The Crystal Palace was built in Hyde Park in 1851, to house the very first International Exhibition. After the six month duration of the Exhibition, the buildings designer, Sir Joseph Paxton, raised enough money for it to be dismantled and re-erected at Sydenham as a permanent feature. When reopened in 1854, it was 3 times larger and was surrounded by 200 acres of gardens, fountains, statues and plants. Pic shows it in about 1905, looking north along Crystal Palace Parade. The White Swan, dating from as least 1870, is on the left
Posted on: Sat, 27 Sep 2014 18:13:07 +0000