This

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