Newsham Park

Newsham Park
Newsham Park
Type	Public Park
Location	Liverpool, England, UK
Area	121 acres (490,000 m2)
Created	1868
Operated by	Liverpool City Council
Status	Open all year

53°25′08″N 2°56′24″W / 53.419°N 2.940°W / 53.419; -2.940

Newsham Park (locally /njuːʒəm/) in Liverpool, England is a 121 acres (49 ha) Victorian public park. To the east of it is the Canada Dock branch railway line, and to the north is West Derby Road. The park is protected as a Grade II* listed site.

History

The park was opened in 1868. In 1877, it was the site for that year's Royal Agricultural Show.^[1]

Newsham Park was the first individual work of the landscape architect Edward Kemp, an understudy of Joseph Paxton who was responsible for the grounds at Chatsworth House and the design of Birkenhead Park, a city park that became a working model for the creation of Manhattan's Central Park.

Super Natural Sightings

Once the orphanage ceased to exist after world war 1 the building was converted into a hospital. One of the most notable events in the hospital being a nurse who reported seeing apparitions, was later found dead at the top of the stairs of the main corridor. Patients within the hospital wrote of sightings of 'the children'. The children of the orphanage were cremated Onsight with their ashes being thrown into a pit in the mortuary. The mortuary has been known to have the fridge doors being swung open and rapid drops in temperatures despite there being no electricity. This abandoned orphanage is said to be haunted by the spirits of children who suffered there. Witnesses have reported hearing laughter, crying, and unexplained noises. Some claim to have seen shadowy figures and felt cold spots in various rooms, contributing to its reputation as a haunted site.

In the late 1900s when the tours first began, Ben Bramley led a small group of 15 into the building. After exploring the building they took a group photograph. It wasn't until days later after the photograph was taken that it was noticed there was a 16th member within the photo - a member lacking human substance. From there on, many visits have been conducted within Newsham Hall where visitors have reported supernatural sightings. With one member reporting been pushed down the stairs at the top of the 'naught boys corridor' despite there being no one behind him.

It is said that a group of boys in 1956 snuck into the building in search of the supernatural apparition's that had claimed to have been seen. The 4 boys went down to the mortuary in which the door swung shut and locked behind them so they were unable to get out. It wasn't until a day later that they finally managed to escape, in which they realised the door was locked from the outside by a key.

Tours still continue today with more and more sightings being reported. The building is now registered as a grade II listed building and one of the most haunted sights in Britain.

Facilities and attractions

The Grade II listed Newsham House, where Queen Victoria once stayed. Now used as Judges' lodgings.
The Grade II listed Seamen's Orphan Institution.
Fishing lakes with roach, carp and tench (registration permit required).
Children's play area
Lakeview Kiosk (open 9am-5pm)

Description

The park is part of a set of Victorian public parks within Liverpool, including Stanley Park, Walton Hall Park, Princes Park and the largest of the group, Sefton Park.

It is built on land purchased by the Liverpool Corporation from the Molyneux Estate. The development of the park was funded by the sale of plots for the construction of housing. Consequently, the park is fringed by Victorian housing, some of which is currently empty and derelict.^[2] The area has been awarded Conservation Area status, a legal protection against development to protect and preserve the Victorian architecture.

The park contains two large lakes, the smaller of which hosts the sailing of model boats. The larger lake historically offered rowing boats for hire, but they are no longer present. It is currently used for fishing. The lake has a historical reputation linked to the matrons of the former orphanage, who allegedly employed extreme disciplinary measures on unruly children. According to accounts, they would submerge the children's heads in the water until the brink of drowning, only releasing them when they were in a state of distress and pleading for the practice to cease. It is now reported that visitors have heard the sounds of children screaming near the lake during the night, along with the bubbling of the water.

Buildings

The park also has several important buildings, including the Grade II listed Seaman's Orphanage — a building later converted to Newsham Park Hospital and subsequently earmarked for development as luxury apartments, which never happened. most notably due to the extensive sightings of supernatural activity. Another building within the park is Newsham House, which is the residence for judges attending the Crown Court in Liverpool and was visited by Queen Victoria.

In 2004 work commenced on the Academy of St. Francis of Assisi, a secondary school (11–16) under the UK Government's City Academy programme. The school is a modern four-storey building at the western end of the park, and its contemporary style caused some friction with local residents who felt that it was at odds with the park's Conservation Area status.^{[citation needed]}

The now-closed Stanley railway station was located in the south east corner and the similarly closed Tue Brook railway station to the north east.

Present day

The park has been placed by English Heritage on its Heritage at Risk list because of its "poor" condition and because the trend is towards deterioration.^[3]

On the 30 July 2012 Newsham Park's lakes were temporarily closed due to potentially toxic blue-green algae.^[4] They were later reopened.

In 2012 a Kiosk was built, which opens from 9am to 5pm.^[5]