Book description
A biography of an unsung Victorian hero, Joseph Paxton was the man
behind the garden design at Chatsworth and the Crystal Palace at the
Great Exhibition of 1851.
The Victorians heralded a new era of creativity, a revolutionary
fervour seizing all forms of design. Joseph Paxton was a leading light
of this movement. Head Gardener at Chatsworth House by the age of
twenty-three, encouraged by the sixth Duke of Devonshire he transformed
the Derbyshire estate into the greatest garden in England. Queen
Victoria came to marvel and with the development of the railway, so too
did daytrippers from all over the country.
His design for the Crystal Palace sealed his reputation. By the time of
his death, Paxton 'the busiest man in England' according to Charles
Dickens, could count Brunel and Stevenson amongst his friends.
Horticulturalist, designer, architect - Paxton was one of the most
remarkable figures of his time.
The greatest age of art and industry is embodied in this compelling
portrait of a Victorian hero. '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 Kate Colquhoun lives in west London and is a
keen gardener. 'A Thing in Disguise' is her first book.
