Editing The Crystal Palace (section)

== Sydenham Hill ==
[[File:Kristallpalast Sydenham 1851 aussen.png|thumb|The Crystal Palace after its relocation to [[Sydenham Hill]] in 1854.]]
[[File:Crystal Palace Park - 1857.jpg|right|thumb|A plan for the grounds of The Crystal Palace (1857)]]

=== Relocation and redesign ===
The life of the Great Exhibition was limited to six months, after which something had to be decided on the future of the Crystal Palace building. Against the wishes of [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|parliamentary]] opponents, a consortium of eight businessmen, including [[Samuel Laing (science writer)|Samuel Laing]] and [[Leo Schuster]], who were both board members of the [[London, Brighton and South Coast Railway]] (LB&SCR), formed a holding company and proposed that the edifice be taken down and relocated to a property named Penge Place, which had been excised from [[Penge Common]] at the top of [[Sydenham Hill]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.crystalpalacefoundation.org.uk/history/default.asp?ID=10 |title=Crystal Palace history ''Leaving Hyde Park'' October 1851 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927144920/http://www.crystalpalacefoundation.org.uk/history/default.asp?ID=10 |archive-date=27 September 2011}}</ref>

The reconstruction of the Crystal Palace began on Sydenham Hill in 1852. The new building, while incorporating most of the constructional parts of the original one at Hyde Park, was so completely different in form as to be properly considered a quite different structure – a '[[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux-arts]]' form in glass and metal. The main gallery was redesigned and covered with a barrel-vaulted roof; the central transept was greatly enlarged and made even higher; the large arch of the main entrance was framed by a new facade and served by an imposing set of terraces and stairways. The building measured {{convert|1608|ft|m|0}} feet in length by {{convert|384|ft|m|0}} feet across the transepts.<ref>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Crystal Palace, The |volume=7 |page=591}}</ref>

The new building was elevated several metres above the surrounding grounds, and two large transepts were added at either end of the main gallery. It was modified and enlarged so much that it extended beyond the boundary of Penge Place, which was also the boundary between [[Surrey]] and [[Kent]]. The reconstruction was recorded for posterity by [[Philip Henry Delamotte]], and his photographs were widely disseminated in his published works. The Crystal Palace Company also commissioned [[Negretti and Zambra]] to produce [[Stereoscope|stereographs]] of the interior and grounds of the building.<ref>{{cite web |title=ULAN Full Record Display (Getty Research) |url=http://www.getty.edu/vow/ULANFullDisplay?find=%28%13%11negretti+%13%11and+%13%11zambra%29%7C%13%11negretti%11and%11zambra&role=&nation=&prev_page=1&subjectid=500033353 |website=www.getty.edu |access-date=14 March 2021}}</ref> Within two years the rebuilt Crystal Palace was complete, and on 10 June 1854, Queen Victoria again performed an opening ceremony, in the presence of 40,000 guests.<ref name="Peter2015">{{cite book |author=Gurney, Peter |title=Wanting and Having: Popular politics and liberal consumerism in England, 1830–70 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RT9uDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT222 |access-date=2 December 2017 |date=2015 |publisher=[[Manchester University Press]] |isbn=978-1-5261-0181-5 |page=222}}</ref>

Several localities claim to be the area to which the building was moved. The street address of the Crystal Palace was Sydenham (SE26) after 1917, but the actual building and parklands were mostly in Penge with the eastern portion in Beckenham, Kent. When built, most of the buildings were in the County of Surrey, as were the majority of grounds, but in 1899 the county boundary was moved, transferring the entire site to [[Penge Urban District]] in Kent. The site is now within the [[Crystal Palace and Anerley (ward)|Crystal Palace & Anerley Ward]] of the [[London Borough of Bromley]].

Two railway stations were opened to serve the permanent exhibition:
*[[Crystal Palace (High Level) railway station|Crystal Palace High Level]]: developed by the [[London, Chatham and Dover Railway]], it was a building designed by [[Edward Middleton Barry]], from which a subway under the Parade led directly to the entrance.
*[[Crystal Palace railway station|Crystal Palace Low Level]]: developed by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, it is located just off Anerley Road.

The Low Level station is still in use as {{stnlnk|Crystal Palace}}, while the only remains of the High Level station are the subway under the Parade with its Italian [[mosaic]] roofing, a Grade II* [[listed building]]. The South Gate is served by [[Penge West railway station]]. For some time this station was on an [[atmospheric railway]]. This is often confused with a 550-metre pneumatic passenger railway which was exhibited at the Crystal Palace in 1864, which was known as the [[Crystal Palace pneumatic railway]].

