Exploring The Lost Crystal Palace | What Remains Today?

[@emmabh2166]

Your quality of matching old photos to the location of where they are now, is simply sensational! Thankyou so much for your work, effort and knowledge 🙏🏼

[@AdventureMe]

Thanks Emma. My speciality.

[@ianmaddams9577]

I agree. Excellent work 👍🏻 would have been a sight to behold that’s for sure …

[@CrankyBeach]

My feelings exactly. I've done a bit of fiddling with Google Earth (and street view) trying to match those images with historic photos from my home town in California, and it's NOT easy! For reasons unknown, this video showed up in my KZbin suggestions, and I'm very glad I clicked on it. Well done. I do believe I'll be watching a lot more of your videos in the near future.

[@milescoleman910]

I grew up in that park in the 80”s. Scrambling around the ruins. There were a few tunnels and hidden basements here and there. Many have been closed off since. Annoyed that the parks move to become a ‘country park’ means they let everything get overgrown. This first steps at the north end were completely clear of greenery right up into the nineties. Also there is a blue stain porcelain floor under the brush at the top of the stairs there. Before the caravan park came in, in the late 80’s the other side of the wall was completely overgrown but underneath was several greenhouse frames complete with trees growing through from the floor that were once contained in pots still visible in the bark in pieces.

[@keithcheeseman567]

Deserves an award, what a fantastic documentary. I played there in the 1960's upto 1975 and I can't believe how much of the ruins has gone and has overgrown, there was much more to see and play around when I was a boy. I Remember motor racing, 2 fishing lakes, a zoo, an adventure playground, a ski ramp, fantastic dinosaurs and the ruins. From watching your excellent video so many memories have come flooding back thank you.

[@SteveAttwood]

As a life long local resident of the area, its lovely to see it being appreciated. It's heartbreaking to see what once once was such an epic example of British engineering in such a sorry state. Your visualisations of the old palace in relation to the present really bring home hat it must have been like... Brilliant! Thank you!

[@AdventureMe]

Thanks Steven

[@Bubblegummonsters]

I've lived in this area. all my life it was great to see how it used to look. Apparetnly my Grandad watched it buring down and like you say it could be seen from miles away. Thanks for all the hard work you've put into this.

[@AdventureMe]

Thanks for watching

[@illgetmecoat1066]

I used to live in Mitcham in the 80's & an old neighbour of mine said he put a ladder up against his house & climbed up to see it burning in the distance.

[@F4Insight-uq6nt]

@@AdventureMe It's obvious this place was all Hydro Turbine Powered to me.. I doubt there is any old records of those installations though. It will have been deleted and replaced by fake history.

[@douglasfleetney5031]

Loving this, another subject close to my heart. When my Dad was 3 my Grandfather held him up to his bedroom window to show him the glow in the sky as the Palace burned. The reservoir was always roofed over and part of the North Transept. I understand it is still very much in use. The South Tower actually acted as a chimney when the Palace burned and although they wanted to save it, it was by then part of the local water supply network, the heat of the fire effectively sintered the brick work. As a Kid in the early 1970's Dad took me there on a couple of occasions. Back then you could still see where the molten glass had flowed down the stairs, still fenced of in those days. He also managed to wangle a short visit to the tunnel that connected the LCDR High Level Station under the road to the Palace entrance. I remember it as a dingy, dirty, dark place with a beautiful vaulted roof. Wish I'd taken more notice but I was a strange Kid who had been promised a visit to Foyles Bookshop (I still have the books I bought (wangled out of Dad)... Thank you so much for bringing back so many good memories.

[@AdventureMe]

Thanks for the memories Douglas. I wish I had seen it all those years ago. You might be right about the reservoir, it did look too flat. Part 2 is out next week.

[@peterbrameld696]

I Too used to love going to Foyles bookshop with my father. Thank you for the memories, I am 77 years old today!

[@douglasfleetney5031]

@@peterbrameld696 It was fantastic! The smell of the place, all those books... Happy to make you smile Peter.

[@bjoernaltmann]

The underpass with that vaulted ceiling is still there.

[@leighmcalpine]

I live right next to the park and walk around it every day. I thought I’d seen everything in the park but clearly not! Can’t wait to go exploring tomorrow!! Amazing.

[@AdventureMe]

Thanks Leigh. Enjoy the exploring.

