Eighteen strollers and an on-loan dog, Keith, took the train to Conway Park Station on Sunday May 21st for a walk around Birkenhead Park. We walked along Conway Street from the station to the Park. The light cloud was now thinning and giving way to bright sunshine.
Brian had provided us with maps and as we walked, told us the history of the various features of the Park, (detailed below) which added greatly to the enjoyment of the day.
The park was designed by Joseph Paxton and opened on 5 April 1847. It is generally acknowledged as the first publicly funded civic park in the world and was designated a conservation area in 1977. It was declared a Grade I listed landscape in 1995 and in 2023 was placed on the “tentative list” of applications for World Heritage Site status. The park was a template for the design of Central Park in New York and Sefton Park in Liverpool.
We arrived at the “Grand Entrance” of the park, which is a grade II listed building consisting of three arches flanked by lodges in Ionic style and was designed by Lewis Hornblower. Crossing the perimeter Park Drive we came to the Rustic Bridge. This timber bridge is a reconstruction of the original 1860 bridge which was there when the park was created. It crosses the Lower Lake and gave us our first view of the Boathouse. After crossing this bridge we soon came to a much more ornate one – The Swiss Bridge – often mistakenly referred to as The Chinese Bridge. It represents Swiss medieval covered bridges. The idea was that, by wandering around the Lower Lake, visitors to the park could imagine that they are crossing the Alps (represented by the Rockery). The bridge is unique as being the only covered bridge of traditional wooden construction in the United Kingdom. We passed The Rockery, which symbolises a rock fall in the Alps. The stones were excavated from the River Mersey to create the Birkenhead Docks. We then came along the far side of the Lower Lake giving us our first view across to the Swiss Bridge to appreciate its beauty. Further along was the Boathouse. This was intended to serve as a bandstand on the upper level and was used for mooring boats in the early days of the park. It was built in a Roman style and has a fine pebble mosaic floor created by Maggy Howarth in 1989. A plaque in the centre reads “The Boathouse 1847”. We admired the mosaic depicting a number of birds, flowers and fish. Some birds identified as Ibises and one looking similar to a peacock. Brian has gone to the trouble of contacting the architect to ask about this bird but he in turn, has yet to receive a reply from Maggy. As we carried on around the lake we had another better view of the Boathouse and some goslings on the bank. A couple of cross trainer machines provided exercise for some – and amusement for the rest. A pair of squirrels then posed nicely for photographs before we moved on and returned to the start point of our walk. Here we saw the Jackson Memorial Drinking Fountain in the form of an obelisk that was made in 1860. It is dedicated to John Somerville Jackson who was instrumental in the creation of the park. Taking a left fork we reached the Lilly Lobe Bridge – “lobe” being an inlet off the lake. There were some large carp in this lobe with a couple appearing to fight each other. Following the bank of the lake we had more very good views of the photogenic Swiss Bridge before coming back to The Rockery. We passed between the rocks and crossed an open field which took us past Birkenhead Park Cricket Club. Its Pavilion was built in 1849, designed by Lewis Hornblower. In the front is a timber verandah which has three gables, with a clock in the apex of the central gable, and the date 1846, the date of the founding of the club. It is one of the earliest surviving cricket pavilions in the country. We crossed Ashville Road and walked around the Upper Lake where we saw more goslings before taking a well earned rest and refreshments in the Visitor Centre. Nearby was the “Aim Higher” sculpture. It was designed by Wirral artist Paul Bearman and had been inspired by the “Aim Higher” initiative to help youngsters who would not expect to get into higher education to get into university. The sculpture consists of three parts, with the woman holding the child the main focal point, and alongside her a pushchair and a younger boy reaching up.
Suitably refreshed, we made our way to Birkenhead Park Station for the train home. On the platform are three “silhouette” sculptures. These were designed by local artist Stephen Hitchen for Merseytravel as part of its public art programme and reference local landmarks. They are made in steel and cut with lasers.
Thanks to Brenda and Brian for organising and leading the walk and for all the interesting information.