=== Exhibitions and events ===
[[File:Handel festival QE4 99.jpg|thumb|right|Händel Festival at the Crystal Palace, 1887–1889]]
Dozens of experts such as [[Matthew Digby Wyatt]] and [[Owen Jones (architect)|Owen Jones]] were hired to create a series of courts that provided a narrative of the history of fine art. Amongst these were [[Augustus Pugin]]'s Mediaeval Court from the Great Exhibition, as well as courts illustrating [[Art of ancient Egypt|Egyptian]], [[Alhambra]], [[Roman art|Roman]], [[Renaissance art|Renaissance]], [[Pompeii|Pompeian]], and [[Ancient Greek art|Grecian]] art and many others.<ref name="rebuilding"/>

During the year of re-opening, 18 handbooks were published in the Crystal Palace Library by [[Bradbury and Evans]] as guides to the new installations.<ref name="auto">{{cite web |url=http://www.crystalpalacefoundation.org.uk/history/open-again-1854-2 |title=Open Again, 1854 |publisher=The Crystal Palace Foundation}}</ref> Many of these were written by the specialists involved in creating and curating the new displays. So the 1854 guide to the Egyptian Court, destroyed in the 1866 fire,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Walford |first1=Edward |title=Old and New London: Volume 6 Sydenham, Norwood and Streatham |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/old-new-london/vol6/pp303-319#p36 |website=British History Online |publisher=Sydenham, Norwood and Streatham |access-date=18 February 2023}}</ref> was entitled: 'The Egyptian Court in the Crystal Palace. Described by Owen Jones, architect, and [[Joseph Bonomi the Younger|Joseph Bonomi]], sculptor'. That which included a description of the dinosaurs was entitled: 'Geology and Inhabitants of the Ancient World. Described by [[Richard Owen]], FRS. The animals constructed by [[Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins|B.W. Hawkins]], FGS'.<ref name="auto"/>

In the central transept was the 4,000-piece Grand Orchestra built around the 4,500-pipe Great Organ. There was a concert room with over 4,000 seats that hosted successful [[Handel Festival 1857|Handel Festivals]] for many years and August Manns's [[Crystal Palace Concerts]] from 1855 until 1901.<ref name="auto"/> The performance spaces hosted concerts, exhibits, and public entertainment.<ref name="dukemag" /> Many famous people visited the Crystal Palace especially during its early years, including the likes of [[Emma Darwin]], the wife of [[Charles Darwin]] who noted in her diary on 10 June 1854, "Opening Crystal Pal".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://darwin-online.org.uk/content/frameset?pageseq=1&itemID=CUL-DAR242%5B.18%5D&viewtype=side |title=The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online}}</ref>

[[File:Festival of Empire 1911 Canadian Building.jpg|thumb|[[Festival of Empire]] 1911 with a replica of the [[Canadian Parliament Buildings|Canadian Parliament Building]] in the foreground]]
The centre transept once housed a circus and was the scene of daring feats by acts such as the tightrope walker [[Charles Blondin]]. Over the years, many world leaders visited and were accorded special festivals, with extended published programs. That for [[Giuseppe Garibaldi]] was entitled "General Garibaldi's Italian Reception and Concert Saturday April 16, 1864"; and that for the [[Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar|Shah of Persia]]: "Crystal Palace. Grand Fête in honour of His Majesty The Shah of Persia KG. Saturday July 6th" (1889).

From the beginning general programmes were printed, at first for the summer season, and then on a daily basis. So, for instance, that for the summer of 1864 (''Programme of arrangements for the eleventh season, commencing on the 1st May, 1864'') included the [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]] Tercentenary Festival and a course by designer [[Christopher Dresser]]. The daily "Programme for Monday October 6th (1873)" included a harvest exhibition of fruit, and the Australasian Collection, formed by H E Pain, of materials from Tasmania, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Australia and New Zealand; and a grand military fete was also on offer.

Many of these publications were printed by Dickens and Evans—that, is [[Charles Dickens Jr.|Charles Dickens Jr]], [[Charles Dickens]]' son, working with his father-in-law Frederick Evans. Another feature of the early programming were Christmas pantomimes, with published librettos, for example Harry Lemon's 'Dick Whittington and His Wonderful Cat. Crystal Palace Christmas 1869–70' (London 1869).

