Hilary Burrage

Th Botanic Gardens have the potential to provide Liverpool with an unrivalled 'gateway' into the heart of the metropolis. Desperately sad how it has been allowed to fall into an almost derelict state.

There is the opportunity to integrate the botanic gardens with the redevelopment of the spectacular art deco Littlewoods Building. If they take the opportunity provided by the clearences further west along the route to build Parisian style (massing and scale, not aping designs) apartments onto a true boulevard then the magic of visiting to Liverpool would be complete!

Liverpool has a lost heritage of horticultural and botanical excellence and the Botanic Gardens could be a major asset in reviving the city's role in these fields again.

Perhaps even more disgraceful is the status of the Liverpool Garden Festival 1984 site, which as far as I know, has no legitimate access at all.

Who is now responsible for it, and what if anything, are they doing about it?

If you need encouragement, come and look at Edinburgh's Botanic Garden: Wide green lawns and all sorts of trees, a huge rockery with waterfall, a mature Chinese garden, wide herbaceous border, many specific beds, huge hothouse with tropical and desert plants, a study centre, a thriving cafe and much more.... [See http://www.rbge.org.uk/rbge/web/index.jsp]

I'm not boasting or anything, but it is such a lovely place to visit that I hope you will one day have something like it.

My girlfriend and I took a walk around Botanic Gardens some months ago. It is still a beautiful place but there was a terrible feeling of foreboding about the place. With no one else seemingly around and all but one entrance firmly closed, we felt isolated, vulnerable and distinctly uneasy.

What a shame considering the enormous potential it has. What a shame that this could not have been the site of the relocation of the botanical collection.

I hope something comes of the site and will do all I can to assist in whatever capacity.

I would like to think that the gardens could become a resource for local people to enjoy but will not the new widened Edge Lane and its associated developments create an even greater barrier between Kensington and Botanic Park than already exists?

The trees/plants need to be rearranged in a maner that it does form an enclosed space ie. you can't see inside or outside. It needs to be a more open space that is inviting and can been seen, no nooks or cranies for neferious activities.

Get one of those celebrity gardeners to do a makeover and get some PR for the place.

I'm sure its busy at the weekends for football, and locals walking thier dogs.

...thats right I've never been in it, its just full of boding (yes boding is a word it was used in a Terry Pratchett novel by the talking dog Gaspod)

as a girl i played in the park it was full of life
on a sunday my granmother would met her friends in the gardens they would sit for hours chating while we children played in the sun houses thst was after the second war i was told before the war it was very beautiful but to me it was still beautiful i even remember the park plicemans name it was mr dempsey

Hi I walked around Botanic park the other day and youve got to say its a mess, but like all of Liverpools other parks theve all gone down the pan, gone are the rose gardens nice paths and lawns.

Dovecot park can best be described as a field, it used to have bowling greens, lake,shelters toilets (yes toilets) childrens theatre, flower beds.

So that begs the question were has all the cash gone to maintain these parks?

You cant blame people for not going in them, theres nothing to see and they can be forboding places.
Peter Bell

yeah botanic gardens could do with doin up a bit

who owns the park is it liverpool council????

. . . . . . .

[Answer: Yes, I think the owner is LCC]

I have many memories of Botanic Park when I was a lad in the mid 60` and early 70`s. It was well kept and had many areas for playing football with the railway sidings to one side and Edge lane to another.

At the top of the park stood (still does in some guise) the splendid looking Littlewoods building. I recall the large letters "Littlewoods above all" across its frontage, sadly its no more.

In the middle of the park was a beautifull walled victorian garden with the most beautifuls flower, plants, bushes and trees finished off with a central pond filled with fish, catfish and sticklebacks I do recall!

Yes I had many wonderful long summers there and broke a few bones climbing up trees ha ha.

In the 21st century I dont this type of park reappearing, especially in Liverpool, due to the current way society choses to behave.

It would be interesting to hear of anyone elses memories around Botanic park no matter how many years ago.

I lived in Bremner street which was opposite the park around the corner from Botanic Road which ran alongside the park.........great memories.

Birmingham's botanical gardens are pay per visit, and this seems like a good idea to both get investment, pay for staff and keep something worth visiting - and it is worth the fee.

