Fred Paxford
Encyclopedia
Frederick William Calcut Paxford (born 5 August 1898, Fifield, Oxfordshire
- died 10 August 1979, Churchill, Oxfordshire
) was C.S. Lewis's gardener and handyman at The Kilns from 1930 until Lewis's death in 1963. He is said to have been the inspiration for Puddleglum
the Marsh-Wiggle in The Silver Chair
in the Chronicles of Narnia: "an inwardly optimistic, outwardly pessimistic, dear, frustrating, shrewd countryman of immense integrity."
Paxford, an Oxfordshire
countryman, was born the same year as Lewis and had been gassed
as a solder during World War I
. He had been working at The Kilns when Lewis bought the property in 1930 and hired him as a gardener and factotum
. Paxford spent several years clearing the grounds and establishing an orchard and vegetable garden. He acted as a chauffeur
to Lewis, who could not drive, and did the shopping for the household with a great sense of economy. He sang hymns in a loud voice, much to the annoyance of the neighbours, "but it was the incessant gloominess of his predictions, especially about the weather, that caught people's attention and led to his employment as the model for Puddleglum the Marsh-Wiggle in The Silver Chair."
Douglas Gresham
, Lewis's stepson, wrote of Paxford:
A lifelong bachelor, Paxford died in 1979 in his home in Churchill. His
reminiscences about Lewis (along with those of others) have been published in a collected volume.
In the 1993 movie Shadowlands
, Fred Paxford is played by Walter Sparrow
.
Fifield, Oxfordshire
Fifield is a village and civil parish about north of Burford in Oxfordshire.-History:The toponymy is probably a transliteration of its Old English name of Fifhides....
- died 10 August 1979, Churchill, Oxfordshire
Churchill, Oxfordshire
Churchill is a village and civil parish about southwest of Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire in the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.-History:...
) was C.S. Lewis's gardener and handyman at The Kilns from 1930 until Lewis's death in 1963. He is said to have been the inspiration for Puddleglum
Puddleglum
Puddleglum is a fictional character in the children's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. Puddleglum appears in The Silver Chair, in which he is a principal character. He also appears briefly at the end of The Last Battle...
the Marsh-Wiggle in The Silver Chair
The Silver Chair
The Silver Chair is part of The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven fantasy novels written by C. S. Lewis. It was the fourth book published and is the sixth book chronologically. It is the first book published in the series in which the Pevensie children do not appear. The main characters are...
in the Chronicles of Narnia: "an inwardly optimistic, outwardly pessimistic, dear, frustrating, shrewd countryman of immense integrity."
Paxford, an Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
countryman, was born the same year as Lewis and had been gassed
Poison gas in World War I
The use of chemical weapons in World War I ranged from disabling chemicals, such as tear gas and the severe mustard gas, to lethal agents like phosgene and chlorine. This chemical warfare was a major component of the first global war and first total war of the 20th century. The killing capacity of...
as a solder during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He had been working at The Kilns when Lewis bought the property in 1930 and hired him as a gardener and factotum
Factotum
Factotum is the second novel by American author Charles Bukowski. The plot follows Henry Chinaski, Bukowski's alter ego, who has been rejected from the World War II draft and makes his way from one menial job to the next...
. Paxford spent several years clearing the grounds and establishing an orchard and vegetable garden. He acted as a chauffeur
Chauffeur
A chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine.Originally such drivers were always personal servants of the vehicle owner, but now in many cases specialist chauffeur service companies, or individual drivers provide...
to Lewis, who could not drive, and did the shopping for the household with a great sense of economy. He sang hymns in a loud voice, much to the annoyance of the neighbours, "but it was the incessant gloominess of his predictions, especially about the weather, that caught people's attention and led to his employment as the model for Puddleglum the Marsh-Wiggle in The Silver Chair."
Douglas Gresham
Douglas Gresham
Douglas Gresham is an American-born British biographer and film producer, resident in Malta, and one of the two stepsons of C. S. Lewis.- Personal life :...
, Lewis's stepson, wrote of Paxford:
A lifelong bachelor, Paxford died in 1979 in his home in Churchill. His
reminiscences about Lewis (along with those of others) have been published in a collected volume.
In the 1993 movie Shadowlands
Shadowlands (film)
Shadowlands is a 1993 British biographical film directed by Richard Attenborough. The screenplay by William Nicholson is based on his 1985 television production and 1989 stage adaptation of the same name. The original television film began life as a script entitled I Call it Joy written for Thames...
, Fred Paxford is played by Walter Sparrow
Walter Sparrow
Walter Leonard Sparrow was a British film and television actor best known for his appearance as Duncan in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves starring Kevin Costner....
.