His teacher Moses Pullen realised Bickerton had a natural talent for the subject and suggested he take up teaching science.

By 1866 Bickerton was teaching science in Birmingham, while he was there he sat examinations for the Royal Exhibition for the School of Mines where he gained honours.

In 1867 he moved to London where he was taught by prominent scientists of the time Edward Frankland, John Tyndall and Thomas Huxley.

Bickerton was offered the position of Chair of Chemistry and after acceptance he arrived with his wife and four children in Christchurch, New Zealand in June 1874.

His new job was made harder without any lecture rooms, and few students due to science not being taught at secondary schools at the time.

Towards the end of the 19th century he was blamed for digressing into his own theory too often in class, and this was used as a reason by the Board of Governors to try to remove him from his position.

Bickerton was often at odds with the Board due to his different teaching style, socialist views, and disrespect towards the church.

Bickerton's idea for the property was to create a new form of society based around his socialist beliefs, however this social experiment was discontinued after several years.

From 1903 the property was turned more into a theme park to provide family income, with a zoo, 7,000 person amphitheatre, conservatory, aquariums, cinema, medicine and fireworks factories, and mock naval battles on a man-made lake – it attracted hundreds of thousands of people over the coming years.

[7] In 1910 after significant developments in the astronomic field Bickerton believed he had another chance to get his partial impact theory recognised.