The night the palace burned to the ground

The Crystal Palace fire could be seen from miles around. Crowds flocked to the scene and a mixture of shock and awe spread across Bromley residents as they realised the iconic landmark had been destroyed, writes Claudia Lee.

The Crystal Palace building was the O2 of its day.

Commissioned by Prince Albert and president of the Royal Society of Arts for The Great Exhibition of 1851 in Hyde Park, the palace showed off all sorts of amazing natural and modern manufactured inventions from around the world.

The idea was to draw in international exhibitors, and soon the Palace held printing machines, a 50kg lump of gold, folding pianos, rare diamonds and jewels.

At around 7pm on November 30, 1936, the manager, Sir Henry Buckland, was doing his rounds.

Suddenly he noticed a small fire had broken out at the Sydenham end of the Palace.

The Gas Company had warned of a leak within the building.

On duty security guards desperately tried to control the fire but it was spreading fast.

At around 8pm they called the London Fire Brigade.

Firefighters from Penge fire station arrived first, then Beckenham and then Croydon.

It became clear that the fire was spiralling out of control and the London Fire Brigade was called in and a major incident was declared.

London’s chief officer Major Morris took control, sending more than 50 pumps to the scene.

But by the time the first of the 88 fire engines were on scene, the fire was tearing through the whole building.

While no one ever found out the real cause of the fire, it was understood that the blaze had spread so quickly because of the wooden flooring.

Being at the top of a big hill, the breeze helped to fan the flames.

Iron melts at approximately 1,500C. Glass melts at a similar temperature but is more likely to crack or shatter before reaching that level.

From the footage of the fire that survives – reviewed by the London Fire Brigade – officers have said the iron frames became weak with the heat, buckled as the glass fractured.

There was little the firefighters could do to save the palace.

Despite the building being destroyed, the Crystal Palace Park it had been built upon remains.

In 1987, the park became a Grade II listed park, having had its management transferred to Bromley council the year before.

By 1990, The Crystal Palace Museum was opened after 11 years of fundraising.

The Crystal Palace Park Trust officially became a charity in 2020 – dedicated to preserving and enhancing the park’s heritage which became more apparent throughout the pandemic – serving the community as an outdoor, green space to enjoy throughout lockdown.

And just two months ago, the trust secured a lease for the site, taking over responsibility for managing the park in the interests of the local community.

 

 

Picture: The Crystal Palace fire could be seen from miles around Picture: Wikimedia Commons/ Public domain