The Rathbone family,  first leased Greenbank House and 24 acres of land in 1788, from the Earl of Sefton. They purchased the property in 1809, the year of William's death. Greenbank House still stands within the Univeristy Halls of residence precinct.

This then remained in Rathbone hands through subsequent generations until the death of Hugh Reynolds Rathbone on 19th Jan 1940.  Much was gifted to the University of Liverpool with whom the Rathbone family had strong connections and today University halls of residence occupy some of the old estate, however in 1897 Liverpool Corporation entered into an agreement with Mr Rathbone to purchase the piece of land, part of which is now Greenbank Park.
 
The price was to be £13,000 and Mr Rathbone imposed upon the corporation the requirement to maintain the land as open space or recreation ground for the general public, "but they shall be at liberty to let off the whole or any part of the said land to cricket or other clubs, and to use the lake for boating skating or other purposes".

 If  the corporation were to develop the land, they were charged with maintaining a road or path to allow public access to the lake and to prevent as far as possible the destruction of trees.

As well as the first boating lake to be established in Liverpool's Parks, Greenbank was the first to have a garden; the Old English Garden. This walled garden is all that remains of the Rathbone Estates within the park. This once glorious garden was allowed to decay and became the victim of considerable neglect.  It is now apparently being restored  but I have to say that it is far from being the way I remember it as a child, (but whatever is!).

The lake in the park is apparently  well-stocked with fish and bird life.  The lake itself is fed by the waters of the former Upper Brook, which flows underground at the edge of the nearby Brook House Hotel, under Smithdown Road and behind and under Gorsebank Road.


A shallow dell (left) at the head of the lake indicates the former above ground course of the Upper Brook.  This now emerges from its subterranean journey at the top of the lake (right).

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There is a little bridge (formerly a stone one) here, at its northern end. The wet dell area towards this end is used as a conservation area and it is currently proposed that following improvement works with local schools, this will become an outdoor classroom.

 
Greenbank Park, despite its small size (7 hectares) manages to span three maps.

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