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Will Crystal Palace rise again?
Mira Bar-Hillel, Property Correspondent7 Feb 2008
Plans for a replica of the original Crystal Palace are being worked on by architects and developers.
The original building was built by Sir Joseph Paxton in Hyde Park for the Great Exhibition of 1851, under the patronage of Prince Albert.
After being moved to a location in Sydenham, now known as Crystal Palace Park, it was destroyed by fire in 1936.
The plans for a new building, estimated to cost £220million, incorporate galleries, a snow slope, music auditorium, leisure facilities and a hotel.
They have been drawn up by the New Crystal Palace company, a consortium of local businessmen. It expects to submit the plans to Bromley council "in the next six to eight months". Company spokesman Patrick Goff said: "We want to put the Crystal Palace back and give the park a heart again. Our plan could be entirely funded through the commercial elements, with no money needed from the public purse."
However, a rival scheme for the park has been put forward by the Mayor's London Development Agency.
It is proposing the construction of 180 private houses in the park, despite local objections. The new homes would be built on the site of a caravan park. The £67.5million scheme also includes student accommodation, landscaping and various improvements to the park itself as well as a new regional sports centre that includes an indoor swimming pool.
Other buildings and structures proposed include a museum, park maintenance facilities, community facility, information kiosk, greenhouses, retail kiosks, cafés, lavatories, classrooms and children's nursery. The plans also include a treetop walk and water features-Bromley council's chief planner said the agency's plans did not accord with existing plans for the area, which is within the Crystal Palace Park Conservation area.
A spokesman for the agency said: "While there have been some calls to rebuild the palace, it is by no means the priority for the majority of people."
The original building was 1,848 feet long and 408 feet wide and included two huge towers and fountains with more than 11,000 jets rising into the air. It was Paxton's idea to move the palace and in June 1854 it was reopened in its new location by Queen Victoria.
The area became the world's first theme park, attracting two million visitors a year and hosting 20 FA Cup finals. A series of disasters spelt the end of the building, culminating in the fire.
Reader views (16)
I have the original Back Bar and original Mirror panels that were part of the Crystal Tavern contained within the Crystal Palace prior to the fire of 1936. They are very beautiful, I could send pictures of them prior to my acquisition on them in 1987 and how they are currently set in place in our Wits End Guest Ranch, Resort and Spa. They are in perfect condition. The history as I understand it, is they were possibly located in either the Tower or maybe in the Nader Balloon's Giant Basket, which also contained a Pub while it was on display in the Crystal Palace. The entire Crystal Tavern tables, chairs and fixtures were then auctioned off in New York, then again Auctioned in Los Angeles around 1976. I would be interested in sharing information on wonderfully preserved antique mirrors, I was led to believe they were actually manufactured in 1836. I am also very excited about the idea of a new Crystal Palace being erected. We have had over 200 hundred guest families from the UK and the London area especially, at our Wits End Guest Ranch & Spa Resort over the years, without exception they all talk about the Crystal Palace. Our back Bar is beautifully etched with the words "Free house" "Fine Spirits" and more. The 40 or so Panel Mirrors have the Gold Leaf lettering of CT on each of the Panels. They are all in absolutely perfect condition. Sincerely Submitted to you from Jim and Karen Custer, Owners of the Crystal Tavern and Wits End Guest Ranch.
- Jim Custer, Vallecito Lake, Durango, Colorado, USA, 04/10/2010 01:26
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The Crystal Palace is an important part of British history, I would have thought that the preservation of our culture should be a priority. In today's society of mix-and-match, it's difficult for any Brit to name something that's of English culture that still exists today, why not bring something back that we can be patriotic about? The Crystal Palace was and is an inspiring bit of arcitecture in itself, and the exhibitions held within it were awe-inspiring. The potential of this Palace to be both a tourist attraction and a place of education and trade is too good to pass up.
Bring back the Crystal Palace!
- Emma Levey, Kent, UK, 04/06/2010 08:55
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Is the project still possible? I would love to see it rebuilt....I'll be over in 2012, so if it got started, I would hope it could be completed by then!
- Cayo Hern, Stamford, CT, USA, 29/12/2009 10:53
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it's been some months since i posted my last message and just as i thought ..nothing.. councils,red tape,dogooders,modernist all make me sick, in the good old days before power crazy people keep shoving their noses in ...THINGS GOT DONE so i say to you all pull your fingers out and get on with it......if it's been made possible for the EUSTON ARCH to be rebuilt then i see no problem for why the crystal palace cant be rebuilt.....
- Nick Adams, Blackpool Great Britain, 06/10/2009 22:59
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Couldn't agree more with the other Lee.
I Simply wish to echo his views and those of everyone else who commented, especially Eileen and the American who has the same opinion of the crud dome as me.
The fact that 2 foreign people commented on this story on a London news site kind of proves that rebuilding the palace would be a huge pull factor for tourists.
