A World Class Park in a City with a Long History
I'm originally from Liverpool and although I've lived in London for 18 years, when I visit home I often visit the magnificent Sefton Park, a Victorian gem in the centre of the city. It contains a replica palm house from Kew Gardens (fully renovated as a multipurpose recreational venue.)
The Park as a Subject
I have made a few paintings of Sefton Park, while my Dad, Artist Mike Hatjoullis has extensively documented both Sefton Park and Calderstones Park in oil & Acrylic and by print.
Sculpture
Numerous top quality sculptures by world class artists adorn the park, including the only copy of Anteros by Gilbert which as you may know is the Centrepiece of The Shaftesbury Memorial, Piccadilly Circus in London by Alfred Gilbert.
The Palm House
The Palm House is surrounded by many memorial portrait sculptures with the City of Liverpool being a prodigious producer of Late Victorian Sculptors & Statues including a beautifully crafted Peter Pan aloft a panoply of wood mice and small nesting birds by George Frampton.
The River Jordan
The park is fed by two tributaries of the River Mersey, the upper and lower Brook of the The River Jordan forming a quasi natural network of waterways including a fairy Glen cascade and a series of river like canals which pour down into a huge boating lake before emptying into the Rver Mersey.
Photographic Study
Having undergone major renovations over the last few years I did a photographic study of the park and even I was surprised at the results.