Southport, Merseyside

Southport is a modern seaside town with a Victorian twist. Located on the north west coast of England this small resort is said to have influenced the design of the Champs Elysées in Paris. It is certainly true that the town's main shopping street, Lord Street, has some striking similarities with it featuring wide pavements covered with ornate Victorian canopies and the street is beautifully lined with regimental rows, on each side of the road, of gorgeous mature deciduous trees, All of which was in place before the Champs Elysées design. Key to this claim is the fact that Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte (Napoléon III of France) once lived off Lord Street (May 1846).

While Lord Street is incredibly beautiful, with its many trees, small gardens, fountains and Victorian bandstand, you will find that the town has a great many areas of gardens. For virtually the full length of Southport Promenade you will find beautifully manicured flower beds and neatly cropped lush lawns. Around the town it would seem that you only have to walk a few paces and you come across even more dazzling blooms. However, if you are prepared to travel beyond the more well known tourist attractions, in the town, you will find that there are many parks and gardens from the town centre right through to the suburbs.

At one end of Lord Street you will find the amazing Hesketh Park. This area of land is slightly deceptive upon first arriving as it would, at first, appear to be little more than a small area of woodland. Upon entering you will immediately notice that the whole park is carefully and skillfully landscaped with the main attraction being a large lake with wildfowl. Walking around the park you may find that there are some areas which are not so easily found. As a child I looked upon these as little secret gardens which too many people were aware of. One of these little areas really made me think, the garden for the blind, which has been carefully planted to benefit those without sight.

A little further from Southport town centre is the small, but perfectly formed, village of Churchtown which I briefly mentioned at the top of this lens. The photograph to the right (again from Southport hotels at whose site you will find many more images of Churchtown) shows my favorite part of the town, the Botanic Gardens in Churchtown. During my childhood I spent many a fine day just wandering around the gardens. If you enter via the main entrance you are met with typical Victorian splendor with a museum and cafe to the left and a small "zoo" to the right. I say zoo but it is really like a small aviary with a few small animals such as rabbits but it adds to the overall atmosphere and is perfect for kids.

Wandering a little further into the Botanic Gardens you may be lucky enough to find the hothouse. It's a small stone building over to the left of the park. Inside you will find a great little space with lots of rocks and ferns. Running throught the centre of the gardens is the waterway shown in the photograph above, and, as you can see, you can hire a boat to travel backwards and forwards. The further into the gardens you venture the more wild it begins to appear and at the very back of the gardens are recreation areas including a bowling green, a tennis court, a small playpark and a large area of grass suitable for football (soccer) and other sports and family fun.

Whatever your tastes and whatever your budget you can almost be sure to find suitable accommodation in Southport. In recent years there has been considerable development, in the centre of the town, with amny building being renovated and/or converted into high class hotels and apartments. Along the promenade you will find many hotels and guest houses, such as the fantastic Ramada Plaza. Unfortunately you will pay a small premium for such superbly placed Southport bed and breakfast and cheaper accommodation can be found at the extremities of the main town centre and in the suburbs. Other first class hotels include the popular Scarisbrick Hotel and the tremendous Prince Of Wales Hotel.

You will find the hotels and guest houses mentioned above listed on the following sites:

http://www.bedandbreakfastdir.co.uk/uk/southport.php

http://southport.hotelreservationhelper.com/