Tributes paid to man who transformed Ness Gardens

Feb 24 2010 by Liam Murphy, Heswall News

TRIBUTES have been paid to the first director of Wirral’s Ness Botanic Gardens who has died aged 82.

Ken Hulme was director from 1957 to 1989, during which time he oversaw the expansion of the gardens from around 30 acres to its current 65 acres.

Thanks to his energy and foresight, the garden is now an attraction of national and international interest.

Memorably described as having a “cast iron back with a hinge in it” when he was awarded his ex-officio MSc at Liverpool University in 1976, he worked tirelessly with minimal staff to transform the garden’s infrastructure.

The current director of the gardens, Kevin Reid, said Mr Hulme had remained a key figure in and around Ness Gardens and was heavily involved in the Rhododendron Society, as well as honorary president of the Friends of Ness Gardens, which he set up in 1962, and which became an organisation which has contributed to the growth of the gardens.

Mr Reid said: “Even up until the end of last year, Ken remained very involved – he was a real gentleman.”

At a time when recycling was not even thought of, Ken was known for reclaiming York Stone paving slabs from Liverpool streets and local railway stations and using them to build paths and other features in the garden.”

Aware of the need to develop visitor facilities, Mr Hulme instigated the building of the Friends’ reading room in the late 60s.

Later, having bought and demolished Ness Holt School, he had materials to build a lecture theatre with a gallery foyer which have been incorporated into what is now the Visitor Centre.

During his time as director, Mr Hulme lived with his family at the gardens and was effectively on duty 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, always ready to stop and talk to members of the public about the gardens.

Early hostility to his “destruction” of the much loved Bulley’s Garden led to him delivering talks on his plans for redevelopment to any group who would listen.

In 1989 he received the Veitch Memorial Medal from the Royal Horticultural Society and in 1990 the OBE for services to Botany.

Mr Hulme had started work in August 1942 at the age of 14 in Blackpool Parks Department.

After military service, he went to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh to do his horticultural studies, worked as foreman in the Nursery and Outside Department of the Gardens which is where he met his wife, Barbara, and then moved to Birmingham to be assistant senior horticulturalist to the City of Birmingham Parks Department.

He is survived by Barbara, and children, Jan, John and Kathy.