Walking in the park on an early spring morning
A few weeks ago I had a walk round Stanley Park with my friend Rachael O’Byrne one winter’s morning. Well today we walked there again, with some other friends, because spring is on its way and we’re going to watch it carefully as it turns up in our lovely Stanley Park.
A cold bright morning turning off Priory Road into the park.
Walking across…
To the other side.
We met at the Isla Gladstone.
And set off walking. Jan, Rachael, Ros, Pat and me.
Euphorbia. Thanks Pat’s phone for identifying this while we were walking!
Formal planting in the formal gardens that were bowling greens before the latest restoration.
We spent about two hours walking slowly round, talking about the park, our memories as well as our thoughts and ideas. And we looked for, and found, signs of springtime. 
We also came across some enthusiastic gardeners, pruning roses.
Us with the team from Glendale.
Rachael and Pat with the youngest member of the team.
Turned out he’s from South Liverpool and had evaded the border guards by coming along Sheil Road. Or so he told us!
Close to the expanding Liverpool FC ground we found signs of change.
Apparently the beginnings of work on ’96 Avenue’.
Honouring the victims of Hillsborough.
This is the new open space, created where Lothair Road and one side of Alroy amongst others used to be, that will link Walton Breck Road to the park. Though trees are also being lost in the creation of the new avenue, apparently two trees will be planted for every one lost.
In amongst change springtime happens anyway.
And the new avenue takes shape, together with new drainage.
Red dogwood with bedding plants.
Time for an opinion then. And no it’s not about Liverpool FC, we were all having a day off them, some of our number not even being interested in football at all.
But about the planting in the park. I think it could do with a bit more wildness. Fine to be formal over in the formally designed Victorian/Edwardian Gardens. But not everywhere. Loosen up a bit and provide more plants and places for birds, bees and other wildlife to thrive?
Stanley Park is utterly gorgeous.
But needs some more life in it to make it less sterile.
More space for random growth.
More crowded places for tiny creatures to live and shelter in.
The lovely ‘third lake’
Filled in for years, but redug when the park was renovated.
Then at last we find the blossoms.
The confirmation of spring.
Around this more sheltered side of the park, close to Everton FC, nature is almost quivering with spring.
Everything is budding.
And the crocuses are beginning.
A place full of potential.
For people to gather, for picnic benches, for more places to sit generally. For more activity, organised and spontaneous?
We had a lovely time.
And we’ll be doing it again some time, maybe even several times, as the spring gets going – ‘Springwatch in Stanley Park’. I’ll let you know and Rachael will too. So see you next time?
Then I got the 19 bus to Central Library to start writing this up. Gorgeous places on a gorgeous day in Liverpool!
‘Springwatch in Stanley Park’ walk started from Kemp’s Bistro at the Isla Gladstone, 10:30am Wednesday 10th February. See you next time?
See my earlier Stanley Park post for more pictures and history of the park.
Sorry I won’t be able to join you. Can you find out what is happening to the hedges that have been ripped out and cut back along the top of the car park. This is a crucial time for nesting birds.
As you’ll see from our walk this is part of the long planned works on ’96 Avenue’
I would so love to come but I live too far away now. To think I lived not far away from such a lovely park and never visited it fills me with sadness.
I did teacher training at Liverpool University and did some observation at a comprehensive over in Everton. I’ve no idea what the school was after so much time. It was such a desperate school with only half or less of the pupils turning up to class in the fifth form. Looking at the map I wonder if it was what is now the North Liverpool Academy.
Listening to the Absolute Radio the other day, one of the dj’s said he had been to Liverpool last week and that you forget that Liverpool is the greatest city in the world. He had a valid point! I enjoy seeing the changes to the city on your blog and I’m storing up some ideas for the next time we go to England.