Statues
Four sculptures are situated inside the building.
Highland Mary (1850)
Mary Campbell was betrothed to the poet Robert Burns.
She was waiting in Greenock, with relatives, to join him and emigrate to Jamaica. She nursed her brother who had contracted typhus, then also succumbed to the disease and died.
The Angel's Whisper (1857)
by Benjamin Spence transferred to the Palm House from the Walker Art Gallery.
Two Goats by Giovita Lombardi in marble. A second version is in a private collection in Italy.
Marble Bench an Ornate 9ft seat with the head of a lioness on each arm and an inlaid inscription commemorating the opening of Sefton Park Palm House.
8 figures of naturalists and explorers stand over 6ft high on granite plinths around the outside of the building, one at each of the 8 corners. They were created in marble or bronze by Leon-Joseph Chavailiaud (1858-1921).
Linnaeus (1707-78)
A Swedish botanist and founder of the system of classifying plants by two Latin names, first published in 1753.
John Parkinson (1567-1650)
Apothecary to James I. In 1629 he published his book describing 1,000 plants to be grown in English Gardens.
Andre Le Notre (1613-1700)
The first person to call himself a landscape architect. He designed the gardens at Versailles for Loius XIV and St. James' park in London (Foreground).
Darwin (1809-82)
Plant collector and author of "On the Origin of Species" his theory of evolution through natural selection. (Background)
Henry Yates Thompson also chose four explorers whose discoveries had extended the knowledge of botanists.
Captain Cook (1728-79)
A Yorkshire man who came up through the ranks to captain the Endeavour and chart the coasts of New Zealand and Australia.
Columbus (1451-1506)
Credited with the discovery of America and for establishing the concept that the World was round.
Henry the Navigator (1394-1460)
The Father of Atlantic exploration who developed Portugal as a trading nation.
Mercator (1512-1594)
A Flemish mathematician who invented the method of map-making using lines of latitude and longitude.
