Family Lessons 150: Walton Hall Park

Walton Hall in Liverpool is long gone. A seventeenth-century hall was pulled down in 1900, which had replaced an older, twelfth-century fortified manor house. Once, the de Walton family lived here, sometimes peacefully, sometimes not. There is talk of it having a moat, for the times were lawless, and landowners, unlike today, were expected to defend themselves and not call upon the state to do so. The de Walton line died out in the 1400s with Roger, my 17th great-grandfather, the family property being divided among his daughters. Gone is the gatehouse, the portcullis, the moat, the towers; so, too, the weaponry, the horses, the lances and the armour. It is now a public park, open to all, enjoyed by any who choose to come here.

Walton Hall Park is not the best public space I have ever called at, and even its sign, above, appeared battered and scruffy. Nevertheless, the park itself is tidy, and I noted the presence of several beautiful swans on its little lake. It is likely a pleasant place for what is now inner Liverpool, offering fresh air and respite to city dwellers.

As something of a conservative, I respect private property, believing it to be the best bulwark against an ever-encroaching and expanding state. Nevertheless, the days are coming when the most attractive, the cleanest and the most beautiful places will be available to all, not just wealthy landlords and rich clientele. This earth belongs to King Jesus, and He will share its treasures and beauties with all who follow Him, when He returns. The homes with the best views, the largest rooms and the most stylish furnishings might now be owned by the rich and powerful, but these they cannot keep. It is the meek, not the powerful, who shall inherit the earth. 'Walton Hall' now belongs to the people of Liverpool, not one violent and quarrelsome dynasty.

The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness,

The world and those who dwell therein.

For He has founded it upon the seas,

And established it upon the waters. Psalm 24:1-2