Stanley Park and Garden
Laura Harris
Stanley Park deserves its own place in Footballs Hall of Fame – it bridges the smallest gap between two Premier League team’s home grounds in the UK. To the south is Anfield, home of Liverpool Football Club and just 0.8 miles to the north sits Goodison Park, home of Everton Football Club (until it makes its move to its new home in Bramley Moore Dock, that is). On match days expect to find Stanley Park awash with the sounds of thousands of fans cheering on these two rival Liverpool team. Football runs deep through the history of the park which opened in 1870 with football pitches available to the local public—a contrast to the tennis courts or cricket grounds of other public parks at the time.
Football isn’t the only thing this park has to offer, however. Its 110 acres of expansive green spaces sits two miles north-east of the city centre and features an ornamental pond, fishing lake and a play area. It’s most notable historic feature is the Isla Gladstone conservatory, a magnificent example of Victorian glasshouses. The terraces also are an unusual architectural detail, with columns and arches enclosing a raised walkway – a great place to sit and take in the views of the park.
A walk from Anfield to Goodison Park – or from the Red to the Blue side of Stanley Park – can be continued south towards Everton Brow. This is a half hour walk at the end of which is a platform giving spectacular and unparalleled views of the city and right over the River Mersey. Walking around this northern part of the city, particularly on match day, will show you a vital, lively, and umissable part of Liverpool’s character.