[@NOWThatsRichy]

@@AdventureMe I never realised there was still that amount of parkland left in the area.

[@anthonyellis987]

Considering its size, it's not surprising that some of the foundations remain. Loving the video and how you show the before/after shots.

[@AdventureMe]

Thank You. Part 2 is out next Sunday.

[@benji274]

The Palace existed for 85 years (not all in that location), now has been gone for 85 years. Thanks for a fascinating video, well done.

[@AdventureMe]

Thanks for the info!

[@petercollins7848]

Amazing video! Very sad that this whole area has fallen into such dereliction. Why aren’t archaeologists investigating the ruins? Surely the large mound and other areas would reveal many treasures from the Victorian era. We don’t really value our past in this country like others do. Of course it is not surprising really, as the country is run by Philistines, whose main interest is stuffing their faces in posh London restaurants and drinking in the House of Commons bar!

[@shirleylynch7529]

That was amazing Darren. Love your fading past and present photos. I’m ashamed to say I hadn’t heard of this building. It’s end so tragic. Music makes me feel nostalgic. Very moving Darren very moving indeed. Thank you.

[@AdventureMe]

Thanks Shirley.

[@ianskeels1279]

When I was a boy, in the early 60s, you could climb up and see into huge rooms under the terraces that were absolutely packed with statues from around the park. Fascinating place. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

[@AdventureMe]

Enjoy the video. This is a 3 part series with a new release every Sunday at 5pm.

[@StuartDavies]

Brilliant video! I lived in Thicket Road back in the late 70s and often wandered around wondering what it must have been like.

[@AdventureMe]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@AL_THOMAS]

They used to do walks where you could do in the tower remains. The museum is sadly shut at the moment. I'm pretty sure the stones are part of the stairs that were removed. The stairs at the back were added much later in it's life and lead to the first floor, underneath that was the basement. The metal posts you found were the original posts from the palace. That's the outside wall. They cut them off at ground level after it had burnt down. They are 8 inches wide, 8 feet apart. It was the worlds first modular building. Your images at 14 minutes shows where the posts were. The guy who was responsible for putting the column there took me on a personal guided walk. The rubble you found where it's raised up is from the blitz. They filled in the basement with it. There are old cars and bomb damaged buildings. If you go in many woods there are signs of bricks being dumped from WW2. The terraces have been restored in the past but need doing again. The statues were sold off after the fire and are copies of the originals. After the fire many were sold off. You can see some in peoples gardens and dotted around the local area. THe bolts you found were probably from the stairs you thought the cast iron posts were for. I"m pretty sure the back stairs were mostly concrete posts (but I might be wrong). Great video. I hope the above is of some interest. I used to be fascinated by the park and have been on many guided tours of it, including tours of the underground vaulted access from the high level train station.

[@rontanser9369]

Thank you that was very interesting I didn’t realise the Crystal Palace lasted 80 years

[@AdventureMe]

Thanks Ron. Yes. Longer abandoned than open.

[@markdonnelly962]

I remember going here as a child with my school, I remember doing the hedge maze that you mentioned, such a shame that a beautiful building like this was destroyed by fire, I bet it was stunning to look at and walk around

[@AdventureMe]

Thank You. Part 2 is out next Sunday.

[@chrisplunkett2814]

I'm looking forward to when you explore what's left of the old race track (if you do of course!)

[@AdventureMe]

I don't really cover it. But you can see lots of it in the next video.

[@stevenwade7466]

A wonderful building that really should of been properly looked after,the likes of which we will never seen again . Great informative video well done .

[@JulieWallis1963]

A _wonderful building that really should_ *have* _been properly looked after_ What a shame your 11 years of free education were wasted!

[@DesigntowinLew]

Nice to see you back in the south again to explore one of my favorite places to walk around . Is just so much to find there . Loving the overlays brings it to life . Part one was great , looking forward to parts 2 and 3 . Is nice to have someone else's view on something you know well . Keep up the great work Darren .

[@aidanbowe3866]

What I've always found amazing is how it was dismantled piece by piece from Hyde Park and reassembled at its final site.

[@AdventureMe]

Yes. Although it was totally remodelled too. Just the basic materials were re-used

[@andrew6978]

The building wasn't the same to be fair, it was massively expanded by Paxton.

