Liverpool has a large amount of green space and one of the nicest parks that is close to the city center is Princes Park. It was the first park in the city and was designed by none other than Sir Joseph Paxton who became famous as the architect of the Crystal Palace in London. Actually, Princes Park was his very first commission; that was back in 1842. The person who asked Paxton to design Princes Park was a very wealthy Liverpool philanthropist named Richard Vaughan Yates - he had purchased 90 acres from the Earl of Sefton and he decided a park should be created but houses would be developed around it. The end result was a total of almost ninety green and pleasant acres.
Today Princes Park is an oasis of green and is located at the end of a lengthy boulevard. It is replete with trees, shrubbery, walkways, and a small lake. It attracts a lot of folks, especially in the summer months, who enjoy the relaxed atmosphere to be found in this splendid park. It is much smaller than Sefton Park and was privately owned until 1918 when Liverpool City Council bought it at the bargain price of just 11,000 pounds. Now that was the bargain of the century for it actually cost around 70,000 pounds to build. Anyway thank goodness it has been preserved and well maintained for it is a vital "green lung" for the people of Liverpool.