Retired granddad Francis Proctor said he was inspired by a trip to the Blue John Mines in Derbyshire
Francis Proctor in the cave at the bottom of his garden in Southport(Image: Liverpool Echo)
On a tranquil suburban road in a peaceful Merseyside village, there sits a property that appears unremarkable from the street. However, within the grounds of this home on Pershore Grove in Ainsdale, Southport, exists an astonishing world that has to be seen to be believed.
For almost three decades, homeowner Francis Proctor has been digging an incredible network of subterranean caves beneath his back garden. This includes a stunning grotto 20ft beneath the surface.
Drawing inspiration from a trip to the Blue John Mines in Derbyshire, Francis, a retired civil servant and photographer, started work on his garden caves about 27 years ago. While he admits his incredible vision may never reach true completion, it was officially opened by Lady Anne Dodd in 2023 and now frequently welcomes visitors from the public.
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The garden features a bridge and waterfall and has many unusual features, such as two stones from Canterbury and Durham cathedrals, a huge replica of an Easter Island head and deep underground, a film set skeleton brought back from the US.
View of Francis Proctor’s house from his street in Southport(Image: Liverpool Echo)
This magnificent garden serves as a tribute to Francis’ beloved late wife Barbara, who passed away four years ago. Barbara used her expertise and understanding as a mathematician to help Francis in constructing the caves, which was a serious challenge as the garden borders the sand dunes near Ainsdale Beach, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Francis said: “Barbara was a maths teacher, and she used her knowledge to work out how to stop the sand flowing down into the excavations.
“As a result, we had to build by shoring the walls up from the top downwards, creating five feet thick concrete walls to shore up the excavation.”
Francis Proctor by the waterfall at the bottom of his garden in Southport(Image: Liverpool Echo)
He said he and his late wife, a keen gardener, would joke about his eccentric project. “I tell people that she hated it,” he said with a laugh. “She didn’t like all the mechanical things I was bringing in that might damage her beautiful lawn.
“But I think she would be pleased with the results, although I don’t know if she would like all the publicity it is receiving. At least her section of the garden and the lawn has been restored. Before she died I mentioned some of the things I wanted to do in the garden and I was pleased she was ok with it all.”
Francis Proctor on the steps down to the cave at the bottom of his garden in Southport(Image: Liverpool Echo)
The publicity Francis speaks of includes being featured on Channel 4’s Amazing Spaces, where presenter George Clarke described the garden as “extraordinary.” Architectural designed Will Hardie said the space is the “most remarkable” he had ever seen.
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Francis said: “Everything we have here is reclaimed and recycled and there are many special features alongside the caves and waterfalls, including bricks from the Liverpool Blitz, and the foundation stone from Southport Hospital, unveiled by The Earl of Derby K.G., Minister of War, on 18th November 1922.
“One hundred years later, Lady Dodd of Knotty Ash opened this special garden dedicated to my late wife Barbara.”
Francis Proctor in the cave at the bottom of his garden in Southport(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Francis says that he hopes when he dies that his family won’t sell his house with its magical garden caves. He said: “I don’t know how many years I have left and I am hoping someone will take it on, but my four children have so far said they are not interested. Hopefully one of my grandchildren will.”
In 2025, the garden has been largely closed while vital work has taken place on the water pumps which run the waterfalls, but it will be open for a National Open Gardens Scheme on September 13, which raises money for charity.
You can find out more about the National Open Garden Scheme listing and how and when to visit the garden here.
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