[@michaelmiller641]

I remember seeing the remains of the metal arches to the roof of the old high level station peeping over the walls! Me and my mate, years later, explored the site of the station and discovered the secret Alhambra covered way, which no doubt you will cover in further videos! Very interesting and clever transitions!

[@AdventureMe]

Thanks Michael. What's the Alhambra covered way? Do you mean the subway?

[@michaelmiller641]

@@AdventureMe yes, the subway between the railway station and the crystal palace

[@sharonlegg85]

I haven’t been to Crystal Palace Park since I was a child and I remember going on a 122 bus from Woolwich to Crystal Palace and when the pylon was in sight we knew we were nearly there. Happy childhood memories ❤️

[@televisionbb]

The south tower was not demolished immediately after the fire. It was used for years by John Logie Baird for his color television experiments. He had a small studio at the bottom of the spiral staircase. The VHF transmitter antennas sat on top of the tower. There were two transmitters in the tower - the one on the fourth floor. They broadcast Baird's 120 line color TV 1937-39. The tower was demolished at the start of World War II.

[@markosmith8037]

What a fantastic video - well paced, excellent research and professional. Brilliant work.

[@busterboy7505]

Very interesting video, I always thought the palace burned down in Hyde park, I never knew it was moved, and if I am not mistaken it was Prince Albert who came up with the idea of building the iron and glass structure for the great exhibition. 👍👍.

[@thebee8415]

Crystal Palace completed in Hyde Park in 1851. It was being built and payed for all while the souls of the millions of Irish died and starved during the Great Hunger of 1845 to 1852. The food stocks of the entire Irish country, its grain, livestock, fish, poultry, shipped to Britain to feed its ever growing population. The rotten potato left as the food source for the Irish colonial discarded people. Price of building the Crystal Palace in 1851was £2 million. Total donation from the ‘famine Queen’ Queen Victoria, was £2 thousand, this was to feed and aid the suffering of her people in Ireland. The Turkish Ottoman Emperor offered £10 thousand in aid money for Ireland’s plight but was not allowed give it, as it would have been an insult to the Queens amount. So he was therefore allowed give £1 thousand instead. The Palace was the largest building in the world, built to benefit the greatest empire the world has ever known. Sadly not so great for those Irish Men, Women and Children. RIP. Let us never forget the needless slaughter. Long may the peace between Ireland and England continue, it’s a great credit to our two nations and a great example to the world. 🇨🇮🕊🇬🇧

[@johnmcglinchey]

I have visited many times when I visit my parents in Upper Norwood (about a mile away) Never noticed any of the features in these videos . Will look out for them next time

[@AdventureMe]

Thank You. Part 2 is out next Sunday.

[@derelictCHEESEBURGER]

Brilliant! The way you match up the old photos is perfect!

[@AdventureMe]

Thanks mate

[@johnnicholls5815]

It’s such a lovely park and the remains of Cyrstal Palace is very interesting. Have you been in the tunnel from the high level station that goes under the road to the palace it is fabulous We have been going to Cyrstal Palace Caravan club site for about 20 years for about 10 days a year. The site is just by the north tower but sadly it is close December 21 Look forward to the next 2 video’s

[@AdventureMe]

Yes the high level features in part 3.

[@NOWThatsRichy]

@John Nichols Is the caravan site closing permanently? What is the reason for that, it's been there for decades!

[@johnnicholls5815]

The council are going to build on the land. The lease on the land is up

[@johnnicholls5815]

@@NOWThatsRichy The Caravan site is open till late 2022 now the council want to build flats there

[@seanjamescameron]

I live around the corner and have only ever visited it a handful of times. Must go back again. Learnt so much from this video. Thank you.

[@AdventureMe]

Thank You. Part 2 is out next Sunday.

[@garycross228]

Thoroughly enjoyed your video and am really looking forward to the next two. The music had a fitting melancholy quality that suited the remains of the palace grounds. It's a real shame that Bromley council will not restore the stonework on the terraces. At least the subway is being restored at long last after local pressure. I really liked the way you managed to superimpose images of the Crystal Palace onto what is left today so seamlessly. Thank you for a fantastic documentary and I really hope that you can do more than just two more.

[@AdventureMe]

Thanks Gary. The photo fades are my speciality. There's lots more in the next two.

