Joseph Paxton
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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.
The Conservative Wall at Chatsworth
Annie Paxton standing on a Victoria amazonica leaf in the lily house; Paxton's design for the Crystal Palace took its cue from the organic structure of this plant.
Named after William Cavendish, Cavendish bananas were cultivated by Paxton in the greenhouses of Chatsworth House in 1836. They account for the vast majority of bananas consumed in the western world.
Great Exhibition
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The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, also known as the Great Exhibition or the Crystal Palace Exhibition, was an international exhibition that took place in Hyde Park, London, from 1 May to 15 October 1851. It was the first in a series of World's Fairs, exhibitions of culture and industry that became popular in the 19th century. The event was organised by Henry Cole and Prince Albert, husband of Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom.
The Great Exhibition 1851
The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, in 1851
Queen Victoria opens the Great Exhibition in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, in 1851
The enormous Crystal Palace went from plans to grand opening in just nine months