Crystal Palace Looking To Rebuild?

By · April 12, 2006 at 19:29 pm · 10 Comments · Latest News · Report an error ·
Kiss my glass.jpg

Nope, not the football team. Not after their recent dip in form. We’re talking about the original Palace. The one made from good old Victorian blood, sweat & tears. Or, somewhat more accurately, good old Victorian glass and steel.

Architect Ray Hall dreams of rebuilding the long-lost wonder, and now claims the battle is half won. An undisclosed private donor has promised half of the £60 million required to resurrect the iconic greenhouse.

Quick recap for those who’ve misplaced their memory neurons. The original Palace, designed by Joseph Paxton, went up in Hyde Park 1851 for Prince Albert’s Great Exhibition. Thence, to Sydenham, where its prismatic influence gave name to the whole area now known as Crystal Palace. Like all of London’s great buildings, though, it decided to burn down (1936) and was never replaced. Until, perhaps, 2010.

If Ray gets his way (and we hope he does), the Palace could rise again before the Olympics, bringing a new tourist destination to the area just as the extended East London line gives them the means to get there.

And, like everything these days, the new palace would be oh-so-eco-friendly:

Photovoltaic glass will be used – this absorbs energy from the sun and turns it into electricity. Just by standing there, the palace would be able to generate between six and eight megawatts of electricity, enough for 10,000 homes.

Unfortunately, they’re only going for something a quarter the size of the original. Can’t have everything, we suppose.

What do readers think? Should we rebuild this great emblem of Victorian ingenuity, or should sleeping dogs be left to lie?

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  • http://www.wellingtongrey.net/journal/ Grey

    By all means rebuild! I went there a while ago and was depressed by the patch of gravel that remains. It’s a real nothing of a place at the moment. Rebuild as much of the victorian stuff as we can.

  • David Cantrell

    How can I sum up what I feel about this? …

    How about “fuck yeah!”

  • sue nagle

    Crystal Palace i not CRystal Place without the Crystal Palace. What afantastic idea. Plase build it soon

  • Sue Nagle

    I wanted to add to my last post. I have lived in Cystal Palace all my life and there is a campaign at present, as you rightly reported, a campaign to rebuild the Crystal Palace. With the exception of a small but well funded opposition, local people are desperate to see the Palace return home. The traders especially see the obvious commercial positives. The GLA are frightened to support it in case it sparked another protracted fight against it. What they need to realise is that the past proposed developement was oppsed because it was innapropriate. If the Cystal palace was proposed, the majority of local residents and traders would be overjoyed and the future of the area would be secure.

  • Robert Kirkwood

    I live all the way over in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and I find the idea of a rebuilt Crystal Palace to be extremely exciting. But why only a quarter the size of the original? Yes, money is always an issue, but for something as grand and spectacular as the original Crystal Palace, I’m sure the money could be found with enough publicity. The tourism generated by a full scale Crytal Palace could be fantastic, especially with the added worldwide attention London will receive during the Olympics. If anyone who has clout and influence in London is reading this, I implore you to push for a full scale reconstruction of the Crytal Palace.

  • Joe Grech

    As a resident in nearby West Norwood for many years – I would be thrilled at the prospect of being able to actually “catch a glimpse of history” with the re-built Crystal Palace, even if it were a fraction of it’s former great self.

    I was very much against the previous proposal for a cinema complex – purely because the design held no resemblence to the original building.

    If the Taj Mahal were somehow destroyed (God forbid) you would not expect a “modern” design to replace it – I assume there would be an outcry of indignation acroos the world.

    Well, the Crystal Palace is (was)London’s Taj Mahal – to rebuild it would be to bring back some of the splendour and atmosphere that many Londoners not to mention visitor from all nations enjoyed for over 80 years.

    As a local for all of my 43 years – I say to objectors, step aside! Crystal Palace was “The People’s Palace” not the preserve of a few stuffy individuals.

  • nick

    When do we start. This should have been done 70 years ago. I cant wait to see it and would like to know where to find new infomation.

  • http://null maz

    I was born in Sydenham in 1948, much too late to see the wonderful crystal palace but I used to be taken as a child for walks in the lovely park. It would be terrific to have it restored to its former glory and I’m sure the building would pay for itself in no time.Bring it on!

  • CVWII

    This would have been beautiful beyond belief.

  • Mark Stimson

    There’s a certain aura about visiting the palace park even at night – with the remaining statues especially of the guy in the turban who I need to research so I understand a little more – it always holds a fascination for me but the rebuild would feel right for the area on so many levels – the area has a plethora of links towards art and music and the local mix of past and present culture would be a testament to a building – I think personally it should be rebuilt accurately to the original structure, and try to keep the health and safety signs and modern day requirements as subtle as possible which spoil so many ideas nowadays – the original tunnels and turntable for the station could also be considered – there are so many beautiful aspects and viewpoints to the park – the statue in question, the steps down to the main park, some hidden areas no-one knows about and the lovely archways of the age of steam – these would be beautifully re-invented with vision.

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