[@jordylyons4648]

Fascinating fact Crystal Palace transmitter was used for rebroadcast standby tests, it would turned off and only test card J would broadcast and each mast across the country would fall off air and broadcast Crystal Palace, it was the emergency broadcast tower in the event of war or nuclear attack...

[@roadsandrails]

Another interesting series, I’m surprised how much is still there, especially in London which is constantly being re developed

[@richardhalliday6469]

Excellent, very interesting Darren, while watching your presentation l was studying the 3D Google Earth images at the same time, I never realised just how much still remains today, having never been there I assumed the site was all reclaimed parkland but looking closer as you show us there is a treasure trove of history.

[@AdventureMe]

Thank You. Part 2 is out next Sunday.

[@weirskruud]

Really looking forward to this series! Loved the history intro

[@AdventureMe]

Thanks Angela

[@weirskruud]

@@AdventureMe also want to say I absolutely love the photo overlays...thanks for taking the editing time to do that, it makes it really special

[@AdventureMe]

Many more to come in the next parts.

[@hometownhero2500]

Always see statues with no heads on them at these old sites. Especially the palace of fine arts in SF. Bizarre

[@Its_A_London_Thing]

What. An. Incredible. Video! Mate, I really appreciate you doing this! I've lived in and around Crystal Palace all my life (40yrs) and have massively fond memories as a kid coming to the park with school and friends, learning about its history and everything it still had to offer. It's genuinely one of the most historic spots in London and perhaps the whole of England and you've done it justice with this stunning video! I've often walked the grounds as an adult and allowed my mind to drift into thoughts of how everything must have looked and felt. The way you pieced the old and new images together was simply spectacular and left not much to the imagination. Your knowledge is top tier, and I'm very impressed, and very grateful! I could honestly ramble on and on about how beautiful this video is. You've really done us proud! This is my Manor and you've brought back a lot of memories for me. I truly hope that 1 day, this can be rebuilt, just as it used to be - because it was absolutely glorious and an absolute spectacle. Thank you for this! I'm looking forward to parts 2 & 3!

[@redd605]

I loved the zoo, and seeing guy the gorilla and seeing the penguin , and athletics , and the concert and fireworks and motor racing , on part of old tracks

[@LunaPaul77]

Great videos - a place close to my heart, my mum now in her 70s grew up in Crystal Palace, she lived on gypsy hill. Her and her friends used to play in the park growing up, she was fascinated by the palace, and would do similar explorations of the area and park same as you did, she said one day - playing up the top of the park - they a terrace feature that was normally boarded up - was open - they wandered in and found the old ornate subway that ran under the road to the palace. Later years they opened it up to the pubic, still do now I thing, needless to say as kids my mum and Nan would take us to the park, and showed us all the little hidden gems left from the Palace, I’m pretty sure over by the water tower base - the one you can get to - there’s a steel beam - bolted to the ground that looks like one of the old frame pieces? Really enjoyed this video, I just as fascinated as my mum. She’ll love this - I’ll send her a link :)

[@papalegba6759]

cast iron? lol love to see em try to do that kinda work today.

[@NewingtonBoy]

I have always been fascinated with The Crystal Palace coming from South London! Great video many thanks!

[@AdventureMe]

Me too. Thanks for watching

[@MartinFarrell1972]

The transitions between old and new are done perfectly Can't wait for parts 2 & 3

[@AllenORourke1954]

I've asked you this before in a previous comment Darren, what software do you use for your fade in pictures please..??

[@AdventureMe]

I don't. I just manually do them when editing.

[@loonyleny]

Great video and this is my old Manor born bread around this place.

[@AdventureMe]

Thank You. Part 2 is out next Sunday.

[@jeffallinson8089]

Absolutely loved that as I am also a huge admirer of The Crystal Palace. I am simply blown away not just by the sheer size and scale of the structure but its breathtaking beauty too. It is criminal that it was allowed to go to a state of disrepair and that it burned down was a massive tragedy. Can you imagine the visitors it would attract today? I am really looking forward to watching the next one and thanks for your hard work and effort; it is greatly appreciated and the overlays were stunning as per usual. Great job and loved the music too.

[@AdventureMe]

Thanks Jeff. It is such a shame.

