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Formerly the family home of the Earls of Sefton the estate passed into public ownership. Approximately half of the estate was sold for  housing leaving about 500 acres remaining which became a country park. 

The LNR comprises 50ha of woodland, rough grassland and pasture with several ponds and is bordered by the River Alt.     The park contains a mixture of mature woodland and paddocks used for grazing by the animals from the home farm collection of rare breeds. with large areas on the western side providing silage. Mull Wood  which was Liverpool's first nature reserve is part of the park is mainly English Oak and Sycamore. There are several ponds and small ornamental lakes dotted around the area in which Dragonflies breed and Ducks inhabit.
Woodland species are well represented amongst the birds of the park . With  Woodcock to be seen rodding between areas of woodland during the spring and summer. 
As elsewhere the recent mild winters have led to a marked increase in the numbers of Long Tailed Tit and other small passerines whose numbers would have been reduced by frost and snow in other years. Redwing and Fieldfare arrive during the winter months and can usually be found in the more open areas of the park particularly on the western side near to West Derby Village.
During the spring and early summer the woods are full of the sound of the visiting members of the warbler family. A visit to the eastern edge of Craven wood or a walk around the bridle path around the edge of the park may reveal the resident  Buzzards from  Knowsley Park or from the nearby mosslands, flying overhead. 

The hall itself is well worth a visit with displays on the life of an Edwardian country gentleman in many of the rooms in the hall.

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