In 1868, the world's first aeronautical exhibition was held in the Crystal Palace. In 1871, the world's first [[cat show]], organised by [[Harrison Weir]], was held there. Other shows, such as [[dog show]]s, pigeon shows, honey shows and flower shows, as well as the first national [[Auto show|motor show]] were also held at the Palace.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.victorianstation.com/palace.html |title=The Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace |work=The Victorian Station |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170414235432/http://victorianstation.com/palace.html |archive-date=14 April 2017}}</ref> The match which later has been dubbed the world's first [[bandy]] match was held at the palace in 1875; at the time, the game was called "hockey on the ice".<ref name=SBF>{{cite web |url=http://iof1.idrottonline.se/SvenskaBandyforbundet/Bandy-Sverige/SvenskaBandyforbundet/Historikochstatistik/Historiskamilstolpar/Bandyhistoria1875-1919/ |title=Svenska Bandyförbundet, bandyhistoria 1875–1919 |publisher=Iof1.idrottonline.se |date=1 February 2013 |access-date=9 April 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019151140/http://iof1.idrottonline.se/SvenskaBandyforbundet/Bandy-Sverige/SvenskaBandyforbundet/Historikochstatistik/Historiskamilstolpar/Bandyhistoria1875-1919/ |archive-date=19 October 2013}}</ref> The site was the location of one of [[Charles Spurgeon]]'s sermons, without amplification, before a crowd of 23,654 people on 7 October 1857.<ref>[http://www.charlesspurgeon.net/page5.html "The Prince of Preachers" Live!] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305052005/http://www.charlesspurgeon.net/page5.html |date=5 March 2016 }} at charlesspurgeon.net (Dave Richards evangelical site)</ref>

The [[1895 African Exhibition]] at the Crystal Palace included African animals, birds and reptiles, and a group of eighty Somalis. In 1905, the [[Colonial and Indian Exhibition (1905)|Colonial and Indian Exhibition]] took place and is reported to have been larger and more popular than the African Exhibition and the most direct forerunner of the 1911 [[Festival of Empire]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Auerbach |first=Jeffrey|url=https://www.csun.edu/sites/default/files/Empire%20under%20Glass_0.pdf |title=Exhibiting the Empire: Cultures of Display and the British Empire |publisher=Manchester University Press |year=2015 |editor-last1=McAleer |editor-last2=MacKenzie |editor-first1=John |editor-first2=John|pages=129–130 |language=English |chapter=Empire Under Glass: The British Empire and the Crystal Palace, 1851–1911}}</ref>
[[File:RNVR Crystal Palace, 1917 by John Lavery.jpg|thumb|upright|RNVR at the Crystal Palace, 1917. Painting by John Lavery]]
A colourful description of a visit to the Crystal Palace appears in [[John Davidson (poet)|John Davidson]]'s poem "The Crystal Palace", published in 1909. In 1909, [[Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell|Robert Baden-Powell]] first noticed the interest of girls in [[Scouting]] while attending a [[1909 Crystal Palace Scout Rally|Boy Scout meeting at Crystal Palace]]. This observation later led to the formation of [[Girl Guide and Girl Scout|Girl Guides, then Girl Scouts]].<ref name="palacebp">{{cite web |year=1997 |url=http://pinetreeweb.com/bp-pix76.htm |title=Baden-Powell and the Crystal Palace Rally |work=Baden-Powell Photo Gallery |publisher=Pinetree web |access-date=22 January 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202171851/http://www.pinetreeweb.com/bp-pix76.htm |archive-date=2 February 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="palacegs">{{cite web |year=1997 |url=http://www.msc.edu.ph/gsp/histo1.html |title=History of the Girl Scouts Movement |publisher=Girl Scouts of the Philippines |access-date=22 January 2007}}</ref>

[[File:Imperial War Museum Galleries at the Crystal Palace, 1920-1924 Q20539.jpg|thumb|A [[BL 18-inch Mk I naval gun]] and its shells being prepared for display at the ''Imperial War Museum and Great Victory Exhibition'', 1920]]
In 1911, the Festival of Empire was held at the Palace to mark the [[Coronation of George V and Mary]]. Large pavilions were built for and by the [[Dominion]]s; that for Canada, for example, replicated the Parliament in Ottawa. A good record of the festival is provided by the [[photogravure]] plates in the sale catalogue published shortly afterwards by Knight, Frank and Rutley and Horne & Co "The Crystal Palace Sydenham To be sold at auction on Tuesday 28th November" (London, 1911)

