{"product_id":"the-busiest-man-in-england-the-life-of-joseph-paxton-gardener-architect-and-victorian-visionary","title":"The Busiest Man in England: The Life of Joseph Paxton  Gardener  Architect  and Victorian Visionary","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe pre-eminent Victorian was Joseph Paxton who bestrode the worlds of horticulture  urban planning  and architecture like a colossus. He was a self-taught polymath who had a solution to every large-scale logistical problem  the genius Charles Dickens dubbed The Busiest Man in England.  Rising quickly from humble beginnings  Paxton  at age 23  became head gardener and architect at Chatsworth  the estate of the sixth Duke of Devonshire. Under Paxtons direction  Chatsworth was transformed into the greatest garden in England  a paradise of magnificent greenhouses  gravity-defying fountains  and innovative waterworks. Queen Victoria herself came to marvel; here was Britains answer to the hanging gardens of Babylon. But it was the Crystal Palace  home of the Great Exhibition of 1851  that secured Paxtons fame. Two thousand men worked for eight months to complete this unprecedented temporary structure of iron and glass. It was six times the size of St. Pauls Cathedral  and entertained six million visitors. In the wake of its spectacular success  Paxton was in constant demand to design public buildings and propose ways to ease congestion in London  then the worlds most populous city.  Author Kate Colquhoun tells the compelling story of a man who embodied the Victorian ideals of self-improvement  industry  and civic service  and paints a touching portrait of a remarkably down-to-earth visionary.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44986175881269,"sku":"ByrdShop_1567923011","price":21.89,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781567923018.jpg?v=1770890647","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-busiest-man-in-england-the-life-of-joseph-paxton-gardener-architect-and-victorian-visionary","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}