Crystal Palace, London
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Crystal Palace is an area in south London, United Kingdom named after The Crystal Palace which relocated to Penge Place on Sydenham Hill in 1854. The area has no defined boundaries and straddles the convergence of five London boroughs and three postal districts.
The ridge on which the Crystal Palace was built is one of the highest locations in London and the size of the palace made it easy to identify from much of London, leading to the residential area around the building becoming known as Crystal Palace. The Crystal Palace was destroyed by fire in 1936 and the site of the building and its grounds are now known as Crystal Palace Park.
Location
Crystal Palace is a residential area in South London surrounding and including Crystal Palace Park, with special emphasis given to the South and West side of the park. Crystal Palace Park is situated along the highest section of the London clay ridge known as Beulah Hill. This ridge offers panoramic views northward to central London, east to the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge and southward to Croydon and the North Downs. The ridge was used to mark boundaries, leading to the Crystal Palace area straddling the boundaries of the London Borough of Bromley, London Borough of Croydon, London Borough of Lambeth, London Borough of Southwark and the London Borough of Lewisham. The area also straddles three postcodes (SE19, SE20, SE26). The Crystal Palace Park is situated within the Crystal Palace ward (formerly Anerley ward) of the London Borough of Bromley. While the Crystal Palace ward has a defined boundary, it does not define the Crystal Palace area.Parts of the area are also known by smaller districts of London, including Upper Norwood, Anerley and Sydenham.
Description and history
The area is one of the highest in London and for centuries was occupied by the Great North Wood, an extensive area of natural oak forest that formed a wilderness close to the southern edge of the ever-expanding city of London. Local legend has it that Sir Francis Drake's ship, the Golden Hind, had its timbers cut from trees in this area. The forest was a popular area for Londoners' recreation right up to the 19th century, when it began to be built over. It was also a haunt of Gypsies, with many local street names and pubs recording the link. The area still retains large amounts of woodland for an urban situation.Crystal Palace is accessible by rail via Crystal Palace railway station, where trains run to and from Victoria and London Bridge railway stations. The area is also well served by bus routes. The disconnection from the capital's tube network has led to it having lower house prices than other areas possessing scenic views of London. There are plans for Crystal Palace to have Tramlink services from Beckenham in future and the southern extension of the East London Line is planned to bring further rail services.
The Crystal Palace was reconstructed here in 1852 - 1854 following its success at the great exhibition in Hyde Park. It was destroyed in a spectacular fire in 1936.
A long-fought-over local issue is whether to build on the site of the original palace building or leave it as an open space.
The extensive grounds were used in pre-war days for motorcycle and, since the 1950s, for motorcar racing; this was known as the Crystal Palace circuit. Parts of the track layout remain in 2005 as access roads. The track itself fell into disuse after 1972, although it has been digitally recreated in the Grand Prix Legends racing simulation. The grounds now house the National Sports Centre and remain a major public park.
Two giant TV transmitter towers - Crystal Palace Transmitter and Croydon Transmitter - stand on the hill at Upper Norwood, making the district a landmark location, visible from many parts of the London area. The towers are similar in height and design, but the Crystal Palace mast stands on a slightly higher elevation.
Nearest places
- Anerley
- Dulwich
- Forest Hill
- Norbury
- South Norwood
- Upper Norwood the original name for Crystal Palace and the surrounding area
- West Norwood
- Penge
- Sydenham
Nearest stations
- Crystal Palace railway station (expected to have Tramlink and East London Line services in future)
- Gipsy Hill railway station
- Penge West railway station (scheduled to have East London Line services in future)
.jpg "One of the television masts")
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References
- Alan R. Warwick The Phoenix Suburb: A South London Social History; Publisher: Crystal Palace Foundation; ISBN 0-904034-01-1
External links
- [Virtual Norwood]
- [Crystal Palace National Sports Centre]
- [Crystal Palace Park]
- [Lottery sponsored local government site with a detailed history of Norwood]
- [The Norwood Society, London's oldest local ammenity group]
| Section 3: | Capital Ring Walking Route | Section 4: |
|---|---|---|
| Grove Park | Crystal Palace | Streatham |
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