6. Cadbury Factory

19 October 2021

Although Jellicoe designed much of the landscape to this factory site, the most ingenious and enduring part is the water feature that forms the boundary alongside a slip road mostly used by pedestrians on their way to and from the adjacent railway station.  His design engages as much with pedestrians as with the factory staff.  Ed Bennis has investigated the site and analysed its design over several years and come up with some surprising and subtle findings.  What of its future though as a strip of public open space adjacent to a new road and housing?  

Offering a longer view on iconic landscapes, Rob Belcher will provide some thoughts on another of Wirral’s historic sites - Birkenhead Park, one of the first public parks anywhere to be created by a municipal authority. As it approaches its official 175th birthday, it has experienced its own share of highs and lows, facing challenges about its value as a heritage asset in terms of significance, context, integrity, and authenticity. So, could it be a future World Heritage site?

Ed Bennis was Head of the School of Landscape at Manchester Metropolitan University and Head of the Centre for Landscape Research. He has been a landscape consultant to English Heritage and regional governments, and has held numerous positions on regional and national bodies including Green Flag Judge, CABE/Civic Trust, chairman and trustee of Cheshire Gardens Trust. He has been a visiting professor in Haifa, Beijing and Guangzhou, and University of Novi Sad, Serbia.

Rob Belcher is currently Birkenhead Park’s General Manager and, with his team, is seeking to realise the full potential of the Park in benefitting its local communities while recognising and conserving its special historic significance. Rob comes from a background in planning and landscape design. He is a Green Flag judge, and in recent years has managed the restoration of a couple of Thomas Mawson-designed public parks in The Potteries.