Parkmasters - Joseph Paxton and Birkenhead Park

Historian Tristram Hunt explores the people and ideas behind our public parks. Known for his work at Chatsworth for the Duke of Devonshire and later as the creator of the Crystal Palace, Paxton was determined to bring the grandeur of the aristocratic garden to the working people of Birkenhead. The park was a declaration of civic pride to nearby Liverpool and an attempt to tempt wealthy rate-payers to make their homes in Birkenhead.