Birkenhead Park set for 175th anniversary celebrations

We are launching this new, dedicated website to coincide with a year-long programme of activities in celebration of the park’s 175th anniversary, which will start in April this year.

Birkenhead Park is widely accepted as a global pioneer for publicly-funded parks and is the model upon which some of the most famous public parks around the world – including New York City’s Central Park – were based.

Since it opened in 1847, the extensive parkland has provided a much-needed sanctuary for local people to escape the busy urban environment. It was designed by Joseph Paxton – with the support of Edward Kemp – and set out to create a place which replicated the pastoral countryside and included an assortment of features such as lodges, bridges and a boathouse.

Events specifically linked to the anniversary of the park this year include a civic reception on 5th April, marking 175 years to the day of the park’s opening back in 1847. The ceremony will be led by Wirral Mayor Cllr George Davies, as well as other Merseyside dignitaries and will involve the cutting of a special anniversary cake in honour of 175 years of Birkenhead Park and a tree planting to coincide with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. There will also be a fairground and the opening of a photographic exhibition in the Visitor Centre called ‘Birkenhead Park: Through the Ages’.

A full schedule for the year will be published on this website.

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