Everton Park
About The Park
Everton Park, located in Everton, Liverpool, England, is a modern park, covering over 40 hectares (0.40 km2),[1] created between 1984 and 1989, as part of a major house clearance programme, on Everton Hill between Great Homer Street and Everton Road/Heyworth Street. The park is Liverpool City Council owned.
The park features the Everton Park Nature Garden, a walled community garden with three ponds, bridges, paths, overhanging trees, a wildflower field, raised flower beds with seating, and colourful wild birds.
Prince Rupert's Tower (a Georgian village lock-up), and St George's Church are also located within Everton Park.[2]
The park is split into loosely defined sections (according to Ordnance Survey),[3] such as Whitley Gardens, Brow Side Gardens, Everton Nature Garden, and the Rupert Lane Recreation Ground, the latter tracing its heritage to a former building known as Rupert House, commemorating the royal visit of Prince Rupert in 1644, during the siege of Liverpool in the English Civil War. The former building (still standing by 1830) was built upon and converted into a militia barracks, then subsequently converted into a recreation ground by 1930, then was integrated with the rest of what would be called Everton Park in the early 1980s.
History of Everton Park
During the mid-20th century, the area became notorious for its cramped terraced slums, visible from the River Mersey[4] and unfit for human habitation. During the 1950s and 60s, demolition planning for many of the Victorian era streets commenced. Gaps in the housing of the area appeared over the following decades as streets and buildings disappeared. Following the clearance of the slums, some of housing were replaced by high-rise flats in the 1960s, such as a group of 14-storey three tower blocks nicknamed "the Piggeries". Within 18 months, they fell into disrepair and were subsequently demolished in the 1980s.[5] The remaining population of the area resettled in areas such as Kirkby, Cantril Farm, and Netherley.[6]
In August 1967, it was reported that Liverpool City Council were having second thoughts on their £1.25m scheme, despite being warned by council leader William Sefton that "the council would never live down the shame it would bring on the planning of the city".[7] By 1978, the majority of clearances of the Victorian streets and housing of the area was completed, and the space which is now occupied by the Rupert Lane Recreation Ground and Whitley Gardens had been completely cleared. The urban clearances are said to have greatly reduced the population of Everton (estimated between 100,000-150,000) and have greatly transformed the area from dense slums to an open natural environment, offering views of the docks and the city skyline from its hills.[8]
A quick tour of Everton Park
The Best View in Liverpool
Playgrounds & Childrens Events
Summer Wildflower Meadows
The Nature Garden
Everton Community Garden
Glow-in-the-dark Skate Park
BMX Box & BMX Track
A Hill Runner's Paradise (& free car park)
Mini-roads (coming soon)
Why Everton Park? (Endorsements)
Dr Simon Abrams
Chair, Friends of Everton Park
Local GP
Everton Park is unique in Liverpool as a Park built on a hill, but you don’t have to climb the hill to get to the top. From Heyworth Street * you can drive to the top and look down on our great city of Liverpool, across the Mersey to the Wirral and on to the Welsh Hills. On a really clear day you can see Snowdonia. As you stand at the top of the Park, the sense of amazement will do you good.
I am a GP working a few hundred metres from the Park. If I am feeling stressed (often) and I have a half hour break (rarely) I will walk up to the Park to enjoy the view and the green space. On the way there is a gentle hill so I am bit breathless by the time I arrive. I can look around at the trees and greenery all year round. In Spring, Summer, and Autumn there are thousands of flowers to enjoy. In Winter a crisp frost can turn it into a fantasy landscape. Often I bump into a patient or someone else I know and we have a short chat. I usually return to work refreshed ready for afternoon surgery.
The evidence that going to the Park will do you good is well known. Any park would do, but I am biased toward Everton Park. If you want to check out the evidence go to WWW.THEPARKSALLIANCE.COM and look at their page “Why Parks Matter – An evidence Base”. They have listed it all.
I am going to give you four good reasons:
1. There is lots of evidence that spending time in a park is good for your mental health – see above for my own de-stressing method.
2. Specifically, in the Five Ways to Wellbeing – Taking Note, Being Active, Connecting, Learning, Giving, - it is easy to achieve the first two by just going. If you are walking, cycling or running, you are already Being Active. Look around you at the trees and flowers, smell the fresh air, listen to the sounds; you are Taking Note, chat to people in the Park, dog walkers are the friendliest people, always happy to talk about their pet; you’re Connecting. I will leave it to you to work out how to do the Learning and Giving but one way to learn is to follow the Heritage Trail notice boards around the Park.
3. It is becoming much clearer that taking regular exercise is hugely effective in keeping you healthy. Everton Park is the way to do it. You may see some of the boxing crowd running up and down the steps in the Park. Park Run is an activity you can join. Run the park by yourself. There are markers that will let you know how far you have run. Or just walk around. An hour of walking in the Park, at a pace you prefer is enough.
4. Escape to the Park. We all have problems, with our finances, our relationships, our health. The Park is an escape. Get away from it all, for free! Go to the Park and leave your problems behind for an hour. Refresh yourself by breathing clearer air in a tranquil setting. Recharge ready to go back home with a clearer mind, better able to calmly deal with your problems with your inner strength built up by the experience of Everton Park.
*If you use the App what3words, the turn off on Heyworth Street is at punch.vine.even