Details of the first event to celebrate Sefton Park’s 150th anniversary have been revealed.
The Palm House, which celebrated its 125th anniversary last year, is delighted to announce its plans to mark the much loved Grade I listed park’s important milestone.
As part of the landmark celebrations, the Palm House outdoor events will take on a new dimension this summer.
Working closely with Liverpool City Council, the Palm House Presents will bring you live music from the Bandstand starting in June, so shake out your picnic blanket and spend a couple of Sunday afternoons in Sefton Park.
The Sunday afternoon sessions begin on 19th June with the ever popular Liverpool Community Choir performing well known classic hits and current chart toppers, guaranteed to have you singing along, and continue through on selected weekends until September. These events are free and promise to be lots of fun for all the family.
The week also sees the anniversary of the arrival of Peter Pan to the park in 1928. The sculpture, now in the grounds of the Palm House, has delighted children for generations. As part of the National Lottery Heritage Fund signage and interpretation programme we will be hosting free Peter Pan activities and crafts all afternoon on Sunday, 19 June to help people celebrate this anniversary too!
Sefton Park, which is managed by Liverpool City Council, was opened on 20 May 1872 by Prince Arthur who dedicated it “for the health and enjoyment of the townspeople” – something that still applies today.
Kate Martinez, head of external relations of Sefton Park Palm House Preservation Trust, said: “In celebration of Sefton Park’s 150th anniversary, our event programme will be spreading its wings this year with the Palm House Presents events taking place at other venues around the park. During lockdown we really appreciated how much our green spaces mean to us, and we are looking forward to being part of the special celebrations for this beautiful park.”
Cllr Dan Barrington, Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “We’re incredibly lucky in Liverpool to have such a vast array of beautiful parks and green spaces and Sefton Park is one of our finest jewels in the city’s crown. Its history reflects the grandeur and civic mindedness of our Victorian past and the legacy of that time still shines through today. Its 150th anniversary is going to be a great occasion and one in which I hope everyone can get involved in.
“The park is not just a majestic green lung, it has blossomed as a venue and space for a fantastically diverse range of events be it Africa Oye to fun runs, fireworks displays to concerts and weddings to family picnics. And the rebirth of the Palm House is arguably one of the county’s great restoration success stories of this century. Everyone in Liverpool has some connection to Sefton Park, in some way, and I hope we can reflect its unique role in our city through these special celebrations.”
