Greenbank Park is a

public park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to resi ...

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

, England, with the middle of the park dominated by a small lake. It is situated in the suburb of

Mossley Hill Mossley Hill is a suburb of Liverpool and a Liverpool City Council ward. Located to the south of the city, it is bordered by Aigburth, Allerton, Childwall, and Wavertree. At the 2001 Census, the population was 12,650, increasing to 13,816 at ...

in the south of the city, close to

Penny Lane "Penny Lane" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released in February 1967 as a double A-side single with "Strawberry Fields Forever". It was written primarily by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney songwr ...

and

Sefton Park Sefton Park is a public park in south Liverpool, England. The park is in a district of the same name, located roughly within the historic bounds of the large area of Toxteth Park. Neighbouring districts include modern-day Toxteth, Aigburth, ...

Historical background

The area was the former home of the

Rathbone family The Rathbone family of Liverpool, England, were a family of nonconformist merchants and ship-owners who were known to engage in philanthropy and public service. The family origins trace back to Gawsworth, near Macclesfield, where the first Will ...

, philanthropists through two centuries. The family acquired nearby

Greenbank House Greenbank House, is a Grade II*-listed building in Liverpool, England. It stands within the University of Liverpool's Greenbank Halls of Residence site, between Greenbank Road and Greenbank Lane. History Original house The original house was b ...

in 1788 as a holiday house and remained there until 1940. Gradually it became their permanent residence and a venue for many distinguished visitors to Liverpool who "had some special opinion to propagate or philanthropic scheme to advance". In 1897 Liverpool Corporation entered into an agreement with the Rathbone family to purchase the piece of land, part of which is now Greenbank Park for the sum of £13,000. The agreement required the corporation to maintain this land as open space or recreation ground for the general public, "but they shall be at liberty to let off the whole or any part of the said land to cricket or other clubs, and to use the lake for boating, skating or other purposes". In case the corporation was to develop the land, they were charged with maintaining a roadway or pathway to allow public access to the lake and to prevent as far as possible the destruction of trees. The park boasts the dual distinction of having the first of the old English gardens in Liverpool's parks, and the first boating lake. The walled garden is all that remains of the Rathbone estate on the park. Now laid out as an old English garden, it contains a memorial tablet to the late Mr. Michael Kearney, the former Deputy Chairman of the Parks and Gardens Committee, who originated the idea of its design. This garden, once famous for its herbaceous borders, has been restored in a move to reflect its former glory.

Current usage

Greenbank Park has a children's playground, football, pitches, and a fishing pond, as well as mature trees and a conservation area. The pond provides the focal point within the park. Visitors are able to fish and can watch nesting waterfowl and herons. There is a bridge at the northern end of the pond. The wet area towards this end is used as a conservation area and it has been proposed that following improvement works with local schools, this will become an outdoor classroom. Much of the area is open parkland with trees to the perimeter. The wall to the side of the children's playground is a colourful result of a local graffiti art project.

References

Liverpool City Council official page on Greenbank Park
Parks and commons in Liverpool {{Merseyside-geo-stub