Overview

A brilliantly conceived biography of Joseph Paxton, horticulturist to the Duke & Duchess of Devonshire at Chatsworth, architect of the Crystal Palace at the Great Exhibition of 1851 and one of the greatest unsung heroes of the Victorian Age In the nineteenth century, which witnessed a revolution in horticulture and urban planning and architecture, Joseph Paxton, a man with no formal education, strode like a colossus. Head gardener at Chatsworth by the age of twenty-three, and encouraged by the sixth Duke of Devonshire whose patronage soon flourished into the defining friendship of his life, Paxton set about transforming this Derbyshire estate into the greatest garden in England. Visitors there were astonished by the enormous glasshouses and ambitious waterworks he built, the collection of orchids, the largest in all England, the dwarf bananas and the gargantuan lily, the trees and plants brought back from all over the world. Queen Victoria came to marvel and, increasingly, with the development of the railway in which Paxton was also involved, daytrippers from all over the country. It was the Crystal Palace, home of the Great Exhibition in 1851, that secured Paxton's fame. His design, initially doodled on a piece of blotting paper, was the architectural triumph of its time. Two thousand men worked for eight months to complete it. It was six times the size of St Paul's Cathedral, enclosed a space of 18 acres, and entertained six million visitors. By the time of his death fourteen years later, 'the busiest man in England' according to Dickens, was friends with Brunel and Stevenson and in constant demand to design public parks and gardens. His last, seemingly most eccentric project was for a Great Boulevard under glass, a crystal arcade that would connect all the main railway termini in London. Drawing on exclusive access to Paxton's personal letters, Kate Colquhouns's remarkable biography is a compelling story of a man who typifies the Victorian ideal of self-improvement and a touching portrait of one of that era's great heroes.

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9780007143542

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Reviews

'Energetic, irresistible, a marvellously invigorating tale.' Francis Wheen, Observer Books of the Year. 'A superb biography ! Colquhoun's elegantly illustrated, admirably succinct biography is written with true Paxtonian verve. Praise comes no higher.'John Carey, Sunday Times 'Colquhoun's picture is affectionate, thorough and compulsively readable.' Observer 'Kate Colquhoun should have a bestseller on her hands.' Cressida Connolly, Saturday Telegraph 'Kate Colquhoun has written an exemplary life of this important and attractive personality. Hopefully this is the first of many.' Aileen Reid, Sunday Telegraph 'Colquhoun's sympathetic biography is at its most revealing (indeed, its most moving) in its analysis of the friendship between duke and gardener, two like minds meeting despite the barriers of class and convention.' Sunday Times

'A superb biography ... Colquhoun's elegantly illustrated, admirably succinct biography is written with true Paxtonian verve. Praise comes no higher.'John Carey, Sunday Times 'Colquhoun's picture is affectionate, thorough and compulsively readable.' Observer'Kate Colquhoun should have a bestseller on her hands.' Cressida Connolly, Saturday Telegraph'Kate Colquhoun has written an exemplary life of this important and attractive personality. Hopefully this is the first of many.' Aileen Reid, Sunday Telegraph

Joseph Paxton was one of the great Victorian pioneers and yet is relatively unknown compared with his famous contemporaries. Here Kate Colquhoun redresses the balance with a book that is full of rich detail and colour, telling the fascinating story of his remarkable life. Paxton was born in 1803, the seventh and last child of a humble farm labourer. When his father died in 1810, the family became even poorer and yet remarkably the young Paxton still managed to attend school, walking an hour each way. When he left school he could read and write proficiently, a skill which would stand him in good stead for the career ahead of him. He started work at 15 as a gardening boy on the estate of the patron of horticulture, the Duke of Bedford. Here he was introduced to the wonders of botany and horticulture. This was the time of the garden revolution; public interest in the subject was growing and Paxton quickly became skilled and knowledgeable. Moving on, Paxton went to work in the Horticultural Society's gardens, where he witnessed the latest architectural and engineering technologies, examined plants and learned techniques. Through rigorous self-education and his natural talent, Paxton was soon offered the position of Head Gardener at one of the grandest English estates, Chatsworth, home to the Duke of Devonshire. He was only 23, but he soon proved that the Duke had chosen wisely, transforming the park, designing and constructing revolutionary greenhouses and growing medal-winning flowers and fruits. The Duke was delighted and Paxton's unassuming manner and lively intelligence soon secured him a place at the Duke's side as a friend and companion. This remarkable friendship lasted a lifetime and as his influence and reputation grew Paxton was accepted into the world of the gentry and, later, into royal circles. Paxton's ambitions and genius led him to take an active part in public life. Set against the backdrop of social, economic and industrial change, his artistic flair and architectural talents meant that he was always at the vanguard of his profession. From designing the original Crystal Palace to his successful horticultural magazines, his work in parliament and involvement with the rapidly expanding railways, Paxton became a household name and was widely respected. As with many driven characters, his private life was sacrificed to his pursuit of public interests and his long-suffering wife Sarah was often lonely. But despite his single-minded dedication to his craft, he was widely loved. When he died, this man of humble origins had become Sir Joseph Paxton, 'The Prince of Gardeners', the founder of a new style of architecture and widely acknowledged as a man of genius. He left an estate valued at #180,000 (#8,500,000 in modern terms). This is a fascinating biography, stylishly written and full of compelling detail about the life of an early entrepreneur and the society through which he cut a dash. (Kirkus UK)

'Energetic, irresistible, a marvellously invigorating tale.' Francis Wheen, Observer Books of the Year. 'A superb biography ! Colquhoun's elegantly illustrated, admirably succinct biography is written with true Paxtonian verve. Praise comes no higher.'John Carey, Sunday Times 'Colquhoun's picture is affectionate, thorough and compulsively readable.' Observer 'Kate Colquhoun should have a bestseller on her hands.' Cressida Connolly, Saturday Telegraph 'Kate Colquhoun has written an exemplary life of this important and attractive personality. Hopefully this is the first of many.' Aileen Reid, Sunday Telegraph 'Colquhoun's sympathetic biography is at its most revealing (indeed, its most moving) in its analysis of the friendship between duke and gardener, two like minds meeting despite the barriers of class and convention.' Sunday Times

Author Information

Kate Colquhoun lives in west London and is a keen gardener. ‘A Thing in Disguise’ is her first book.

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