Palm House, Sefton Park, Liverpool, Merseyside
Sefton Park dates from the late 1860s and was the largest park built after Regent's Park in London. The Palm House is its most important building. It dates from 1896 and was designed by Mackenzie and Moncur. It is an octagonal, iron framed, glass conservatory. It was the gift of Henry Yates Thompson. There are statues at each corner angle by Chavillaud. They are of famous gardeners, explorers and scientists and were designed to educate people as well as please them; a very Victorian aim. The statues represent; A. le Notre, John Parkinson, Mercator, Captain Cook, Darwin, Linnaeus, Henry the Navigator and Columbus. The palm house had a major restoration in 2001 and a function room was added below ground level.
