Work will soon start on the £245,000 restoration of an historic Liverpool building thanks to a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Tony McDonough reports
A £245,000 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund will allow restoration work to begin on the historic Peach House at Croxteth Hall.
Peach House is a walled garden glasshouse housing some of the historic Roscoe botanical collection. This renowned collection was founded by polymath botanist William Roscoe more than 200 years ago.
Stephen Guy, West Derby Society (WDS) chairman and a trustee of the Liverpool Botanical Trust (LBT) supporting the Roscoe collection, said of the Lottery grant: “This is excellent news. The Peach House is a vital component for displaying Liverpool’s renowned plant collection.
“The collection has seen many challenges over the years including the destruction of the glass house in Wavertree’s Botanical Gardens in the Second World War and the demolition of the Harthill Gardens greenhouses in the 1980s.
“Just two years ago a major threat to the collection – moving the specialist horticulturists who care for the plants – was stopped following widespread protests.”
Refurbishment work will include: “replacing all damaged glass, repair cracking to the wall, hardwood and pointing repairs, replacing all the crumbling mortar and re-bedding the existing access ramp.
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Stephen added: “LBT was formed and has worked closely with Liverpool City Council and the Lottery to get the Peach House restored. A contractor has been appointed and work starts soon, hopefully to be completed by the end of this year.
“The council has also initiated other measures to ensure the future of the remarkable collection ahead of the winter. The restored Peach House will be a vital component of the project.
“We look forward to seeing the Roscoe collection becoming a public attraction once again.”