Built by Lever to upset the corporation of liverpool. The story goes that when Lever was interestrd in the land bordering the resevoir (owned by Liverpool Corporation) he approached Liverpool Corporation saying that if they wanted the land for catchment they could have first choice of buying it. Liverpool Corporation replied that they had no interest nor claim on the land and he was free to purchase it if he wished.
Lever bought and developing the land partly as a private house with gardens and open parkland. \Once set up, the park he donated to the people of the nearby town of Bolton.
Meanwhile Liverpool Corporation decided they did want the land afterall and tried to place a compulsory purchase order on the area owned by Lever.
Lever protested and after objecting to the claims of Liverpool Corporation the issue was heard by a parlimentry committee who after much deliberation declaired that Liverpool could purchace the land from Lever, But... They could not take controll of the land in Levers lifetime, They were to pay an ammount exceeding the actual value of the land as compensation to Lever, They should not develop the site in any way, The park should stay freely open to the public.
Liverpool Corperation grudgingly agreed to the terms.
Lever then set about building the replica of Liverpool Castle as an insult to Liverpool Corporation,(The original being a historic building that Lever and many others thought should never have been destroyed) Never intended to be a perfect copy It was built to demonstrate the condition it was in at the time of its destruction. He sited it near a small creek in the bank of the resevoir as this almost replicated the Castles original site next to 'The Pool' an inlet on the River Mersey.
After Lever's death Liverpool took over the area and let a large part of the house and gardens site fall into total dissrepair leading to finaly having to demolish many of the buildings, including the main house, gate houses, tea houses and many ornamental shelters dotted around the terraced garden. |
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