During the First World War, it was used as a naval training establishment, under the name of HMS ''Victory VI'', informally known as HMS ''Crystal Palace''. More than 125,000 men from the [[Royal Naval Division]], [[Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve]] and [[Royal Naval Air Service]] were trained for war at ''Victory VI''.<ref name="crystalpalacefoundation.org.uk">{{cite web |url=http://www.crystalpalacefoundation.org.uk/crystal-palace-history/ |title=Crystal Palace History – The Crystal Palace Foundation |website=www.crystalpalacefoundation.org.uk}}</ref> Towards the end of the First World War, the Crystal Palace re-opened as the site of the first [[Imperial War Museum]]; in 1920, this major initiative was fully launched with a program as the 'Imperial War Museum and Great Victory Exhibition Crystal Palace' (published by [[Photocrom]]). A few years later, the Imperial War Museum moved to South Kensington, and then in the 1930s to its present site [[Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park]], formerly [[Bethlem Royal Hospital]].<ref name="disused" /> Between 15 and 20 October 1934, the [[Pageant of Labour]] was held at the Palace.<ref>''Official Book and Programme of the Pageant of Labour'', 1934</ref>

=== Crystal Palace Park ===
{{main|Crystal Palace Park|Crystal Palace Dinosaurs}}

[[File:Iguanodon Crystal Palace.jpg|thumb|left|An 1853 model of an [[Iguanodon]], the most recognisable of the [[Crystal Palace Dinosaurs]]]]
The development of ground and gardens of the park cost considerably more than the rebuilt Crystal Palace. [[Edward Milner]] designed the Italian Garden and fountains, the Great Maze, and the English Landscape Garden. [[Raffaele Monti (artist)|Raffaele Monti]] was hired to design and build much of the external statuary around the fountain basins, and the urns, tazzas and vases.<ref name="rebuilding">{{cite web |url=http://www.crystalpalacefoundation.org.uk/history/the-rebuilding-at-sydenham-1852-1854-2 |title=The Rebuilding at Sydenham, 1852–1854 |work=Crystal Palace Foundation}}</ref>

The sculptor [[Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins]] was commissioned to make 33 lifesized models of newly discovered dinosaurs and other extinct animals in the park. The Palace and its park became the location of many shows, concerts and exhibitions, as well as sporting events after the construction of various sports grounds on the site. The [[Crystal Palace National Sports Centre#Football|FA Cup Final]] was held here between 1895 and 1914. On the new site were also various buildings that housed educational establishments such as the [[Crystal Palace School|Crystal Palace School of Art, Science, and Literature]] as well as engineering schools.

[[File:AnerleyHill2.jpg|thumb|right|upright=.6|The Crystal Palace with one of the water towers, as seen from [[Anerley]] {{circa}} 1910]]
Joseph Paxton was first and foremost a gardener, and his layout of gardens, fountains, [[Terrace garden|terraces]] and waterfalls left no doubt as to his ability. One thing he did have a problem with was water supply. Such was his enthusiasm that thousands of gallons of water were needed to feed the myriad fountains and cascades abounding in the Park: the two main jets were {{convert|250|ft|m|0}} high. [[Water tower]]s were duly constructed, but the weight of water in the raised tanks caused them to collapse.

[[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]] was consulted and came up with plans for two mighty water towers, one at the north end of the building and one at the south. Each supported a tremendous load of water, which was gathered from three reservoirs, at either end of and in the middle of the park. The grand fountains and cascades were opened, again in the presence of the Queen, who got wet when a gust of wind swept mists of spray over the royal carriage.