I used to live in Botanic Road. I was born there in 1961 and left in 1967. I had the most wonderful childhood there, and the park was the ONLY place I ever wanted to go. We used to visit the botanical gardens, play on the swings in the childrens playground, have picnics on the acres of green grass and yes, although I am ashamed to say, play in the railway sidings. The best memories of my childhood were from long summers with my friends in Botanic Park. I sincerely hope that in this our 800th year the city council can do something to bring it back to the people of Liverpool. What a showcase it could be. We could take on apprentices, have competitions to design gardens etc so much.

I recently visited Botanic Park on my visit to the UK. I grew up in Kensington but emigrated to South Australia with my family in 62.

My late parents Joan and Denis Rogers used to court in the park in the late '30's and I thought it would be fitting to scatter some of their ashes there. My Mum Joan was Joan Huntington and some older folk might remember Hunty's bread of Edge Lane; my Dad Denis Rogers worked for C Latham Holmes Chemist.

I hope the park survives, I was pleased to find a nice spot for the ashes - it was important to me to take them back to where it all started. They were happily married for 60 years and had two children, 5 grandchildren, 8 great grandchildren and 1 great great grandchild.

its a hole and always will be as long as we keep getting [such] council leaders ..

it needs doin up! are children are fallin playing football and end up with glass stuck in them!. were all the flower beds like it used to be ? and the council needs to put lights in there too.
have u seen how dark it is in the night! its very creepy i hate walking past of a night time. anyone could be in danger if they go in of a night. anyone could be lurking behind the trees and they wouldnt see them!

My great-grandfather, Henry Watson Taylor (born Westmorland), worked in the Liverpool Botanic Gardens from the 1850's until shortly before his death in 1907, aged 92 (no pensions in those days!).

After visiting the gardens today with my 4 year old granddaughter I had to leave after walking about 10 feet into the gardens after being approached by 3 unleashed dogs with 3 different owners each owner telling me 'It's ok it won't harm you', while a 4th person was throwing a stick for his staffordshire bull terrier dog again unleashed.

We then proceeded to the play area at Wavertree Road end having to stay on the path so as to avoid dog fouling on the grass.

Please clean this place up and be more assertive with the dog owners as this could be and was such a nice place to visit with children.

GARDENS IN LIVERPOOL JOIN IN CAPITAL OF CULTURE CELEBRATIONS

Opening date: Sunday 29th June 2008

Two superb private gardens previously unseen by the public, plus ninety city allotments, will open their gates to for the first time as part of the celebration of Liverpool's Capital of Culture year 2008.

The garden of the University of Liverpool's Vice-Chancellor, Drummond Bone, has previously only been seen by the select few at Graduation garden parties. The large garden in the Toxteth area of Liverpool boasts a rare collection of old shrub roses, a grand formal terrace, grape vine and mature shrub borders. Contact Vivian Bone: 0151 728 8375

Nearby is the new and developing garden of one of Liverpool's old merchant houses, Park Mount, overlooking Sefton Park. Here gardener Jeremy Nicholls has been creating a glorious garden using vibrant colours and adventurous planting combinations, with some surprises and many rare plants.
Contact: Jeremy Nicholls 0151 733 8205 / 07802 676242

The ninety allotments in Sefton Park will show how well a city plots can provide fruit and vegetables of the highest quality, offering inspiration to other city gardeners. The site includes many interesting community facilities and a plot adapted for disabled gardeners. The site has featured in national TV and film productions – see the ‘Bread’ shed where Lilo Lil held her trysts on plot 89. Contact: Giulia Harding 0151 727 4877

All the above will open their gates for charity on Sunday June 29th 2008, under the auspices of the National Garden Scheme.

Sefton Park Palm House will be at the centre of the celebrations with rare and unusual plants for sale, musical entertainment and afternoon tea, and demonstrations from the National Association of Flower Arrangers. Contact: Rosemary on 0151 726 9304.

Admission is £4.00 with tickets available at all four venues on the day.

Contact Information:
Christine Ruth, Press Officer, National Garden Scheme, Lancashire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester. 0151 727 4877 / 07740 438994