U3A BAKEWELL ~ JOSEPH PAXTON – NOT JUST CHATSWORTH'S HEAD GARDENER

Joseph Paxton was one of the pantheon of great 19th century innovators. We who live in the Peak District perhaps know him best as head gardener to the 6th Duke of Devonshire, responsible for features at Chatsworth including the Emperor Fountain, the towering Rockery, the million and more trees planted to create Stand Wood and the Pinetum. The Great Conservatory, whose footprint can be seen in the walls surrounding the present Maze, was built by Paxton to the design of Decimus Burton, trying out the techniques that enabled him later to design and build the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park.

Paxton's legacy goes far beyond Chatsworth, beyond the confines of our county boundary.

Bakewell u3a's Chatsworth Group has arranged a talk in May which will throw more light on these broader aspects of Paxton's far-reaching career which took in horticulture, garden and landscape design, engineering and architecture

On Wednesday afternoon, 14th May at the Friends' Meeting House, Paul Elliott, who is Professor of Modern History at Derby University, will talk about Paxton and his wider impact on Victorian green spaces.

Public gardens were a new concept in the mid 1800s, very much in line with the endeavours of industrialists such as Lord Lever at Port Sunlight, the Cadburies at Bourneville, and Titus Salt at Saltaire, to provide better housing and amenities for their workforces.

Paxton took the lead with his design for the world's first-ever public garden, Birkenhead Park, and following this with designs for public gardens in Liverpool, Glasgow and Halfax.

The meeting is open to everyone, members and non-members of Bakewell u3a – you can buy a ticket (£5) at the door and stay for a cup of tea and a chat afterwards. Make a note: 2pm, Wednesday 14th May at the Friends' Meeting House, Chapel Row, Bakewell.

For information about other Bakewell u3a groups and activities, for example, there's a busy Gardens and Houses group with plans for several summer outings, visit the website bakewell.u3a.uk