Garden visit: The bombed out church and the Palm House, Liverpool

A couple of weeks ago, I left D in charge of the cats yet again while I went to meet up with two university friends. One of them has recently moved to Liverpool so it seemed like a good opportunity both to catch up and to visit this vibrant city.

As none of us are particularly fond of the Beatles, we gave the Cavern and the other Beatles attractions a miss and instead found ourselves in two very different but equally beautiful gardens. As usual, I took lots of photos, so thought I would share a few with you today.

The bombed out church

Really called St Luke’s but universally known as the bombed out church, this community garden is right in the centre of the city. Bombed during WWII, the church is a shell and, converted into a community garden and memorial to those who died in Liverpool during the Blitz, it is now looked after by a charity.

In one of the side chapels is the memorial. This incredibly moving corner contains information boards telling the story of the people who lived and suffered through the Blitz in the city. I didn’t take photographs in there – it seemed disrespectful somehow – but one long wall was entirely covered in typed names, ages and dates – listing the people, mostly women and children, who died during the bombing. An extract from a letter found in the rubble of a house was reproduced and will stay with me forever: a woman writing to her husband who was away fighting. She described how she tried to keep her child settled and safe while the bombs fell. Neither mother nor baby survived.

Out in the centre of the church is a garden. It is a restful space, perfect for sitting to absorb what I had just seen. It must seem such a peaceful haven for those who live and work in this busy city and I couldn’t help thinking that if I lived here, I would visit often, just to think and to be.

Anyway, I promised some photos, so here we are:

Palm House, Sefton Park

The next day we went for a walk to Sefton Park to have a look around the Palm House. With my new-found appreciation of succulents, I was looking forward to seeing this giant conservatory. You can attend art classes or music and theatre events and even hire it for your wedding reception. It’s a beautiful place to spend a Sunday morning and, as well as a café, there are volunteers on hand to help you if you want to identify any of the plants.

These were a few of my favourite photos::

Sefton Park

The Palm House wasn’t the only highlight of Sefton Park, however. After we had left the glasshouse, we wandered through the flowerbeds outside, which are clearly cared for by talented and artistic gardeners. Each bed drew our eye on to the next. It was a close call, but I think my favourite part was the wild flower meadow area. It was full of bees and insects and even a pair of goldfinches searching out nesting material.

There are a couple of impressive fountains in the park too, including a copy of the Eros fountain in London. I think I preferred the Peter Pan one though.

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I will leave you this week with a few more pictures taken in the park. If you are visiting Liverpool, do try and get to both the park and the church – both beautiful green spaces in this lovely city.