Historic horticultural 'hidden treasure' in Liverpool receives vital funding boost

A beautiful Liverpool gem is set to become a 'leading visitor attraction' after receiving a £245,000 funding boost.

One of the UK’s oldest horticultural hidden treasures, the city's historic Botanical Collection will be given a permanent home, following a successful bid which Liverpool City Council submitted to The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Located within Croxteth Hall’s walled garden, the collection - founded by William Roscoe - dates back to 1803 and was is globally respected and has ‘National Plant Collections’ status. The collection is made up of thousands of different plants, including orchids, ferns, begonia and tropical species, which are all maintained by a small, dedicated number of gardeners based at the hall. According to Liverpool Council, "a detailed project plan is now being developed which will see the culturally significant collection nurtured and developed, with plans to open it up to the public to become a leading visitor attraction in the city."

Initial works will see the restoration of The Peach House, which will become the gateway to the collection and will house some of the key botanical exhibits. Currently in a state of disrepair, new glazing is required in order for it to be a suitable home for the hundreds of varieties of plant species in Liverpool’s ownership.

The council will work with the botanist team at National Museums Liverpool, as well as the universities and the new Liverpool Botanical Trust and hope that the National Lottery funding "will act as a catalyst for other funding streams" and help Liverpool's Botanical Collection "to become a centre of horticultural excellence" and establish connections with the likes of Kew Gardens and RHS Garden Bridgewater.

Councillor Harry Doyle, Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet member for Health, Wellbeing and Culture, said: “We are massively proud of Liverpool’s Botanical Collection and this Heritage Fund grant is an essential stepping-stone to us making positive changes which will future-proof the collection, allowing it to develop and flourish.

“The botanical importance of this collection can never be underestimated – it includes rare plants that are of medical, educational, scientific and horticultural significance and as one of the oldest of its kind in the world, we need plans in place do it justice. It’s not good enough that it’s a hidden gem. We want this vital asset to bloom in every sense and for it to become yet another reason why we attract visitors to the city.

“We’re at the early stages of the project but our heritage team is already having encouraging conversations which will hopefully result in more funding which means we can make these ambitious plans a reality.”

According to Liverpool City Council, future plans are as follows:

• The restoration of a number of greenhouses and brick buildings in order to cultivate and grow the collection.
• Developing a brand new education programme which will see the introduction of a pilot project working with around ten primary schools across the city. The aim of this is to encourage youngsters to connect with nature and showcase the links between botany and health and wellbeing.
• The introduction of horticultural and agricultural training courses as a result of educational partnerships with establishments such as Myerscough College and the Learning Foundry.
• There will be focus on how to make the collection a key visitor attraction, given its shared location with the Grade II* listed Croxteth Hall and the Country Park. Guided tours, workshops and open days will be created and attracting events will be a priority in order to support the future of the collection.
• Supporting mental health and wellbeing and tackling loneliness will be developed through partnerships with local and national organisations to create new pathways to ensuring members of the community who are vulnerable or isolated can access the collection regularly through an engagement programme.  
• Establishing a digital offer, for example creating a dedicated website, is also on the wish-list, which will open up the collection to people across the world who may not be able to visit in person. It will also ensure connections will be established with other worldwide botanical collections.