Sunken Garden

The Sunken Garden is a secluded peaceful area of the zoo by the Giant Otters that offers an opportunity for quiet reflection before heading back into the hustle and bustle.

The centrepiece of the garden is a large pool which has a magnificent water feature called Noah and the Four Winds. This statue was created by Sean Rice, a student at Liverpool Polytechnic and was commissioned to commemorate the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977.

The beds around the pond are planted with Hostas and Astilbes while the giant leaves of the Gunnera plants give the feeling of lush tropical vegetation. Rhododendrons, azaleas and other flowering shrubs in the surrounding banks are at their best in spring and early summer. The whole area is shaded by a number of large Oak and Beech trees.

We have recently planted two rare native aquatic species in the pond Grass-Wrack Pondweed (Potomogeton compressus) and Floating Water Plantain (Luronium natans). The zoo is working with British Waterways to help conserve these plants in the wild in the UK.