The Liverpool Botanical Trust and LJMU Research Institute for Literature and Cultural History are delighted to announce a symposium focusing on the cultural and scientific history of orchid collections. Liverpool has an important place in the ‘Orchidelerium’ or orchid mania which swept Victorian Britain.
The one-day event will be held on Saturday 16th March 2024, 10am-4pm at Croxteth Hall, Liverpool.
It will feature keynote talks by orchid expert, author and lecturer, Philip Seaton (Secretary of the Orchid Specialist Group) with shorter papers on the history of orchids in the Liverpool Botanic Gardens, orchids in Victorian England, and creative work. There will also be an opportunity to see five new ‘Liverpool Orchids’.
The cost of the event is £15 per person and will include refreshments and lunch.
To book, the Eventbrite link is:
Update: Save The Liverpool Botanical Collection.
As a direct response to your show of support, the team have now set up The Liverpool Botanical Trust with five founding Trustees: Stephen Lyus, Stephen Guy, Peter Ellison, Alan Smith and Jayne Moore.
The Trustees, together with your support, aim to develop a plan to not only save the collection for the future but will be considering how to extend and restore the collection to its former glory.
Now that they have a bank account, they are able to ask for donations directly, initially to be used to fund our web presence and allow us to rejoin the Botanic Gardens Conservation International, as they further develop plans to create a more secure space for the collections, preserving them for the future, and they want to create a series of events to invite you to as a supporter.
Their website can be found at https://
Whatever money is surplus to these early needs will help toward the £70,000 target that they have set to be able to achieve for the next stage of restoration, bringing the collection within Croxteth Hall Gardens back to its former glory and securing it for future generations.
These collections are so valuable to society, as Raoul Curtis-Machin, Director of Horticulture and Visitor Experience at Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, described to us in April, this is why Botanic Gardens matter:
- Conservation horticulture
- Species rescue
- Pest threat research
- Human pest problems
- Climate change adaptation
The Liverpool Botanical Collection is filled with such rare and endangered plants, they really need to preserve and protect this wonderful legacy for our City and our planet.
If you would like to help now, please donate, by sending it direct to their bank account:
Account Name: Liverpool Botanical Trust
Sort code: 30-99-50
Account: 17139363
Or by cheque to:
Liverpool Botanical Trust
c/o Lowlands Community Centre
13 Haymans Green
West Derby
Liverpool
L12 7JG