[@danfoard76]

The large mounds in the undergrowth arent the remains of the palace as the entire site was cleared by scrapmen after the palace burned sadly, most of the mounds and the cellars are filled with rubble from WW2, more specifically bombed houses from the local area and suchlike. There are a few hidden cellars still that are buried but accessible if you know where to look, i found all this out from a friend that used to work in the park as a warden but he used to look after the remaining stonework of the Palace in his spare time. You also have to consider what the Palace Park is very well known for, Motorsport! The first motor trials ever held were run in the park in the early 1900's and from there the history of motor racing progressed through motorbikes racing on gravel paths around the entire park through to a properly metalled race circuit that sadly closed in 1972. But thank you for an informative and well put together show that i very much enjoyed.

[@AdventureMe]

Thanks Daniel. Yes i'd heard as much.

[@malcolmrichardson3881]

Great exploration, packed with fascinating architectural detail. Thank you.

[@AdventureMe]

Thank You. Part 2 is out next Sunday.

[@dizzydevil547]

love the vids cant wait for part 3 to drop! ...im not a londoner infact in from up north BUT crystal palace is on of the uk's sadly lost places and it was long gone by the time i was born but it still peaks my interest as i LOVE looking back in history and whats left even if it is recent from the 20th century ect! Fab vid and one of the ones i love going through the history and what is still left that folks dont know about same as me i never knew so much was left ..obv i knew aboth the sphinxes and the high level station ect but never knew about the aquairum and hidded stuff! love it all and thank you for bringing this hidden stuff in crystal palace park to folks that maybe never knew it was still there ! ...ps you look hot shirtless! 😀 but i mean that in a good way!

[@AdventureMe]

Thanks Sean. Where you from up North?

[@dizzydevil547]

@@AdventureMe ashton under lyne ... greater Manchester originaly but have live in a village on the outskirts of Bristol for the last 16 yrs ...took me a while to adjust ect ..not like i can walk into town for a night out or catch a bus ect but still love where im living ....green belt ect ...only thing i dont like is when the local farm decides to muck spread 🤣

[@maggiesamuels2937]

I can't wait I live in Brixton and often go to crystal palace park for a walk. 👍

[@AdventureMe]

Thanks Maggie. Hope you enjoy.

[@maggiesamuels2937]

@@AdventureMe absolutely brilliant can't wait for the next one.👍

[@dangerousbrian0]

I don't know why they did not just rebuild after the first fire & when the second fire happened I don't know why they just did not rebuild the whole thing maybe because like you said the Visitor attendence started to deminish & it became impossable to keep up with the maintanence so it went in to complete disrepair which is a shame as it looks like a stunning & beautiful building. Also when you look at these old photos it looks like it only went a few years ago.

[@andrew6978]

Money, it would have been obscenely expensive to rebuild, money and resources post-war Britain didn't have.

[@martinmarsola6477]

It is sad to see the beautiful structures of the past, now non existent. But because of you Darren, we can relive this past experience. Thanks so much. Will look forward to Part 2 and 3. Cheers mate! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿😊👍🇺🇸

[@AdventureMe]

Thanks Martin

[@angelsone-five7912]

Well done again Darren. I`ve been here many times but never found half the stuff that you did. How interesting would a dig in that big mound be?

[@AdventureMe]

It sure would. A dig anywhere in that park would uncover all-sorts I'm sure.

[@CrankyBeach]

@@AdventureMe Time Team, call your office.... :D

[@douglasthompson296]

Off topic but you leeds folks, does anyone remember the name of the jewellers in lower briggate where the whole shop front was lowered into the strong room at closing time, think its now a bar Thanks in advance, DougT in Mancs

[@Jenny-gu9wu]

Do you mean Dysons?

[@douglasthompson296]

@@Jenny-gu9wu hi Jenny, it seems that's the one. I went onto Google maps street view and there it was I only asked as martin zero was investigating the undercroft area in Stockport and they are regenating a jewellery shop that had a dropping sales counter into the strong room. Only thought it was Leeds with a descending shop front. I never stop learning. Cheers DougT in Mancs

[@graffiti9145]

You just know that, had the palace not burned down, that place would be FULL to the brink with tourists

[@AdventureMe]

Sure would be. Look at Kew Gardens etc

[@misterspitfire6564]

I cannot wait for the next video - this is absolutely fascinating! Your overlays of the past and present locations is stunning. Thanks for this wonderful content.

