Paul Rabbitts
Speaker Topics
History, Horticulture
Locations Covered
Anywhere
Fees
£75 - £150
Availability
Short Notice
Profile Bio
Dr Paul Rabbitts graduated at Sheffield with a BA Honours in Geography followed by a Masters Degree in Landscape Architecture at Edinburgh. He gained a PhD at the University of East Anglia on the subject of music and entertainment in public parks from the 1830s onwards. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and a Member of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture and chair and founder member of the Parks Management Association. He is a qualified landscape architect and celebrated parks and open spaces manager and has worked for several local authorities across the UK, from Carlisle, to Middlesbrough, via Watford, across to Southend-on-Sea and is currently Head of Parks at the City of Norwich. He is a passionate advocate for public parks and in particular, the Victorian and Edwardian bandstand and is a prolific author on the subject. His first of now 39 books was published in 2011 on the iconic bandstand and was followed rapidly by books on the Royal Parks, Great British Parks and ‘Parkitecture’, Grinling Gibbons and Sir Christopher Wren. He has also completed the first full biography of Decimus Burton, Gentleman Architect, which was published in late 2021. His most recent book is called 'People's Parks - The Design and Development of Public Parks in Britain.' Now a UK leading expert on bandstands he has been asked to assist in localised restoration projects nationwide and has been a regular and popular speaker on bandstands and public parks for many years. He regularly lectures to Arts Societies, Garden History Trusts, Natioan Trust Associations, U3A, WI's, Rotary Clubs and many more.
Talk Description
A Concise History of our Great British Parks
This really is a fascinating insight into the history of one of our greatest ever institutions - our great British public park. We have all enjoyed them at some time in our lives but what do we really know about them? their origins? did they really start in the Victorian period or do they go even further back? This talk illustrates their origins, talks about the need for parks, the Victorian heyday, what makes a great park, with examples of lodges, lakes, bandstands, fountains and floral displays, to their great decline in the sixties and seventies. However, the subsequent revival has led to a major shift in interest in our parks and once again we are much in love with them. This is also a highly illustrative talk accompanied by slides with examples of parks from across the UK and their designs and architecture. This is a particularly popular talk and always goes down well as we can nearly always recount our own experiences with our own local park.
"for the first time in a long time, I would have happily listened for another hour"
"Quite one of the best lectures"
"One of the best lectures we have been to. Very Amusing"
The Arts Society Lomond and Argyll
Other Talks
Bandstands - History, Decline and Revival -A talk on the history of the Bandstand, from their origins in the mid-18th century to their heyday during the Victorian park making era, and their subsequent decline post World War Two. This talk is a slide show that follows this fascinating history and the recent revival of the bandstand in our public parks. This is a highly illustrative talk that engages many and fascinates the listener and has had excellent feedback from those who have heard this engaging talk. THIS IS A VERY POPULAR TALK
A History of London's Royal Parks -London's royal parks are among its most beautiful and beloved spaces: just as much as the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace or St Pancras Station, the mere mention of Hyde or Regent's Park is enough to evoke the capital in all its glory for residents and tourists alike. They have a grand history - some were royally owned as far back as the Norman conquest, others were acquired by Henry VIII during the Reformation - and since being opened to the public during the eighteenth century, they have hosted some of London's great events, including the Great Exhibition and innumerable jubilees and celebrations. This talk tells the story of all eight of the parks from the point when they were acquired by the monarchy until the present day, including the major historic moments and events with which they are associated.
Parkitecture: the Buildings and Monuments of Public Parks -So what makes a great park? what are the ingredients of a great park? what is it that we enjoy when we visit? The legacy of our great Victorian parks includes the fantastic features within them - drinking fountains, bandstands, park lodges, palm houses, boating lakes, cafes, bridges, mansions, museums, glorious gates, statues, monuments and sculpture. I call this 'Parkitecture'. The architecture of the park. Join me on a journey through some of Great Britain's finest public parks and enjoy the feast of features within them - parkitecture!
