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Crystal Palace History
Crystal Palace dinosaurs listed Grade I
31 August 2007
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Press Release.
088/07
Culture Minister, Margaret Hodge, today announced that she is upgrading the Victorian prehistoric animal sculptures in Crystal Palace Park from Grade II to Grade I, and also amending the listing to include the geological strata and lead mine on the site.
The 1850s animal sculptures and surrounding landscape, known as the Dinosaur Court, were constructed in the grounds of the Crystal Palace after it was moved from The Great Exhibition in Hyde Park. The sculptures were listed Grade II in 1973.
The sculptures will now join the exclusive 2.5 per cent of list entries which are Grade 1 – which include the Royal Albert Hall, Buckingham Palace and the Cenotaph on Whitehall.
Margaret Hodge said:
“The prehistoric animal sculptures and associated geological formations provide an insight into the mid-19th Century reconstruction of dinosaur species that had only recently been discovered. They are believed to be unique and are clearly of exceptional historic interest in a national and probably international context. I am delighted to upgrade their list entry to reflect their importance.”
English Heritage describes the sculptures as “the first attempt to accurately reconstruct the three dinosaur species known to the scientific world in the 1850s within their geological environment”. They were designed by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins and were built out of brick and artificial stone on a framework of iron rods. The geological strata and lead mine were constructed at the same time, by James Campbell an engineer and mineralogist and were an “integral part of the original scheme”. The strata were constructed from geological rocks.
Vegetation concealed much of the geological strata at the time of the re-survey of the London Borough of Bromley in the late 1960s. This meant the degree of survival of the original landscape would not have been apparent at the time when the original decision to list the sculptures was made in 1973. But following a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the London Borough of Bromley and its partners (including the University of Greenwich) to completely restore the Dinosaur Court in 2002 further investigation was undertaken.
Notes to editors
1. The main purpose of listing a building is to ensure that care will be taken over decisions affecting its future, that any alterations respect the particular character and interest of the building, and that the case for its preservation is taken fully into account in considering the merits of any redevelopment proposals.
2. The total number of list entries is 372,905 which break down as:
9,137 Grade 1
21,009 Grade II*
341,894 Grade II
3. Further details of English Heritage's recommendations can be obtained from Historic Environment Designation Branch, Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Press Enquiries: 020 7211 6052/6277
Public Enquiries: 020 7211 6200
4th July 2002
His Royal Highness, the Duke of Edinburgh, visited Crystal Palace Park on to celebrate the restoration of the world-famous models of prehistoric creatures.
The Royal visit marked the culmination of an 18-month heritage restoration project in which many expert craftsmen have restored the dinosaurs to their original condition.
The renovation of the dinosaurs, which are one of the park's main attractions for both children and adults alike, has been carried out under a £3.6m improvement scheme funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (£2.7m), the governments Single Regeneration budget and Bromley Council. The models then listed as Grade II structures were in desperate need of attention, having suffered severe damage due to both vandalism and the elements.
The geological time trail, cricket ground, maze and English Landscape Garden also benefited from the conservation scheme. The boating lake is currently being repaired to stop leaks. It now has new edging and aquatic plants to improve the lake for both recreation and local wildlife.
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