Sir Joseph Paxton was an English gardener, architect, engineer and Member of Parliament, best known for designing the Crystal Palace and for cultivating the Cavendish banana, the most consumed banana in the Western world.
22 Facts About Joseph Paxton
2.
Joseph Paxton became a garden boy at the age of fifteen for Sir Gregory Osborne Page-Turner at Battlesden Park, near Woburn.
3.
Joseph Paxton offered the 20-year-old Paxton the position of head gardener at Chatsworth, which was considered one of the finest landscaped gardens of the time.
4.
Joseph Paxton married Bown in 1827, and she proved capable of managing his affairs, leaving him free to pursue his ideas.
5.
Joseph Paxton enjoyed a friendly relationship with his employer who recognised his diverse talents and facilitated his rise to prominence.
6.
In 1832, Joseph Paxton developed an interest in greenhouses at Chatsworth where he designed a series of buildings with "forcing frames" for espalier trees and for the cultivation of exotic plants such as highly prized pineapples.
7.
Joseph Paxton used hollow pillars doubling as drain pipes and designed a special rafter that acted as an internal and external gutter.
8.
The Great Conservatory was the test-bed for the prefabricated glass and iron structural techniques which Joseph Paxton pioneered and would employ for his masterpiece: The Crystal Palace of the Great Exhibition of 1851.
9.
Joseph Paxton was visiting London in his capacity as a director of the Midland Railway to meet the chairman John Ellis who was a member of parliament.
10.
Joseph Paxton happened to mention an idea he had for the hall, and Ellis promptly encouraged to produce some plans, provided they could be ready in nine days.
11.
Joseph Paxton completed the plans and presented them to the Commission, but there was opposition from some members, since another design was well into its planning stage.
12.
Joseph Paxton decided to by-pass the Commission and published the design in the Illustrated London News to universal acclaim.
13.
In 1831, Joseph Paxton published a monthly magazine, The Horticultural Register.
14.
Joseph Paxton was a Liberal Member of Parliament for Coventry from 1854 until his death in 1865.
15.
Joseph Paxton worked on public parks in Liverpool, Birkenhead, Glasgow, Halifax and the grounds of the Spa Buildings at Scarborough.
16.
In 1850, Joseph Paxton was commissioned by Baron Mayer de Rothschild to design Mentmore Towers in Buckinghamshire.
17.
Joseph Paxton designed another country house, a smaller version of Mentmore at Battlesden near Woburn in Bedfordshire.
18.
Joseph Paxton was honoured by being a member of the Kew Commission which was to suggest improvements for Royal Botanic Gardens, and by being considered for the post of Head Gardener at Windsor Castle.
19.
On 17 March 1860, during the enthusiasm for the Volunteer movement, Joseph Paxton raised and commanded the 11th Derbyshire Rifle Volunteer Corps.
20.
Joseph Paxton became affluent, not so much through his Chatsworth employment, but by successful speculation in the railway industry.
21.
Joseph Paxton retired from Chatsworth when the Duke died in 1858 but carried on working at various projects such as the Thames Graving Dock.
22.
Joseph Paxton died at his home at Rockhills, Sydenham, in 1865 and was buried on the Chatsworth Estate in St Peter's Churchyard, Edensor.