Originally part of the 1583-acre expanse of the Manor of Allerton, 

The wide and varied planting of the park is down to Charles MacIver's a Liverpool Shipping magnet who lived at Calderstones from 1875. An admirer of trees of North American origin  beeches, oaks, monkey puzzles, cedars, conifers, mulberries and walnuts still stand proud. in  1902 the MacIver's finally sold Calderstones for the sum of £43,000, to Liverpool Corporation. The  construction and opening of the park boating lake, was in April 1933. Soon after Calderstones was being hailed as 'Liverpool's most beautiful park'. In recognition of the variety and importance of the plants held within the park and glasshouses, by 1964 Calderstones Park  had assumed the role of Liverpool's Botanic Garden.

Today the park retains many of these features and the wide variety of planting has matured to make it one of Liverpool's most attractive parks. Covering a huge area, the park has many facilities including two popular bowling greens, a modern children's play area - opened in memory to Linda McCartney - and tennis courts. A large fishing lake situated in the centre of the park is home to a variety of ducks, geese and swans. The Old English Garden and the Japanese Gardens are beautifully laid out  and offer a peaceful retreat on sunny days. Impressive statues depicting the four seasons and two caryatids known as Gog and Magog can be seen, in the process of being moved into a glasshouse for protection. The Calderstones are the oldest monuments of antiquity in the Northwest. They can be found in a conservatory within Calderstones park. They were originally sited at the junction of  Menlove Avenue and Druids Cross Road, but were moved into the park in 1962.

The Allerton Oak

One of the park's two most ancient features, estimated at 1,000 years old, according to legend the ancient `Hundred court' sat beneath its branches

Working with The Mersey Forest some 2,000,000 bluebells have been planted by local children on woodland fringes including the Bluebell area in the park.  This forms part of the Bluebell Recovery Project.

The  lake in Calderstones is home to a wide variety of water birds. Mallards swim alongside flocks of Canada Geese, Moorhens and Coots.  Herons sit on sentry in the pine trees on the island lake.

Other birds that have made their home in the park include, the House Martin which can be seen swooping over the main lake and the surrounding embankments hunting for insects, numerous song birds, such as Robins, Sparrows, Black Birds, Blue Tits and Finches, as well as larger birds such as Magpies, Jackdaws, Crows, Jays, Wood Pigeons,Various Gulls and Woodpeckers.

Grey Squirrels have made a home in the park, seen regularly by Harthill allotments on the parks edge. And Foxes have been seen roaming the rangers enclosed compound at the back of the glasshouse.

In recognition of the high standards attained, Calderstones Park has achieved and sustained Green Flag status from 2002 to 2006.

For more information on the parks or details of walks and talks in the parks contact the Liverpool rangers on :-

LIVERPOOL RANGER SERVICE EVENTS
 in Liverpool's parks and open spaces.
 For more information on these events contact the rangers on - 0151 233 3007