=== Decline ===
While the original Palace cost £150,000 (equivalent to £{{Formatprice|{{Inflation|UK|150000|1851|r=-4}}}} in {{Inflation-year|UK}}),{{Inflation-fn|UK|df=y}} the move to Sydenham cost £1,300,000—(£{{Formatprice|{{Inflation|UK|1300000|1853|r=-4}}}} in {{Inflation-year|UK}}),{{Inflation-fn|UK|df=y}} burdening the company with a debt it never repaid.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.crystalpalacefoundation.org.uk/history/default.asp?ID=11 |title=Crystal Palace history ''The Building'' 1852–1854 |access-date=21 November 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071130233100/http://www.crystalpalacefoundation.org.uk/History/default.asp?ID=11 |archive-date=30 November 2007}} These amounts are in successive years, and partly reflect the extension to five stories made at Sydenham. The £150,000 cost of the Hyde Park Crystal Palace includes the (re-usable) component material cost, so the extent to which the reconstructed Palace had an (unexpectedly) higher construction cost is even greater than the comparison of totals implies.</ref> This was partly because admission fees were depressed by the inability to cater for Sunday visitors in its early years: many people worked every day except Sunday,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/archives/m/memorial_from_the_national_sun.aspx |title=Memorial from the National Sunday League on the Sunday opening of the British Museum |quote=working men and their families [...] worked long hours and all day Saturday. Many could not afford a day's unpaid leave to come to the Museum. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151019000504/http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/archives/m/memorial_from_the_national_sun.aspx |archive-date=19 October 2015}}</ref> when the Palace was closed.<ref>The Great Exhibition was always closed on Sunday, see: {{cite web |title=Crystal Palace – On a hot summer's day ''Facts and Figures'' |url=http://www.crystal.dircon.co.uk/mrskpg.htm |quote=No Sunday opening was allowed, no alcohol, no smoking and no dogs}}. The Crystal Palace at Sydenham continued the observance, opening only to [[shareholder]]s on Sundays: {{cite web |url=http://www.crystalpalacefoundation.org.uk/History/default.asp?ID=12 |title=Crystal Palace History ''Open again'' |quote=neither the building nor grounds were open on Sundays |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071130233106/http://www.crystalpalacefoundation.org.uk/History/default.asp?ID=12 |archive-date=30 November 2007}}</ref> The [[Lord's Day Observance Society]] held that people should not be encouraged to work at the Palace on Sunday and that if people wanted to visit, then their employers should give them time off during the working week. The Palace was eventually opened on Sundays by 1860, and it was recorded that 40,000 visitors came on a Sunday in May 1861.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1W49qPQKJEwC&pg=PA59 |title=Palace of the People: The Crystal Palace at Sydenham 1854–1936 |author=Piggott, Jan |pages=57–59 |publisher=Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd |date=2004 |isbn=978-1850657279}}</ref>

[[File:Crystal Palace Company 1884.jpg|thumb|Share of the Crystal Palace Company, issued 5 July 1884]]
By the 1890s, the Palace's popularity and state of repair had deteriorated; the appearance of stalls and booths had made it a much more downmarket attraction.<ref name="disused">{{cite web |url=http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/c/crystal_palace_high_level/index.shtml |title=Disused Stations: Crystal Palace High Level & Upper Norwood Station |publisher=disused-stations.org.uk |access-date=17 June 2010 |last=Catford |first=N.}}</ref>

[[File:ETH-BIB-Crystal Palace, London-Weitere-LBS MH02-42-0010.tif|thumb|Aerial view of The Crystal Palace in the mid-1930s. Note the missing north transept after it was destroyed in a fire in December 1866.]]
In the years after the Festival of Empire the building fell into disrepair, as the huge debt and maintenance costs became unsustainable, and in 1911, bankruptcy was declared.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2004/07/27/history_feature.shtml |title=Crystal Palace: A History |first=G. |last=Holland |date=24 July 2004 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> [[Robert Windsor-Clive, 1st Earl of Plymouth]] bought it for £230,000 ({{Inflation|UK|230000|1911|r=0|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}) to save it from the developers with the understanding that a fund raised by the [[Lord Mayor of London]] would reimburse him. The mayor announced in 1913 that £90,000 was still required in addition to the money already raised by local authorities.<ref name=CDL13/> ''[[The Times]]'' held an appeal, and the amount was raised in 13 days; £30,000 was contributed by an unknown individual. [[Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell|Camberwell Borough Council]] refused to contribute and [[Penge Urban District]] Council reduced their contribution from £20,000 to £5,000. The Earl of Plymouth made up the resulting deficit of some £30,000.<ref name="CDL13">{{cite news|url=https://newspapers.library.wales/view/4426312/4426313/7/earl%20plymouth|title=Earl of Plymouth's Genrosity|date=17 April 1888|work=[[The Cambria Daily Leader]]|access-date=15 January 2021}}</ref>

In the 1920s, a board of trustees was set up under the guidance of manager Sir Henry Buckland. He is said to have been a firm but fair man, who had a great love for the Crystal Palace,<ref name="norwoodsociety.co.uk">{{cite web |author=The Norwood Society |url=http://www.norwoodsociety.co.uk/review/afterthefire.shtml |title=The Norwood Review |publisher=The Norwood Society |date=26 February 2008 |access-date=17 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514145129/http://www.norwoodsociety.co.uk/review/afterthefire.shtml |archive-date=14 May 2011}}</ref> and soon set about restoring the deteriorating building. The restoration brought visitors back, and the Palace started to make a small profit once more.<ref name="crystalpalacefoundation.org.uk" /> Buckland and his staff also worked on improving the fountains and gardens,<ref>[http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/Collections/OnlineResources/X20L/THEMES/1381/112]{{dead link|date=December 2017|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> including the Thursday evening displays of fireworks by [[Brocks Fireworks|Brocks]].