1801-1865

British architect and horticulturist best known for his design of the Crystal Palace, an iron and glass structure erected in London's Hyde Park in 1851. A botanist, self-taught gardener, director of works, and park designer, Paxton was inspired by the tropical greenhouses and conservatory he constructed in gardens at Chatsworth. His Crystal Palace, which substituted transparent surfaces for solid walls and roofs, was a revolutionary new concept in architecture.