[@JonathanLittleGAMER]

Great video buddy 👍 looking forward to the rest

[@AdventureMe]

Thank You. Part 2 is out next Sunday.

[@stepheng8779]

Must've been an awe-inspiring sight at the time. The amazing things we used to achieve, best we could come up with recently was a bodged dome 🤦

[@kingofracism]

Because we had pride in ourselves and what we could achieve. Now we feel guilt and shame.

[@srfurley]

About twenty years ago I used to visit the park quite often. I’ve seen the North tower base in the distance, but didn’t think it was possible to get close to it. This end of the Palace changed considerably over the years; the aquarium wasn’t original, but replaced some other feature at some time, I can’t remember what was there before. Not only the North transept was destroyed at this end but the North wing was also lost, damaged in a storm I think. It’s missing in most photographs. I did see the high level station just once before it was demolished; I would have been about four at the time. It’s still possible to see what the station was like; Ken Russell made a short film, ‘Amelia and the Angel’ part of which was shot there in about 1957. It reminds me somewhat of North Eastern Railway. I think it’s a pity that they don’t consider rebuilding the South tower; the site is still available and it could serve as an observation gallery.

[@MegaDirtyberty]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/d6aVZYWMmraWe5I

[@TheDoctor46UK]

Wow what a fantastic video. I can't wait for the next two installments. Your Butlins Filey one had me hooked and so has this. Something may interest you, If you google War Beach Liverpool, we have a section of beach where demolished buildings in ww2 were dumped. For instance there was a huge domed building, the Customs House that stood opposite the Albert Dock which was destroyed and a lot of it I believe is still on that beach. Best Wishes

[@philmarsh5593]

Yup, the blending in of the old buildings into the modern day scenes really brings the old back to life. Interesting stuff, looking forward to the next 2 parts.

[@porkzero]

Fantastic video. Love your work.

[@AdventureMe]

Thank You. Part 2 is out next Sunday.

[@yorkie2789]

Wow, fantastic stuff Darren. I worked in Croydon for a couple of years and never walked across to see this, my loss!

[@AdventureMe]

Thank You. Part 2 is out next Sunday.

[@kevincross9206]

So interesting - can’t wait for the next 👍🏻

[@AdventureMe]

Thanks Kevin.

[@trickygoose2]

Fascinating stuff. About 15 to 20 years ago, I attended a 2 day athletics meeting at Crystal Palace and stayed in the 1960s tower block that lies between the stadium and the site where the Palace stood. I remember getting up on a sunny Sunday morning and looking out of the window of my room and trying to imagine what it would be like if the Palace was still there as the foundations were still clearly visible.

[@davewright4380]

Superb! Visited a few years ago and this brought back good memories. The old picture fade ins work so well with the hauntingly good music. Top work and thanks for making these vidoes!

[@AdventureMe]

Thank You. Part 2 is out next Sunday.

[@Schlipperschlopper]

One should make a new one! :-)

[@AdventureMe]

Yes they should

[@Schlipperschlopper]

@@AdventureMe That would be like an ancient world wonder returning from the past like the Alexandria lighthouse etc.. ;-)

[@3-4-3football3]

Looking forward to it, I have another great idea for a camping video if your interested? It’s near London and very historic

[@AdventureMe]

A camping video. Sounds ominous.

[@wendywhite6622]

I also met an old lady, back in the 80s who used to rent out her shed to the visitors to the park. They came in horse drawn carriages! And I met an elderly gentleman who, as a child, remembers being paid a penny to use a taper and light the candles for the evening displays. He described them as like Shippam’s paste jars with a candle in.

[@AdventureMe]

Thank You. Part 2 is out next Sunday.

[@wendywhite6622]

I used to live near Crystal Palace park and was there at the start of the Crystal Palace Foundation. Can’t wait to see your videos

[@AdventureMe]

Thank You. Part 2 is out next Sunday.

[@nobbyse16]

Thanks for the quality video Darren, I live 5 minutes walk away from the park and go there every week. Sad to see though how it has deteriorated over the years since I have been there. Nobody wants to spend any money on it these days sadly. Keep up the great work!

