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

Thomas Garner

Thomas Garner

Architect. Worked with G. F. Bodley.

Person, Architecture

1 memorial
St Martin within Ludgate

St Martin within Ludgate

The mediaeval church dates from 1174. Rebuilt in 1437 and then destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666. Rebuilt by Christopher Wren 1680.

Place, Architecture, Religion

1 memorial
Giles Dance

Giles Dance

Architect/mason.  Father of George Dance the Elder (1695 - 1768) and grandfather of George Dance the Younger.  Member of the Merchant Taylors Company.  The dates are approximate.

Person, Architecture

1 memorial
Leonard and Freda Darke

Leonard and Freda Darke

At Arts and Humanities Research Council we found a brief biography of Leonard (1914-2004) which includes: "In 1951 he and his family moved to Bedford Park, Chiswick (the first garden suburb) where ...

Group, Architecture, Community / Clubs

1 memorial
Robert Adam

Robert Adam

Born in Kirkcaldy, Fifeshire, Scotland. Died 13 Albemarle Street and is buried in Westminster Abbey. Robert is the most celebrated of the four Adam brothers, who together designed classical build...

Person, Architecture, Seriously Famous, Scotland

4 memorials