Building    From 1854  To 30/11/1936

Crystal Palace

Originally erected in Hyde Park to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. It was on the section south of Rotten Row and east of West Carriage Drive with the mid-point opposite Rutland Gate. The cast-iron and glass building was then taken down and reconstructed, modified and enlarged, in 1854 at Sydenham Hill in what was then known as Penge Park. The area around then became known as Crystal Palace. In 1936 the Palace burnt down and was not rebuilt. What remains are the terraces, the steps and some sphinxes. The BBC reported that the UK's first fatal car accident happened at "Dolphin Terrace" at the Crystal Palace in 1896 but we can't discover exactly where that was.

The distinctive curved roof above the central transept, running north-south, was added to the design of the building to enable several elm trees in Hyde Park to be retained within the building rather than felled. The trees are not there now and were presumably lost to Dutch Elm disease some time 1970-90. (But London does still have elm trees - see the Londonist article and this pdf with map.)

Some good pictures and quotes at: The Library Time Machine.

Caroline's Miscellany on the model of Crystal Palace - in Paris.

Chapter IX of Dorothy Richardson's 1915 'Pilgrimage Volume 1, Backwater' describes a summer evening visit to Crystal Palace with fireworks, a calendar-clock, a winter garden, a concert room, etc.

2025: Londonist's post What's Left From the 1851 Great Exhibition? provides many answers, including the fact that the V&A holds 3,595 items, the museum having been created partly for that very purpose.

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This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Crystal Palace

Commemorated ati

Crystal Palace fatal accident

{Around an illustration of the Crystal Palace:} The grave beneath this yew tr...

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Crystal Palace workmen's grave

Twelve workmen were killed, but we are unable to find out where the other two...

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HMS Crystal Palace

This trophy was originally placed on the old quarter-deck (presumably constru...

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Sir Joseph Paxton - giant bust

The Carrera marble bust is 8ft high.

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Other Subjects

Guy Nicholls

Guy Nicholls

Architect active in 1950. Possibly the borough surveyor for St Marylebone but we cannot confirm that.

Person, Architecture

1 memorial
William Holford, Baron Holford

William Holford, Baron Holford

Architect and town planner. Born South Africa. Designed a rejected plan for pedestrians to be raised on walkways around Piccadilly Circus, and a much-loathed Paternoster Square which was, partly, b...

Person, Architecture, South Africa

1 memorial
Julian Middleton

Julian Middleton

Architect for the performing arts sector. His projects include the Tara Theatre, the Northern Stage in Newcastle, the restoration of Waterford Theatre Royal, the Chickenshed Theatre and the origina...

Person, Architecture, Theatre

1 memorial
William Curtis Green

William Curtis Green

Architect and designer, based in London for much of his career. London works include: the Dorchester Hotel, Wolseley House at 160 Piccadilly, New Scotland Yard. Around 20 of his designs are listed ...

Person, Architecture, Craft / Design

1 memorial
William Ramsay

William Ramsay

Royal mason. In 1332 designed the Chapter House and Cloister at St Paul's.

Person, Architecture, Property

1 memorial

Previously viewed

Pewterers Hall

Pewterers Hall

In 1484 the Pewterers Company acquired a site in Lime Street (which they still own) where they built a Hall, completed in 1496.  This was destroyed in the Great Fire of London and a more modest sec...

Building, Liveries & Guilds

1 memorial
Sir Charles Higham

Sir Charles Higham

Advertising mogul, Conservative politician and local philanthropist. Born Walthamstow. His father died when Charles was 9 and his mother emigrated with her two sons to the States. Aged 13 he left h...

Person, Politics & Administration, USA

2 memorials
Sir Samuel Morton Peto

Sir Samuel Morton Peto

Born Woking. Started life as an apprentice brick-layer. MP and extremely wealthy construction entrepreneur.  Often called Morton Peto. Father of Harold. In 1853 Peto bought the Regent's Park Diora...

Person, Benefactor, Politics & Administration

1 memorial
John Williams

John Williams

"Martyred" missionary. Born Tottenham. Trained as a foundry worker and mechanic. In 1817 the London Missionary Society sent him and his wife to the Pacific Islands where they took the good word to ...

Person, Race Issues, Religion, Tragedy, Pacific Islands

1 memorial
E. J. W. Gray
War dead, WW1
1 memorial