Crystal Palace Museum – remembering the 1936 fire

Crystal Palace on fire 1936 (image courtesy of Crystal Palace Museum)

The 30th of this month – November – is the anniversary of the Crystal Palace being destroyed by fire in 1936.

From construction to destruction, the history of this vast glass and iron structure is kept alive in The Crystal Palace Museum located off Anerley Hill, London SE19.

Fittingly housed in the only remaining building from the original Victorian site, this quaint treasure of a museum perfectly captures the mood and era of the Great Exhibition. And the 82 years that the Palace stood at Sydenham.

Here’s a flavour of some of the exhibits: a cross-section plan of the Great Exhibition building, pictures of the art directors and Henry Cole, thought to have had the idea for an international exhibition, pictures of the actual construction, pieces of porcelain, maps and a model of the Crystal Palace donated by Dulwich College. And from the fire in 1936, a fragment of a pane of glass folded by the heat, plasterwork and a piece of crystal from one of the fountains.

With no local authority funding, the Museum relies on donations. They open weekends and bank holidays and at other times by arrangement, and offer guided tours. Some wonderful archive images of Crystal Palace artifacts can be found on their web site, including items saved from the fire. It’s easy to imagine the splendour of grandeur of the Crystal Palace from these picture. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if someone recreated it “virtually”? Or perhaps they already have? Leave a comment below if you know anything.

If you have questions, the Museum’s helpful friendly staff seem more than happy to share their knowledge. A little anecdote I learned from them is that some visitors come expecting to see the actual Great Exhibition itself, only to learn they are some 70 years too late!

This lovely museum is well worth a visit. Please check the The Crystal Palace Museum web site.