William Walker, 1st Baron Wavertree

William Hall Walker, 1st Baron Wavertree (25 December 1856 – 2 February 1933) was a British businessman, Conservative Party politician, art collector, and an important figure in thoroughbred racehorse breeding.

Walker was a younger son of Sir Andrew Barclay Walker, 1st Baronet, a wealthy brewer born in Ayrshire who expanded the family business to England and moved to live in Gateacre, Liverpool, by his wife Eliza Reid of Limekilns, Fife. He was the younger brother of John Reid Walker.

A lover of horses, Walker was a polo player and in 1895 built stables near Liverpool for his polo ponies at what is now known as Grange Mews. Although he began racing horses, he is best remembered as a breeder and the person who introduced English racing to the Aga Khan III. As an owner his most memorable victory was that of The Soarer in the 1896 Grand National. He also won four Classics.

In 1900, Walker purchased the lands around Tully, Kildare town in County Kildare where he established a highly successful stud farm. He acquired a number of foundation mares that led to the breeding of such horses as Prince Palatine and 1906 Epsom Derby winner, Minoru. Between the years 1906 and 1910, he created a Japanese garden that is acclaimed as the finest of its kind in Europe and today is a major tourist attraction.

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