Anyone who's ever visited Liverpool's Sefton Park can't fail to have noticed the Palm House, rising majestically over the tree tops. One of the jewels in Liverpool's crown, the Palm House had fallen into disrepair and for many years was an eyesore, a pale shadow of it's former self.

Christopher Columbus gazes across the park

But last year after a long campaign to save it and a multi-million pound restoration, the Palm House reopened its doors to the public.

The historic Palm House was first opened in 1896, and is home to an exotic collection of plants and palm trees. A painstaking £2.5m lottery funded refurbishment programme has seen the building finally restored to it's former glory. The Palm House is now open to the public on most days, as well as being used for many other functions, it's proving very popular for weddings. A specially constructed performance area means that the building can be used to host concerts and performances by a wide range of acts

The Palm House contains a collection of exotic plants

The exotic collection of plants which had been removed to Liverpool City Council's nurseries at Garston have now been returned, along with a new collection of Palm Trees recently arrived from Pisa, Italy.

During specified times of the week there is free access to the public. The Palm House is also open to hire for weddings, private functions and corporate events, and is capable of accommodating up to 400 people, with in-house kitchen facilities for formal dinner.

The Palm House is generally open between 10.30am to 4.30pm, but on certain days may be closed for special events. For information call 0151 726 2415.