Visiting the Victorians at Crystal Palace Park

In Sydenham, just South of London, lies the remains of the Crystal Palace, the famous cast iron and glass building which housed the Great Exhibition of 1851 in Hyde Park. The Palace was relocated shortly after the exhibition closed in 1854 and burned down in 1936. I still remember the acute feeling of disappointment I felt as a child when I realized that the building was no longer standing. But though all that remains of the Palace are the Italian terraces leading up to it and a few ruined statues, I was excited to discover that part of the originally planned Crystal Palace Park, the exhibit of “Prehistoric Monsters” or “Dinosaur Court” still remains. It was executed by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins under the direction of Richard Owen, the leading dinosaur expert of the mid-nineteenth century. This provides an unusual history lesson in the form of massive concrete dinosaur statues, a window into mid-nineteenth century science.

Crystal Palace Park dinosaurs (Photo: Jean Smith)

The park was originally arranged into three islands representing different eras, ending with prehistoric mammals such as the megaloceros, a giant deer and the palaeotherium, which somewhat resembles a tapir. Newly restored in 2004 and relocated so that they are more easily visible to the public as well as protected from vandals, the dinosaur statues are listed buildings and thus remain in their original 1850s form. Because of this we gain insight into how fossil finds were first interpreted and also see the clever tricks the creators of the park used to get around their incomplete information such as submerging all but the head of the mosasaurus in the lake as only the skull had been discovered when the statue was made.

Iguanadon (Photo: Jean Smith)

Predictably, 150 years of advances in paleontology has transformed our understanding of dinosaur anatomy and these massive concrete representations are for the most part out of date. Though we might occasionally see tangible representaitons of a previous eras’ scientific understanding such as a model of the solar system with the earth at the centre, it is unusal to see it in such a public and spectacular fashion. Informative signs identify the models, provide information about them and in many cases show a sketch based on the latest theories. But the signs are subtle and spaced apart and often leave you walking for a while without any clue what prehistoric monster you have been examining. Which is just as well, because this creates room for imagining what it must have been like to come to the park when it was newly opened and dinosaurs were both extremely popular and extremely controversial. Ultimately, though the monsters themselves are fascinating and impressive, the display reveals most about the Victorians who created them.

Ichythosaurus (Photo: Jean Smith)

Tags: Britain, British History, History Compass Exchanges, history of science

This entry was posted on July 27, 2010 at 10:23 am and is filed under Britain and Ireland, General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to “Visiting the Victorians at Crystal Palace Park”

Justin Bengry Says:
July 27, 2010 at 11:56 am | Reply
What a fascinating place! I’m so disappointed that I went up to Crystal Palace, viewed the terraces and limited remains, and then left, not knowing about the dinosaur park. What a fascinating insight into Victorian science, the uses of public spaces, an the didactic concerns of the era. You’ve convinced me to return and get a fuller tour of the area!
Physical reminders of the past « History Compass Exchanges Says:
September 21, 2010 at 10:07 am | Reply
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