We are delighted to announce that Paul Rabbitts will be our guest speaker following our AGM. His talk entitled ‘A Concise History of British Parks’ 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. Join us for this highly illustrative talk accompanied by slides with examples of parks from across the UK and their designs and architecture.

Abertillerary Band Stand

Paul Rabbitts graduated from Sheffield University with a BA Honours in Geography followed by a Masters Degree in Landscape Architecture at University of Edinburgh. He is currently studying for a PhD at the University of East Anglia on the subject of music and entertainment in public parks from the 1830s onwards. He is a qualified landscape architect and celebrated parks and open spaces manager and has worked for several local authorities across the UK, including Carlisle, Middlesbrough, Watford, 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 34 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. His latest book is called People’s Parks – The Design and Development of Public Parks in Britain – was published in November 2023. 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.

Please join us for a buffet lunch to celebrate the Trust’s achievements during the year and plans for the future. Lunch is £15 per person. Please note that booking is essential for catering purposes.

Please note that AGM papers will be sent out via email (or post to those members without email addresses) mid-November.