St. John's Gardens, Liverpool

Saint John’s Gardens, a peaceful public park beside William Brown Street, sits next to Saint George’s Hall, the grand Neoclassical building that houses courtrooms and a concert hall.

Today, the gardens are filled with ornamental shrubs, flower beds, lawns, and several monuments dedicated to well-known figures connected with the city. Among them are statues of William Rathbone, one of the founders of the University of Liverpool, and former British prime minister William Ewart Gladstone. The gardens have also received a Green Flag Award, recognising them as a well-maintained public green space.

The site itself has a much more complicated history than its quiet appearance might suggest. It was once part of an open area known as the Great Heath, before Liverpool’s rapid expansion gradually transformed the surrounding land.

Over the years, the site was used for a surprising variety of purposes. At different times, it was home to the city’s first hospital, a naval infirmary, an asylum, and several industries, including potteries, windmills, and a marble yard.

Later, Saint John the Baptist Church was built here, together with a cemetery. The church was demolished in 1898, and a few years later the cemetery was cleared and the remains relocated.

The site was then redesigned as ornamental gardens by architect Thomas Shelmerdine, who also designed the nearby Hornby Library. The gardens finally opened in the early 20th century, turning a site with a long and varied past into the calm public space you see today.