SPRINGFIELD PARK, KNOTTY ASH, LIVERPPOOL
Springfield Park. 22 acres (8.9ha) is located in the suburb of Knotty Ash, and lies to the north of Prescot Road. Much of the park is now occupied by the newly rebuilt Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, which opened in October 2015. The park has a direct track that links to the Loop Line (Trans Pennine Trail.)
Springfield was originally the estate and grounds of Springfield House, one of a number of wealthy properties on the outskirts of the city. After a succession of owners, the estate was acquired in 1907 by Liverpool City Corporation as a public amenity. The house, which stood in the north-west corner of the park, and the lodge at the front entrance, are no longer standing. Since Springfield Park was purchased by Liverpool City Council in 1907 it has remained a neighborhood park; a much loved and cherished green-space in the centre of Knotty Ash. Springfield Park has provided football pitches, children’s playground, multi-use games area and bowling greens, a place for a quiet stroll, walk the dog or take the kids to have a picnic and is intrinsically linked to the world famous Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
The park has a number of features, but consists mainly of green space crossed by paths. It contains two football pitches and a tennis court. It also has a children’s playground on the site of the house, though no trace of the house remains. Springfield gets its name from the pools formed by water bubbling up from below ground. There is a strip of woodland that awaits an interested biological recorder to update the database.
In 1806 to commemorate the death of Lord Nelson a Mr. Downward, a wealthy sugar refiner, who by this time owned Springfield House, commissioned a sandstone obelisk in honour of Lord Nelson who was killed on board HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in1805. He offered this memorial to the city for the town centre but it was rejected as being “too small and unworthy” with one member of the Common Council describing it as “a half-Nelson”. Mr. Downward then had it erected in the grounds of his house where it remains. The obelisk is 40 ft (12 m) high, of red sandstone blocks, and bore a brass plaque with an inscription to the memory of Lord Nelson. The column was recently moved to a different location in the park to make way for the new hospital. A ceremony was held involving local schools and the community).
In 2012 proposals to rebuild Alder Hey Children’s Hospital were announced and the construction of the new hospital broke ground in the Springfield Park in January 2013, taking a total of two years to build. The new hospital opened in October 2015 and plans include demolishing the original Alder Hey buildings then transforming the old hospital site by be reclaiming the land as new park space for the surrounding community.
The Friends of Springfield Park was formed in 2010 by a group of local residents with a common interest; to promote the park and develop its future within our community. After completion, The Friends of Springfield Park look forward to working in partnership with Alder Hey’s Children’s Hospital to deliver a shared vision of a healthy community based facility
Springfield Park has a rich and important history and the Friends are shaping a future for it to become a unique health focused green space embracing the themes of Growing Food, Healthy Living, Sports, Events & Festivals, and Play.
The annual summer fetes for Alder Hey Hospital attract thousands of visitors every year, today the park remains a much used green-space for local residents and provides a unique opportunity for enhancement for the benefit of the whole community as both the hospital and the park develop to meet the aspirations of local residents.
