Crystal Palace Park is a historic and much-loved park, dating back to the Victorian Britain in connection with the Great Exhibition. It has continued to evolve over many generations, which has only added to its illustrious history.
- The Crystal Palace and Park were built by Sir Joseph Paxton's Crystal Palace Company between 1852 and 1855. The Park was created as the magnificent setting for the relocated and enlarged Crystal Palace, which Paxton had built and designed for the 1851 Great Exhibition in Hyde Park. The grounds included beautifully landscaped gardens, fountains, and ornamental sculptures. The iconic life-sized dinosaur sculptures, created by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, were the first attempt to depict dinosaurs scientifically.
- In 1911, the park was transformed for the Festival of the Empire, with a railway installed.
- In 1936, the Crystal Palace itself was destroyed by fire.
- In 1937, a motor racing circuit was opened, remaining in use until 1972.
- In 1951 responsibility for the Park passed to the London County Council.
- In 1961, the Crystal Palace Bowl opened as a concert venue with a capacity of 25,000, going on to host legendary acts like Bob Marley, Pink Floyd, and The Rolling Stones. In 1997 a new concert platform was opened.
- In the 1960s the National Sports Centre and Athletics Stadium were completed which re-modelled large parts of the centre of the park.
- In 1986, the London Borough of Bromley took ownership of the park.
- In 1990, the Crystal Palace Museum was opened.
- In 2016, the Crystal Palace Park Trust was established with a view to taking on the management of the park as part of the park’s regeneration plan and in 2020 it officially became a charity.
- In 2021, the Regeneration Plan for Crystal Palace Park received outline Planning approval.
- In 2023, the Trust took on responsibility for managing and maintaining the park in the interests of the local community.
- In 2025, works got underway on a major park-wide phase of work for the regeneration plan.