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View Full Version : Archived: Liverpool's "NEW" Festival Gardens Site - December - 2011 -



georgie
28-12-2011, 01:04 AM
id explored this place many times in the past when the whole place was a derelict site, the most recent being back in may of 2009.

brief festival history can be found in my old report

http://www.urbexforums.co.uk/showthread.php/4191-Pleasure-Island-may-2009


anyway as some people will know part of this has been under restoration for a while now and the openeing delayed for nearly a year due to the original contracters (mayfield) going into administration.


heres some news on the gardens from the bbc website, from back in july 2011.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-14203866

"The reopening of Liverpool's Festival Gardens has been postponed after the main contractor went into administration.

Mayfield Construction was close to completing the multimillion-pound restoration of the waterfront site.

It is hoped a new contractor will be able to finish the work on the gardens in time for them to open in September.

Owner Langtree is renovating the site, which fell into into disrepair after changing hands several times.

Langtree has drafted in temporary maintenance staff until a new contractor is appointed.
'Lose money'

"We are sad that Mayfield has found itself in this predicament having almost completed the works necessary at the site," said Langtree managing director John Downes.

"Good people have lost their jobs, the opening date for the gardens will unfortunately be delayed and we, like a number of other companies, are likely to lose money as a result of Mayfield's collapse."

Mayfield went into administration on 8 July.

More than three million people visited the site in south Liverpool after its official opening by the Queen in 1984.

The 1984 International Garden Festival was billed as a "five-month pageant of horticultural excellence and spectacular entertainment".

It contained more than 60 individual gardens, a Festival Hall, public pavilions and miniature railway.

Restoration work costing £3.7m, funded by the former North West Development Agency, began in February 2010.

It had been hoped the gardens would be ready to reopen this month.


and some recent news regarding the gardens, also taken from the bbc website,from the 23rd december 2011.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-16312779


"Liverpool's International Garden Festival site is expected to re-open in the spring after a seven-month delay, developers Langtree have said.

The Festival Gardens park was due to open in July but the main contractor working on the development, Mayfield Construction, went into administration.

The waterfront site hosted the garden festival for five months in 1984.

The redevelopment project has restored the site's Chinese pagodas, Japanese gardens and water features.

When opened the park will be managed by the Land Trust.
'Horticultural excellence'

Steve Barnes, of Langtree, said: "We want it to be perfect and it is going to take a little longer, but it is worth getting right.

"There are seven water features on site and most of them flow from one to the other through a system of pumps and wheels so it's quite a complicated system to get right.

"What is important is that the park when it is open is something which the public and we can be proud of."

More than three million people visited the 1984 International Garden Festival which was billed as a "five-month pageant of horticultural excellence and spectacular entertainment".

Built on a former refuse dump it contained more than 60 individual gardens from countries around the world, a Festival Hall, public pavilions and miniature railway.

The site has been derelict since 1997 when Pleasure Island, a leisure and entertainment facility that occupied the site, closed.

Restoration work costing £3.7m, funded by the former North West Development Agency, began in February 2010.

Part of the site is due to be developed into residential property."


me and kevsy21 was in the area and decided to check this place out,and i must say im very impressed with the work that has been done in here i almost didnt recognize the place, a nice little mooch and a little game of avoid security for good measure.

so if youve been driving past this place wondering what its like inside or just local to the area....heres what it looks like.

visited with kevsy21

we kicked things off with a look at the derelict part, this part is due for residential redevelopment.....when this is due to happen i dont know.

the old go kart track still remains,and veiwing area
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7015/6584158869_98f88f3e20_z.jpg

it was quite sad to see the dragon slide had been chopped in half...leaving only the head
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7032/6584096773_741df8e61b_z.jpg

the old bumper boat lake still remained and still fackin stunk
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7012/6584146991_f7fb87a112_z.jpg

after a short while we was greeted by newness.... ladies and gentlemen i give you the "Festival Gardens 2011"
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7023/6584034459_43f9304700_z.jpg

this was a great sight to see....it was only a few yrs ago it was a crumbling wreck....they certainley have done a good job on this.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7011/6583685261_d00871aca5_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7160/6583670387_785e6069f1_z.jpg http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7147/6584001901_22328867cd_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7152/6584069639_f2c408cd05_z.jpg

i cant remember if this was ever an original feature of this pagoda or is its been recently added....however i found it quite stunning.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7005/6584175821_228718e5c5_z.jpg

not forgetting the upper pagoda
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7174/6584016757_a29db18b55_z.jpg

meanwhile heres a few paths
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7020/6583829677_b8af48c721_z.jpg http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7142/6583771549_c30b9227e7_z.jpg

the original sign from 1984 opening of the gardens now bears langtree's name....the last time i seen this it was covered with bushes and overgrown weeds.(for a closer look check out my old report)
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7015/6583891293_f678622e9a_z.jpg

the old waterfall and lake fully restored....well kind of
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7035/6583859143_fdfd2f241e_z.jpg

an original sculpture from the old gardens (im pretty sure this has been moved from its original spot)
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7031/6583846711_f495abc347_z.jpg

its certainley been a bridge over troubled waters......this is all new
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7147/6583707997_1eb2565ecd_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7160/6583723239_ba6730200b_z.jpg

a bit of a childs play area
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7167/6583749141_c33b4bc262_z.jpg

2 big massive stairways have been installed.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7004/6584518237_1c28def017_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7028/6584123707_5aaf4e7003_z.jpg http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7169/6584172367_895f6c13a8_z.jpg

more partly restored features on the opposite side...im sure these had an indian theme to them....although i could be wrong
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7157/6583989575_843fd9b5a3_z.jpg http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7011/6583972669_3d5abfdf91_z.jpg

we was here!!!!
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7031/6583733445_e3fe438855_z.jpg

more open spaces
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7011/6583817197_3e9a728732_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7030/6583878485_bb6233cae6_z.jpg

new lovely stone wall features have also been installed
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7008/6584112175_70eaaac671_z.jpg

the site of the derelict part up for redevelopment
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7013/6583940283_46a877b045_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7161/6583927441_c87c438640_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7024/6583916069_20f79e75ba_z.jpg



"happy new year"