Issue 96 – June 2015
10 pages inside
SOUTH LIVERPOOL’S BIGGEST ADVERTISING PAPER
EVERYTHING IN THE GARDEN By Stephen Guy PEOPLE have created private outdoor spaces and public areas from the earliest times, giving much thought to their design and content. Gardens give pleasure and provide relaxation for many people while at one time small armies of workers were employed on private estates. Wide sweeping lawns contrasted with cottage gardens, providing enjoyment on a different scale. At one time some people had small holdings or large kitchen gardens to grow their own produce or keep animals. The Victorian era saw changes in Britain’s gardens with the arrival of plants from abroad and new technologies. Many different types of lawnmowers, greenhouses and tools reached new levels of sophistication. The 20th century saw further advances in gardening techniques and services. Advertisements from 1924 give an insight into south Liverpool’s gardens between the wars. John Webster Brothers, of Wavertree, had been established in 1847 when many small estates were being created by business people. They were horticultural builders and hot water engineers providing all types of greenhouses, garden frames, pavilions and motor houses (garages). Repairs and painting were specialities. William Rowlands & Co traded from
Childwall Nurseries where they had 20 acres of stock “in perpetual cultivation”. “We undertake the laying-out of gardens, pleasure grounds, public parks, recreation grounds, sports fields and all kinds of landscape work.” Liverpool Corporation had a large parks department maintaining and supervising the city’s many green spaces. Like today, crowds flocked to the parks, particularly on long hot summer days when they provide a much-needed escape from busy streets and buildings. Calderstones is my favourite Liverpool park with its mysterious prehistoric stones, elegant manor house and the thought-provoking Allerton Oak. Exploring these green spaces brings surprises such as the ruined mansion on
Allerton golf course or the grotto in Sefton Park.The floral clock in Woolton Wood, pictured about 1930, has been an attraction for generations. I loved its eerie cuckoo call marking the hours. Passing time and growing housing demands resulted in many large gardens disappearing under bricks and mortar. Widespread car ownership also saw the disappearance of many front gardens paved over to create more parking spaces. Open land, however small, acts like a sponge. Removing it can create problems in urban areas when run-off overwhelms drains causing local flooding. Learn more about the history of Liverpool at the Museum of Liverpool, Pier Head, open 10 am to 5 pm every day, admission free.
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