The Lush Grounds of Speke Hall, Liverpool

When we went to visit Liverpool’s Speke Hall last summer, our minds were on the iconic black-and-white wattle-and-daub Tudor mansion with the Victorian interior. 

Oh, we knew there were grounds and gardens, and a shop and cafe. There always are. But nothing prepared us for the land around Speke, in its stunning greenness and redness and violetness and yellowness and general magnificence.

So much that when it came time to write about Speke Hall itself, I had so many pictures there was no room to include the grounds. And so, today, a return to Speke to linger in the gardens with a gallery of pictures.

Of course, not everyone is as impressed as I was; here’s the faint praise from gardenvisit.com: “A famous half-timbered house with a nineteenth century garden. The Speke Hall garden has deteriorated since being illustrated in a 1910 book on The Gardens of England. The old moat has become a sunken lawn.” Gee…I thought that was one of the good features!

Greatbritishgardens.co.uk has a higher opinion (“The restored Speke Hall Garden has a stream garden with many spring bulbs, a rose garden, summer border. Good rose garden. Rhododendrons and bluebell woods. Lovely Autumn colours. There are woodland walks and magnificent views of the Mersey basin and North Wales hills from The Bund, a high bank.”) but it doesn’t really capture the feeling of lush, nor the range from casual to formal.

There’s about a half-mile walk in from the main road, past industrial estates, and then the grounds begin with an inviting alley of trees; after a few minutes’ walk, hints of the house appear in the distance.

As we got closer, we passed this shed, used by local birding enthusiasts. Speke Hall has a number of educational projects, including its former Home Farm, which is now a working Victorian farm museum. The National Trust, which runs the site, has other education programs and activities as well.

The gardens also feature a maze (which we passed by for other activities). For those who are concerned about getting lost in it…there’s an observation platform built into it…someone is sure to spot you before winter sets in!

Speke Hall is on the banks of the Mersey, on a bank above the river. There are wonderful views along and across the river…but there’s also enough wind that these apple trees have adjusted themselves to it permanently.

Everywhere you turn, there’s a new scene, new colors…and lots of families walking in the sun, and children playing. Below, the house itself shows itself at different angles, and blends into the gardens.

More colors and shadows…

We also took a walk along the nature trail that leads down to the Mersey shore, to look across the river and to take in slightly wilder nature than in the manicured grounds.

Like this fellow…

But I was also curious to have a look at a hidden secret of Speke Hall. Just below the grounds, on land that was once part of the Speke estate, is Liverpool’s busy John Lennon Airport. Busy as it is with discount flights, it was invisible until we got down to the end of the road.

When it opened in 1932, the site had been chosen as a low-fog area. The land was the Church House Farm of the Speke Estate. The farmhouse became the terminal, and a dormer window on the upper floor became the control tower. Quite different in the age of EasyJet and Ryanair!

And then it was time to head back to the gardens, and through them, the long walk to the bus stop. Along the way, we got an extra treat when Joan spotted rabbits along the road. Shy and hard to focus on…but probably among the families with the longest history at Speke Hall.