Broadcasting from the palace ruins
The palace in two parks
The Crystal Palace was built in Hyde Park to hold the Great Exhibition of 1851. In 1852 the building was taken down and moved to an estate at Sydenham Hill, overlooking a new park.
The Crystal Palace
The land below the palace was terraced with grand stone steps guarded by sphinxes. The palace was enlarged. Water towers were added at each end. There were wateworks and fountains. In the park below a lake with islands was home to reconstructions of dinosaurs and other extinct animals.
The palace was home to many events and exhibitions until it was destroyed by a disastrous fire in December 1936.
Joseph Paxton
A sculpted head of Joseph Paxton looms over the entrance to the Crystal Palace sports centre.
Joseph was a farmer's son who eventually became head gardener and then estate manager for the Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth. He became interested in the design of glasshouses. This interest led to him becoming an architext and he designed the Crystal Palace in 10 days when other designs had been rejected. His clever design in wrought iron and glass allowed the palace to be prefabricated before being assembled in the park.
Broadcasting at Crystal Palace
John Logie Baird set up his experimental TV broadcasting station in one of the towers Crystal Palace. Most of his equipment was destroyed in the 1936 fire.
In 1956 the BBC built a new transmitting station on the Crystal Palace site to replace its original station at Alexandra Palace.
Today the transmitting aerial is a Crystal Palace landmark.
Submitted by: Andrew Hunt, 19 January 2007
