James Bateman Bicentenary

This year marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of distinguished botanist and creator of the remarkable Biddulph Grange Garden, James Bateman. Between the 12 and 14 July the event will be celebrated with unique guided tours of the Grade I listed garden and Geological Gallery at Biddulph Grange and a series of lectures at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery.

It was Bateman’s passion for plant collecting, botany, science and theology that inspired him to create the ‘world garden’ at Biddulph Grange and the Geological Gallery which combines his understanding of the Bible’s story of the days of creation with Victorian knowledge of geology and fossils. These themes, as well as Bateman’s particular interest in orchids and his links to the local ceramics industry, will all be explored in the themed guided tours and lectures.

Paul Baker, former Property Manager at Biddulph Grange Garden, said ‘This bicentenary allows us to celebrate and give well deserved recognition to an important and intriguing 19th century character. James Bateman’s vision and hard work has left the legacy of not just a remarkable garden but an amazing window into the changing world of the Victorians.’

There will be three one-off guided tours, each with its own theme relating to the event. They will take place at Biddulph Grange Garden, Staffordshire and cost £7.50 per person, pre-booking is essential:

Tuesday 12 July
10.30am Bateman and Biddulph Grange – the historical context

Wednesday 13 July
10.30am James Bateman’s Geological Gallery

Thursday 14 July
10.30am Biddulph and the plant hunters

Lectures will take place at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent; tickets will cost £6 per lecture:

Tuesday 12 July

2pm - Brent Elliot – author of Victorian Gardens. Biddulph and its place in Victorian gardens

3.30pm - Richard Wheeler – National Trust Gardens and Park curator. Bateman and his garden

Wednesday 13 July

2pm - Canon Tony Barnard – formerly of the Erasmus Darwin foundation. Truth, Faith and Doubt in the work of Bateman

3.30pm - Paul Baker – former Property Manager at Biddulph Grange Garden. A Geological Gallery at the end of time?

Thursday 14 July

2pm - Steve Manning – author of Discovering New World Orchids. Bateman, his peers and his orchids.

3.30pm - Pam Woolliscroft – former Spode Museum Trust curator. Pots of Orchids – The Spode Bateman Connection