Places - Lost in Time: The Crystal Palace

13 days ago
15

Hello! :D

Once one of London's most recognisable landmarks, and a centre for the many cultures that fell under the rule of the British Empire, the Crystal Palace comprised two buildings that were built in 1851 and 1854, the first being to house the Great Exhibition, the first World's Fair in history, that drew under its glass roof hundreds of thousands of objects and items from across the globe.

However, while the exhibition was a triumph of Britain's culture, the glass-enclosed Crystal Palace was such a magnificent mixture of simple but sturdy design, that it would become an attraction in and of itself, thus seeing its move to a new location in south London, to form part of a permanent exhibition space that was instantly recognisable the world over.

Unfortunately, fate would conspire against the Crystal Palace, as after years of neglect, and its bankruptcy in 1911, the structure was on the cusp of seeing a return to marvellous form during the 1930s, when it was suddenly destroyed as a result of fire during November 1936, bringing an end to one of Britain's most iconic engineering marvels, and perhaps acting as a wider metaphor for the ever-decreasing influence of the British Empire on the global stage.

Chapter:

0:00 - Preamble
1:05 - Ornate but Temporary
3:29 - Paxton Steps in
5:57 - Creating a Masterpiece
8:58 - Simple Solutions
11:25 - The Great Exhibition
13:37 - A New Home
17:02 - Britain's Cultural Heart
20:48 - A Tragic End
24:28 - Conclusion

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References:
- British Library (and their respective references)
- Victoria and Albert Museum (and their respective references)
- Wikipedia (and its respective references)

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