Though I would not accept anything other than an exact replica of the original building, nothing smaller, cheaper, made of plastic etc that just wont do.
- Lee B, Somerset, 29/09/2009 18:42
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I should like nothing more than to see the Crystal Palace rise again. They ought to have done so sooner, instead of building the wretched and ugly Greenwich dome.
But care must be exercised -- this is a public park, as well as a graded historical site. Any building must include an open public area, and private property ought not to encroach upon the periphery of the park more than absolutely necessary.
- Dr. Russell A. Potter, Providence, RI, USA, 29/09/2009 03:01
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Isn't it about time that we rebuilt the most wonderful structure that the area took its name from, I can get very excited about this concept whereas the idea of 180 houses leaves me quite cold, as I'm sure it does others. Come on planners, give us something to be proud of, they were able to 150 yrs ago!
- Greig Tasker, London, 29/09/2009 02:01
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As a local resident who has seen the decline of this historical park over many years of neglect, I believe the plans for a New Crystal Palace should be welcomed. In their planning submission to Bromley Council, the LDA expressed a wish to turn Crystal Palace Park into a regional and even national attraction; however, I cannot see how the proposals in the LDA Masterplan will achieve this. More exciting ideas are needed.
The LDA's plan for a grid of trees on the top site to replicate the outline of the Palace gives only a feeble nod to the scale and grandeur of Paxton's original vision and lacks a convincing sense of purpose or function. This is particularly galling since that space is the most historically sensitive and interesting site in the park.
In contrast, the New Crystal Palace is truly an imaginative and exciting vision for the future of Crystal Palace Park, rather than the half-baked ideas the LDA propose. The project has great local support and is likely to obtain sustainable funding, being backed by an enthusiastic group of leisure and investment professionals.
Our park is called Crystal Palace Park; the area is known as Crystal Palace; but sadly we no longer have that famous landmark which gave them birth and significance to their names. A new, vibrant “People’s Palace” to echo Paxton’s grand design would be something really worth visiting.
- Eileen Withrington, Crystal Palace, London, 29/09/2009 02:01
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My beloved football club was born at this very place. We should have a brand new stadium along with the glass Palace. If it were in North London they would have built it by now. Come on Ken you are a Tulse Hill boy; give us a brand new splendid South London Palace.
- Colin, Brixton Hill, London, 29/09/2009 02:01
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Not only was Crystal Palace in its physical form important for the local area it is also an important structure in a global historical context for it ushered in the modern age, one in which was still live. The original building if it had survived would be a World Heritage site today. It is our duty to the foresight of the buildigns architect to rebuild an exact replica of even just part of the original structure.
- B Lee, London, UK, 29/09/2009 02:01
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It would be amazing for the palace to be resurrected and then a little part of history can be revived. People will be able to connect Crystal Palace to a visual aspect again. It would also be great for the community of south London, as a new venue which is much needed can be enjoyed by all.
- Christian Hudson, Ewell, Surrey, 29/09/2009 02:01
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Just get on and re-build it.....years of waffle....when you think the original was thought of.. designed.. built and opened all with in months.....
- Nick Adams, Blackpool England, 29/09/2009 02:01
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I originally learned about London's Crystal Palace in passing by reading Dostoyevsky. Recently, I have read that this was considered the most important cultural event of 19th-Century Europe. In researching my relative George Peabody, I was amazed to learn in detail about the 1851 Crystal Palace; Peabody had financed the American exhibits at the last moment, when they were at risk of not being included. What a surprise in turn to learn of the organized effort afoot now to build a new Crystal Palace. It is an exciting prospect! I hope that it can be accomplished.
- Mary Peabody Richards, Peabody, Massachusetts, USA, 29/09/2009 02:01
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I grew up in the area and spent many happy times visiting the site, developing a bond with the cremated Palace and it's story (from which the area took it's name).
Last weekend saw me re-visiting after 30years on my way back from my school re-union along with my two kids aged 11 and 13.
We all enjoyed what remains of it's grandeur, but yearn for a true re-build especially after I showed my children photos of how it was from my book when we got home.
Surely a lottery grant could help re-instate this vanished national treasure before long for all generations to enjoy?
- Richard Ginn, Sandwich, Kent, England, 29/09/2009 02:01
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I would like to see the palace rebuilt as a symbol of Britain's prowess, rather than listening to the self-hating pinko-liberals who say we should forget about our indigenous culture and instead concentrate on trendy and edgy multiculturalism.
- Graeme Phillips, London, UK, 29/09/2009 02:01
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As a local, I am desperate to see the Palace return.
There is so much potential and history on this site...it's a shame to leave it neglected. A move such as this, would help towards regenerating south London, and the possibility of having an attraction for local kids, as well as people from other parts of London, and further afield can only be a good thing for Crystal Palace and S.E London.
- Lee, Crystal Palace, 29/09/2009 02:01
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