introduction
The Park contains four main streams. The names of these do not seem fixed and have taken what I can from published works.  I cannot  be dogmatic on names, by the time that clearly marked and labelled maps were printed, then so many of the streams had been culverted, piped into land drains or simply drained, leaving perhaps a trace of a ditch or valley as a sole reminder of their existence 

Mathers: The western-most stream drained into, and through, Mather's Dam and I have called it Mather's stream for want of a name. This was the only stream system within the park which flowed westwards as well as southerly and it is the only stream situated on the western side of the rising geography which sees the summit of a dome on Park Road.

There were three easterly draining streams.

Dingle stream which reputedly rose on High Park Street and certainly flowed past the Ancient Chapel and through the Dingle estate. The smallest but ironically perhaps the best known stream.


Dickenson's Dingle, a separate system sometimes confused with the former.  It rose in the vicinity of Ullet Road, flowed past King John's Hunting lodge and on through quite a deep and wide valley.  It traversed Aigburth Road and on to the River Mersey. The stream was harnessed and dammed to become the lake in Princes Park and parts of the dry valley can still be seen, especially if  you know that the deep depression in the park is the old valley. It seems likely that small boats would be able to navigate the stream from the Mersey to The Lodge.


Brook system: The fourth stream was the largest and parts still survive above ground in Greenbank and Sefton Parks.  It comprised of two brooks, the Upper and Lower.  

The Upper Brook rose in Wavertree and flowed south to cross Smithdown Road near to the present day Brook House pub, it flowed on through what has become Greenbank Park lake and reached the present Sefton Park at the head of the Fairy Glen.  

The Lower Brook rose in Edge Hill and flowed across Smithdown Road at the site of the present Cemetery gates.  The branches eventually merged in what is now the main boating lake in Sefton Park before traversing Aigburth Road and flowing on to the Mersey.  After the merge, the combined waters become the Osklesbrok the only sizeable stream in the Park.  This stream at one time was wider and deeper, and at its widest point, close to the Mersey, it consisted of pools wherein otters lived on the fish which is recorded as abundant.  Otterspool, as a name survives to this day.

 below you will find further links to details of each stream system.

 

Mather

Dingle

 
Dickenson

Upper Brook
 
Lower Brook