[@AdventureMe]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@dancedecker]

Absolutely brilliant as usual Darren. I stayed just up the road a couple of years ago to visit a travel trade exhibition at Excel and it was around Bonfire night. The fireworks display was awesome, but I now realised that walked right past that curved wall and never knew it was the base of one of Brunel's water towers. Incredible. The dinosaur park is excellent, so can't wait to see that, as well as the railway stations and hopefully the pneumatic railway remains too. A little side story. I was waiting for a train to crystal palace and a guy had just missed his train. He looked at the board and it said. 6 minutes till next one. He went nuts!!. "Six minutes..six minutes. ". he shouted. I said, try living where I'm from, north of Watford, where they are every hour, if you're lucky! He just went "Humph" and walked off. Lol. Many thanks for all your hard work, research and editing. Trust me, it is very much appreciated. Cheers.

[@AdventureMe]

Thanks. Yes 6 minutes is such a shock to us. They don't know how lucky they are darn sarf. The pneumatic railway and dinosaurs are in the next two, along with much more.

[@dancedecker]

@@AdventureMe I totally agree mate. Cheers

[@dancedecker]

@@AdventureMe oh and thanks for the heads up on dinos and rail things. Cheers

[@NOWThatsRichy]

Hi Darren, superb stuff here, somewhere I've never been, I didn't think there were any remaining parts left at all, what I've always wondered is how a building made entirely of iron & glass managed to catch fire, more likely it was the contents inside that started the fire. If it had not had the fire, it probably would have been a target during WW2. Just imagine what an attraction it would have been today! At least the name lives on in many ways, the park, station, football team & of course the TV transmitter mast, one of the most iconic ones in the UK. Can't wait for Pt2.

[@AdventureMe]

Yes so true. Yes it was the contents that burned. The palace succumbed to the heat instead. Basically melted.

[@algomaone121]

Wow! How amazing! I’m looking forward to it.

[@seye8eyes]

I like the TV tower very interesting Specially interesting is the DC power and AC power and the 1st computerised Digital TV invention well before Nicholas inventor in America who recites in the Empire building in New York Empire state building . interesting underground basements Sellers underground How convenient the water tower also was destroyed before main fire maintenance most likely stations Static Electromagnetic Iron build building becomes magnificent magnetic field radon gas from ground. 📻 equipment around crystal palace Hyde Park anybody checked

[@stephenharper9961]

Been looking forward to this since I saw the teaser, disused railways included ofc lol, I love these videos, I'd love to join you one day :)

[@AdventureMe]

Thank You. Part 2 is out next Sunday.

[@martint6819]

Great video as ever Darren... amazing to see how much is actually left of The Crystal Palace... looking forward to Pt. 2

[@AdventureMe]

You look like captain Lee from below deck on your profile picture.

[@martint6819]

@@AdventureMe Pmsl... Not sure whether to take that as a compliment... but better than Santa or Uncle Albert from Only Fools And Horses I guess... lol

[@AdventureMe]

@@martint6819 You should Google captain Lee. He's a stud. The old gals love him.

[@martint6819]

@@AdventureMe Haha... I did out of curiosity, I'd never heard of him before... so?... I'm being called a 'stud' eh? Lol I've been called worse things. Oh, while I'm here, can I ask a favour? Can you do more adventures when it's boiling hot so we get to see you with your shirt off... ;) lol

[@martint6819]

I think I've made Darren blush... lol

[@seye8eyes]

The boundaries of ironworks and shipbuilding must have made lots of money Foundation of Foundries Brunel shipbuilding

[@seye8eyes]

Joseph Paxton What was the pack called Rockefeller group of peel Piers of Parliament house of Lord ship of Houses of long-term development Half term penny's

[@YTChiefCritic]

A lot of the history of the Crystal Palace is pure rubbish, beginning with Joseph Paxton the so-called 'gardener' who they claimed was an engineer and a director of the railway - a man who appears to have had NO education whatsoever, judging from the sketchy biographies of this character that are available. Use your common sense and be guided accordingly!

[@pmajudge]

I Lived there in Upper Norwood 1960's to1970's !!!! On Central Hill with My Parents. Aged (12 to 24yrs. From U.K. (2023).

[@bluesoujourner1978]

So much money available for war and destruction. None available for preserving beautiful architecture. Such a travesty

[@ShengTheCraftsman]

could you locate the spot where the middle center piece Glass fountain would have been ?

