Eight of Crystal Palace’s historic landmarks are on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register, with ongoing work to secure their future.
Crystal Palace as we know it today really began life in the mid-19th century, when it was laid out by Joseph Paxton in the mid-1850s and opened by Queen Victoria.
The structure was an opulent glass and iron exhibition hall that housed the Great Exhibition of 1851 and was considered a groundbreaking feat of engineering at the time. It was surrounded by landscaped gardens and waterways.
Sadly, the building was short-lived, burning down in 1936 and never being rebuilt.
However, the park and many of its Victorian features still remain to this day, including its subway and upper and lower terraces.
The conditions of these landmarks range from “generally satisfactory but with significant localised problems” to “very bad”, with concerns raised for the future of a number of them.
Although over previous years works have been completed to preserve some, including recent restoration by Bromley Council to the subway, which reopened for regular public viewing in 2024.
Currently, there are eight landmarks listed on the Heritage at Risk Register across the area of Crystal Palace.
Here’s a look at all of them:
The Upper and Lower Terraces
Built in the 1850s, the monumental terraces that would have stood in front of the palace were designed by Paxton as part of the formal garden setting.
Constructed from long runs of stone arches with semi-domed niches, separated by pilasters rising to balustrades, the terraces originally featured fountains, statuary and formal planting, providing an opulent frame to the palace.
They survived the 1936 fire but lost most of their statuary, and the gardens between them were levelled in the mid-20th century.
Historic England lists the Grade II structure as being in “poor” condition with medium vulnerability, although recent regeneration schemes aim to restore the terraces and reconnect them to the wider park.
The Dinosaur Sculptures and Geological Illustrations
Between 1852 and 1855, Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins created around 30 prehistoric animal models on and around the lower lake, supported by iron frameworks.
The surrounding artificial rock faces, mock mines and strata sequences were designed by geologist David Thomas Ansted and contractor James Campbell to represent British geology from the Precambrian to Tertiary periods.
The Grade I structure is listed by Historic England as being in “very bad” condition with high vulnerability.
Over the 20th century, the sculptures weathered and became overgrown.
Recent conservation efforts have focused on stabilising the statues, managing vegetation and repairing the lakes and islands.
Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Trophy War Memorial
Built in the early 1930s to commemorate RNVR officers and men who trained at Crystal Palace during the First World War, the memorial features a timber-roofed pavilion sheltering a ship’s bell.
The memorial was unveiled by the Prince of Wales in 1931. It was damaged during the Second World War and later restored in the 1950s.
However, the memorial was vandalised at a later date and relocated within the park in 1992.
Historic England lists the memorial as being in “very bad” condition with medium vulnerability.
Crystal Palace Subway
Opened in 1865 for first-class passengers travelling to the High Level Station, the subway features rich red and cream brickwork, decorative fan vaulting and patterned stone floors.
The structure survived the 1936 fire and was later used as an air-raid shelter during the Second World War.
After periods of closure, Bromley Council restored the landmark, which reopened in 2024 for tours and events.
Historic England lists the Grade II listed subway as being in “fair” condition with medium vulnerability.
North and South Railings, Crystal Palace Parade
These mid-19th-century cast-iron railings originally flanked the palace frontage.
With spear-like finials and heavier piers as visual markers, surviving stretches step down and curve with the road, retaining historic markers such as the “Camberwell Parish 1870” boundary post.
Over time, sections have been lost or damaged, with corrosion and leaning piers affecting their visual impact.
Historic England lists the Grade II structure as being in “poor” condition with medium vulnerability, a declining trend and Priority C status.
Base of the Southern Crystal Palace Water Tower
Built between 1854 and 1856 to designs by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the base supported a towering water structure feeding Paxton’s fountains.
The towers survived the fire in 1936 but were demolished during the Second World War; only the southern base remains, along with trenches and pipework.
The structure is listed as being in “poor” condition with medium vulnerability.
Crystal Palace Low Level Station
Constructed in the 19th century as a main access point to the palace, the station features stock-brick pavilions, steep roofs and a central ticket hall.
While heavily used in the palace’s heyday, it has seen fluctuating use and partial closure during wartime.
The lower levels are currently listed as being in “poor” condition with medium vulnerability.
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