Crystal Palace Park - The Stone Dinosaurs
The Crystal Palace Park Dinosaurs were first built in 1854. Sculptures of extinct animals, they provide an insight into the early days of palentology, although they are now out of date.
Contents
About the Dinosaurs
The Dinosaur sculptures were originally built in 1852-4 and opened to the public in 1854. They fell into disrepair, but due to a campaign were restored in 2002, and reopened.
The original dinosaurs were stone and concrete, but during the repair process some of the missing models, and damaged parts of others, were repaired with fibreglass. The original head of one can be seen displayed on the hill by the models.
They were designed taking advice from Sir Richard Owen, founder of the Natural History Museum and inventor of the term "Dinosauria". Ironically 1854 was the same year his downfall began, due to a speech which lead to the clash of hs ideas and Darwin's.
Dinosaurs
Mosasaurus
Hylaeosaurus
Pterodactylus
Teleosaurus
Megalosaurus
Iguanadon
Very few of these are recogniseable to a modern day visitor. For example, the Iguanadon is shown as quadropedal, and I'm not sure what most visitors make of this friendly chap!
What a nice smile!
Wikipedia article on the dinosaurs
The origin of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs from Wikipedia
The Crystal Palace Dinosaurs, also known as Dinosaur Court, are a series of sculptures of dinosaurs and extinct mammals located in Crystal Palace, London. Commissioned in 1852 and unveiled in 1854, they were the first dinosaur sculptures in the world. Designed and sculpted by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, they were Grade II listed buildings from 1973 and upgraded to Grade I listed in 2007.
The models themselves are now considered out of date and by and large inaccurate.
A Dinosaur Tour from Youtube
Here Be Monsters
These monsters live in my local park! Yes, really! This is my first ever slideshow. I know it still needs some work. Any advice on how to improve it is welcome. Thanks. But comments just saying "It's boring and gay!" without any useful suggestions AREN'T welcome. EDIT: I forget to add that the animated titles come from http://www.hitthebongo.co.uk/videofx/
Runtime: 2:08
421 views
5 Comments:
BBC Panoramic Slides
- BBC Slide 1 - Anoplotheria
- A herd of Anoplotheria (part of the mammals series)
- BBC Slide 2 - The hidden sloth
- The Giant Ground Sloth - look hard!
- BBC Slide 3 - Land Dinosaurs
- Two Iguanadon and a Megalosaur (with spines)
- BBC Slide 4 - Aquatic dinosaurs
- A menagerie of aquatic dinosaurs including the Ichthyosaur.
Amazon Spotlight - The Dinosaur Hunters
The Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World
Amazon Price: $14.86 (as of 12/02/2008)
This is an excellent history of Palaeontology, dealing with the rivalry between Gideon Mantell and Richard Owen, and the creation of a new science. It ends with the building of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs to Owen's design (already inaccurate when they were constructed), the founding of the Natural History Museum, and Owen's last days, made obsolete by Darwin's scientific revolution.
For those less interested in the science it is a gripping story, with strong characters and excellent writing. It is simply a benefit that the story it tells is real.
Other attractions in the Park
Crystal Palace Stadium, where events such as the Commonwealth games have taken place, occupies the middle of the park. Unfortunately it is a looming example of concrete engineering and could do with some repair.
Towards the lower end are the dinosaurs, but also the maze, some sports facilities and a larger area of green space (nice to see in London). Several large events take place here, including a fireworks display and music festivals.
Restoring the Crystal Palace
The Park restoration
Originally built eight years ago, the Crystal Palace Foundation worked to get temporary permission to move it to the site. It was transported to the park from Wolverhampton, including a trip down the Grand Union Canal.
As Bromley Council are considering a number of options to revamp the park (including a rumoured multiplex on the site) its future is uncertain.
Videos about the Crystal Palace
Blog Posts about Crystal Palace
- Steppin' Out Calendar
- Ongoing: "Sea Monsters, Dinosaurs of the Deep" exhibit featuring fossil skeletons of monsters and other creatures. "Adventure Under the Sea" features some ...
- Fairfield County Calendar
- Ongoing: "Sea Monsters, Dinosaurs of the Deep" exhibit featuring fossil skeletons of monsters and other creatures seen in the Imax movie playing there. ...
- Denver's 150 Unsung Heroes
- He helped excavate and interpret fossil bones and plants at Coors Field and DIA, where fossil plant replicas and dinosaur footprints embedded in the floors ...
Crystal Palace Links
- Crystal Palace Dinosaurs (Wikipedia)
- A summary of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs and their origin
- Sydenham Gallery: Crystal Place Park Dinosaurs
- A few photos from a local site about the park and the dinosaurs
- The Crystal Palace Foundation
- Founded in 1979, the Foundation runs a museum on the site, and is responsible for the replica of the Crystal Palace installed on the site in May 2008.
About the Crystal Palace from Amazon
Terrible Lizard: The First Dinosaur Hunters and the Birth of a New Science
Amazon Price: (as of 12/02/2008)
The Crystal Palace Exhibition Illustrated Catalogue (Dover Pictorial Archive Series)
Amazon Price: (as of 12/02/2008)
Crystal Palace Dinosaurs: The Story of the World's First Prehistoric Sculptures
Amazon Price: (as of 12/02/2008)
Group Discussion - Should they rebuild the Crystal Palace?
There is a campaign to redevelop Crystal Palace Park. One idea under consideration is rebuilding the original Crystal Palace. Have your say:
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