[@garethwigglesworth8187]

Just watched your Holbeck Hall Scarborough video. And it reminded me that before the grand Hotel there was another hotel before it. That may be worth doing a video on! You can see what said hotel looked like on Google images. That aside. I was in Scarborough when Holbeck Hall fell from the cliffs. I was 6 years old. 35 now. Wow

[@seye8eyes]

Well it must have been like a light bulbob fire of Christian palace Crystal palace. Remind me of the gas street lights made of iron a 💡 puff like a magic dragon 🐉

[@whu58]

My ancestors created the great fireworks displays at the Crystal Palace called `Brock`s Benefits` from 1865 to 1936

[@butchknapman3939]

This is one of my childhood playgrounds . The fairly modern building in the shadow of the transmitter tower was the control room for the BBC when they moved transmission from Alondra Palace to Crystal Palace, at the time there were some open days 1956 was a long time ago but I remember all the dials with red and green lights on all the panels. Another attraction at Crystal Palace was the motor racing in the 50's, every Bank Holiday, used to take a packed lunch and sit on the terraces sure there must be a map of its position

[@churros4613]

This is an amazing video, so detailed. I need to go back to Crystal Palace park and explore everything I missed

[@patsquires3654]

what a superb video, i used to train at crystal palace running track and we always took a short cut through the remains to the bus stop, i got more and more intreasted as time went on i even done a pencil drawing of the palace which took me over a month to complete. May i suggest nunhead cemetery next its VERY spooky and has lots of history, the enginere who built the crystal palace ( NOT PAXTON ) is buried there

[@tjfSIM]

Fascinating and really quite a haunting video, thanks loads for sharing. I always find it strange how a building made entirely from iron and glass could actually burn down, or indeed catch fire in the first place. Makes me wonder if it was deliberately destroyed due to the ongoing maintenance costs, which must have been huge.

[@AdventureMe]

A discarded cigarette apparently. The insides were highly flammable, the rest just melted around it.

[@CrankyBeach]

Look up the Sutro Bath House in San Francisco, California. Similar construction, but much smaller. By the 1960s it had closed down and most of the interior furnishings had been removed when it "mysteriously" caught fire and burned down. I think it was later proven to be arson.

[@oddsandwindsocks5905]

Beautifully presented, superb over lapping new and old pics, I've been wondering for years what the site looks like now. Can't wait for part 2.

[@kennethstill5945]

Darren you certainly are very versatile in your adventures, magnificent, well done, superb superimposing as usual. I shows once again what great engineers the Victorians were and with such elegance too, just like what many railway station architectures were. Keen to watch the rest.

[@ArnoldClarke]

Port for airships. If you believe the narrative that this was ‘moved’ to this spot… it is a lot older than listed. can steel and glass burn? who had the technology to curve 30 metres of glass? It was destroyed because it’s construction can’t be explained.

[@Pumpetypumps]

Declining visitor numbers followed by a mysterious fire. Hmmmmmm

[@carlbarkham3115]

Amazing work! Well done sir. Very informative, well presented and the blending from new to old pictures is brilliant. Thank you.

[@Rob17Cotton]

So does this mean somebody lived in a glass palace? somebody tell Karl pilkington 🤦‍♂️🤣😂🤷‍♂️

[@Brandis13]

At one of my first visits to London, we just randomly hopped onto buses to see if they would take us to interesting places. One evening, we saw a bus with the destination Crystal Palace, so we took that bus, but the farther away from the center we got, the dodgier the passengers looked, so we decided to turn back. Back at the hotel I looked it up and only then learned that it didn't even exist anymore. So it would have been a waste of time anyway. But the park looks nice to visit in the daytime. Maybe another time.

[@AdventureMe]

Thanks for watching. Yes you should pay a visit. Very lovely place.

[@jeffhubbard5660]

Just a couple of years to move to another site. Yet it takes 2 gangs of builders 18 months just to build 2 small houses around the corner from me. Crystal Palace is 10 mins from me and i spent many days watching Motorsport there.....

[@adamsmithelec]

Crystal Palace park is my back garden! Would love it if the Palace was still standing. Probably wouldn't be able to afford to live so close if it did though!

[@pmajudge]

EXPLORING THE LOST CRYSTAL PALACE . Wow, LOVED IT FROM , U.K. (2023).

[@Geoffreytomlinson24]

Amazing how much engineering IKB got involved in. Wonder what he would be building now if he were still with us. Great Man.