Sir Richard Hotham began his working life as a hatter before becoming an entrepreneur and politician. The park was his estate and he built himself a house of which the clock tower is the only remaining part. Hatters had a reputation of madness which was due to the chemicals, including mercury, used in the hat making process. There is no evidence that Sir Richard was mad but it does seem appropriate that the park graces a new sculpture of Lewis Carol’s Mad Hatter.
ritasspot, a blog about Hotham Park by it's Artist in Residence 