Crystal Palace (London)
Crystal Palace is a residential area in south London , England named after the former landmark Crystal Palace , which stood on the site from 1854 to 1936. The district is located twelve kilometers southeast of Charing Cross and offers an impressive view of the British capital. An electoral district and Crystal Palace Park are entirely in the London Borough of Bromley . The residential district has no fixed boundaries and is made up of five London boroughs and three postcode areas.
One of the highest points in London lies in the district. On the 112 meter high elevation there are two television broadcast towers, which make this elevation a landmark that can be seen from many parts of London.
history
The ridge and historic oak, The Vicars Oak (at today's intersection of Church Road and Westow Hill ) were used to mark the boundaries of church districts. As a result, Crystal Palace spanned five London boroughs, namely: Bromley , Croydon , Lambeth , Southwark and Lewisham . The former border between Surrey and Kent ran through the district and from 1889 to 1965 the area was on the southeastern border of the County of London . It covered parts of Kent and Surrey until 1889 and then parts of Kent, London and Surrey between 1889 and 1965.
For centuries the site was home to the Great North Wood , a large natural oak forest that formed a natural border with the southern edge of the ever-growing city of London. Local legend has it that the Golden Hinde , Sir Francis Drake's ship , was built of wood from this forest. The area was a popular recreation area for the Londoners until the 19th century, when it was built over. It was also a favorite place of the Roma , many local street names and the names of many pubs indicate this. The district still has forest areas. The third quarter of the 19th century brought the Crystal Palace and the railroad .
The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace was a cast iron and glass building originally constructed for the Great Exhibition of 1851 in Hyde Park . Due to the great success of the exhibition, the building was dismantled and rebuilt in a modified and enlarged form on the grounds of Penge Place Farm on Sydenham Hill . The Crystal Palace attracted visitors for over 70 years.
At 109 meters, Sydenham Hill is one of the highest points in London. Due to its size and elevated location, the Crystal Palace could be seen from almost all of London. This resulted in the residential area around the building becoming known as the Crystal Palace instead of Sydenham Hill. The Crystal Palace was destroyed by fire on November 30, 1936. The Crystal Palace Park is now at its location.
Current condition
Much of its impressive Victorian architecture remains at Crystal Palace , although architectural styles are mixed. Many of the Victorian villas have since been converted into smaller units.
The Crystal Palace Triangle , formed by Westow Street , Westow Hill and Church Road , offers a large number of restaurants and is also a local shopping center with a few independent shops.
Crystal Palace Park
Crystal Palace Park is a Victorian pleasure area that is used for many events. After the sculptor Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins received a Megatherium skull from Charles Darwin , he erected the first life-size models of the (then) newly discovered dinosaurs and other extinct animals in the park. On the site was a football stadium, in which the FA Cup final from 1895 to 1914 was played as well as the games of the London County Cricket Club until its dissolution. The National Sports Center has been located here since 1964 .
The extensive grounds also housed the Crystal Palace Circuit , which was used to host motorcycle races in the pre-war period and car races after the 1950s. Parts of the track became access roads in 2005, the race track itself fell into disrepair after 1972. The track was digitally recreated for the computer game Grand Prix Legends .
The park continues to be a large public park in London. The park was administered first by the LCC and later by the GLC , but with the abolition of the GLC in 1986, control of the park was transferred to the London Borough of Bromley. The park is located in the London Borough of Bromley, but the residents of the surrounding communities felt disadvantaged. For a long time there was a dispute about whether the site should be built on or, as before, be used as a park.
As part of the bid for the 2012 Olympics , the Mayor of London and the London Development Agency (LDA) took control of the Crystal Palace National Sports Center in 2005 . The center is now managed on their behalf by Greenwich Leisure.
The park is located in the highest section of the London Clay ridge , at the end of which are Sydenham Hill , Beulah Hill and Claygate Ridge . From this ridge you can see downtown London to the north, Queen Elizabeth II Bridge and Greenwich to the east and Croydon and the North Downs to the south . Lately, many ring- necked parakeets have been living in the park, especially in the trees around the café and the playground. These birds are becoming more common in south London, but nowhere in such great numbers as in Crystal Palace Park. The park is one of the starting points of the Green Chain Walk , which leads to places like Chislehurst , Erith , the Thames Barrier, and Thamesmead .
media
watch TV
The two transmission towers Crystal Palace (222 m) and Croydon (152 m) are on the mountain in Upper Norwood . The towers appear similar in height and design, but the Crystal Palace Mast, built in 1956, is on a slightly higher location. The current Croydon Tower was built in 1962.
Movies
Charlie Dusts Millions contains a scene that was filmed on the athletics facility.
The Pleasure Garden was filmed around the ruins of the Crystal Palace in 1953.
music
In the park a Outdor- was Rave for the music video of No. 1 Hits Setting Sun of The Chemical Brothers rotated.
In spring 2007, the English-Dutch band HERR released the mini-album Fire & Glass: A Norwood Tragedy , which is about the history of the Crystal Palace.
sports clubs
traffic
Streets
Access roads to the area are the A212, A214, A234 and the A2199.
railroad
The Crystal Palace railway station is from the Southern trains on the railway stations Victoria and London Bridge connected. It is one of the few train stations located in two London Transport Zones : Zone 3 and 4.
Transport for London created the southern extension of the former East London Line to the London Overground East London Railway from 2011 as a connection to Shoreditch . This was done by connecting to the North London Line .
There is also hope that a tram connection to Croydon can be financed, which could start operating in a few years.
bus
Christal Palaces is the terminus of several London bus routes.
Nearby places
bibliography
- Alan R. Warwick: The Phoenix Suburb: A South London Social History; Crystal Palace Foundation , ISBN 0-904034-01-1
Web links
- Battle for Crystal Palace Park. (No longer available online.) South London Press, formerly the original ; accessed November 30, 2016 . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )
- Chrystal Palace Museum
- Upper Norwood Library for Local History Collection
- Crystal Palace Park
- Crystal Palace Park Map
- Crystal Palace and Norwood Chamber of Commerce
- The Norwood Society, London's oldest local amenity group
- Historical photos of the Crystal Palace
Individual evidence
- ^ A. Mills: Oxford Dictionary of London Place Names , (2000)
- ↑ ric.edu Russell Potter : The Crystal Palace , January 29, 2007, accessed October 12, 2008.
- ^ Transport for London - Transport Commissioner visits East London Railway - Press release November 15, 2006
- ↑ Streatham Guardian ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Coordinates: 51 ° 25 ′ N , 0 ° 4 ′ W