GARDEN TO VISIT
SO LUSH & LOVELY
Sefton Park Palm House
On a chilly December day, what could be more inviting than to be enveloped in the warmth and greenery of Sefton Park’s eight-sided Palm House? It’s a magical, living world of botanical history
Gifted to the people of Liverpool in the late 1890s, the Palm House is a wonder of Victorian craftsmanship. Built to show off the marvels of the natural world and inspired by intrepid plant hunters, its fortunes have been mixed. From a jewel in the crown of Sefton Park to a victim of wartime bombings and ultimate dereliction in the 1980s, its complete restoration in the early 2000s is now celebrated by local people. Today, the glasshouse is home to original and now centenarian palms and other colourful temperate exotics, but it’s also a venue for more than 200 community events and a popular choice for private hire, particularly weddings.
Sefton Park Palm House sits within Sefton Park behind its own set of gates. Owned by Liverpool City Council and managed by the Sefton Park Palm House Preservation Trust, its surrounding circular garden is the best place to sit and marvel at the structure’s fascinating exterior. This looping walk takes in the eight corners, each guarded by statues of famous gardeners, scientists and explorers important to the development of port cities such as Liverpool.
Up a few steps and into the Palm House is a welcoming open space, now used for events, and a must-visit café. It’s then time for the plants to take the spotlight as they invite you on a transatlantic journey through their grouped planting.
Walking through any temperate greenhouse is a real sensory experience and Sefton Park Palm House is no exception. In winter this is especially noticeable because of the extreme differences in outdoor an
