IN THE UNDERMENTIONED GUIDES:
1. PALACE AND PARK;
2. PORTRAIT GALLERY;
4. EXTINCT ANIMALS;
5. POMPEIAN COURT;
3. ETHNOLOGY & NATURAL HISTORY.
CRYSTAL PALACE LIBRARY,
CRYSTAL PALACE, SYDENHAM.
1859.
By SAMUEL PHILLIPS.
A NEWLY ARRANGED AND ENTIRELY REVISED EDITION,
By F. K. J. SHENTON.
WITH NEW PLANS AND ILLUSTRATIONS, AND AN INDEX OF
PRINCIPAL OBJECTS.
CRYSTAL PALACE LIBRARY;
CRYSTAL PALACE, SYDENHAM.
1859.
LONDON:
ROBERT K. BURT, PRINTER,
HOLBORN HILL.
Note.—This Division of the Guide-Book contains the Index to Principal Objects; and the Company’s Official Announcements; with the Refreshment Tariff; an Introduction to the General Guide-book; and an Account of the Building.
The arrangement of the present edition has been made with the view of simplifying, as much as possible, the reference to particular objects; as well as of enabling the visitor to regularly explore with advantage every portion of the Crystal Palace. The splendid Botanical Collection, now thoroughly acclimatised, and very complete, is described as fully as the nature of the book will permit.
The following pages are presented to the public as a brief but connected and carefully prepared account of the exterior and interior of the Crystal Palace. It is believed that no important or interesting object in connexion with the Exhibition is without its record in this little volume; although, in so vast a collection of works of architecture, sculpture, and industrial manufacture, it is clearly impossible to compress within the limits of a General Hand-book all the information which is necessary to satisfy the visitor desirous of precise and accurate knowledge of the numberless objects offered to his contemplation.
A general and comprehensive view of the Crystal Palace will unquestionably be obtained by the perusal of the present manual. The Hand-books of the respective departments will supply all the detailed information necessary to fill in the broad and rapidly drawn outlines. In them, Literature will faithfully serve as the handmaiden to Art, and complete the great auxiliary work of education which it is the first aim of the Crystal Palace to effect.
These Hand-books are published at prices varying from three-pence to eighteen-pence, according to the size of the volume. The lowest possible price has been affixed to one and all. It may be fearlessly asserted that books containing the same amount of entertainment, information, and instruction, it would be difficult to purchase at a more reasonable rate elsewhere.
PRINTED BY R. K. BURT, HOLBORN HILL, CITY.
Large map.
The trains start punctually from the London Bridge and Pimlico Stations at the times advertised in the official bills to be found in various parts of the building; but special trains are put on always as occasion may require.
The shortest route from London, by carriage, will be found marked on the accompanying map. The ordinary entrances from the road are at the South and Central Transepts. Entrances are also provided opposite Sydenham Church, and at the bottom of the Park, below the Grand Lake and Extinct Animals.
Omnibuses leave Gracechurch Street for the Crystal Palace at intervals from 10 in the morning. An omnibus also leaves the Paddington Station at a quarter to 11 A.M. Also one from the Kings and Key, Fleet Street, at 12 o’clock, and one from the Green Man, Oxford Street, at the same time. Omnibuses leave the City for Camberwell every 10 minutes. Conveyance can also be procured from Peckham and Clapham. On fête days omnibuses run at frequent intervals, at times according to the season.
Crystal Palace and Lower Norwood to Oxford Street, viâ Norwood, Brixton Road, Elephant and Castle, Westminster Road, Whitehall, Waterloo Place, and Regent Street—(c) green; (m) Norwood. From Crystal Palace, week days only, 8.30, 10.25, A.M., 2.20, 5.15, 6.30, 7.10, 8.45, P.M. From King’s Head, Norwood, week days, 8.55, 9.55, 10.50, A.M., 12.55, 1.50, 2.50, 4.5, 5.35, 7.35, 9.15, P.M. Sundays, 9.40, 10.50, A.M., 1.0, 1.40, 2.10, 4.20, 5.50, 7.20, 8.10, 9.35, P.M. From New Church, Tulse Hill, week days, 9.5, 10.5, 11.0, A.M., 1.5, 2.0, 3.0, 4.15, 5.45, 7.15, 9.25, P.M.; Sundays, 9.50, 11.0 A.M., 1.10, 1.50, 2.20, 4.30, 6.0, 7.30, 8.20, 9.45, P.M. From Oxford Street, Regent Circus, week days, 10.0, 11.20, A.M., 12.10, 2.20, 3.10, 4.10, 5.30, 7.0, 8.30, 10.45, P.M.; Sundays, 10.20, 10.50, A.M., 12.0, 2.10, 3.0, 3.30, 5.30, 7.0, 9.30, 10.50, P.M. From Charing Cross, week days, 10.15, 11.35, A.M., 12.25, 2.35, 3.25, 4.25, 5.45, 7.15, 8.45, 11.0, P.M.; Sundays, 10.35, 11.5, A.M., 12.15, 2.25, 3.15, 3.45, 5.45, 7.15, 9.45, 11.5, P.M. Fares, Upper Norwood to Kennington Gate, Charing Cross, or Oxford Street, 1s.; Cemetery, Lower Norwood, and Oxford Street, 1s.; ditto, ditto, Charing Cross, 9d.; ditto, ditto, Kennington Gate, 6d.
A complete system of omnibus conveyance has been established by the London General Omnibus Company between the following districts and the Crystal Palace Railway Station at London Bridge:—Hammersmith, Putney, Brompton, Paddington, Bayswater, St. John’s Wood, Holloway, Hornsey Road, Islington, Kingsland, Hoxton, Newington Causeway, and Kent Road.
Two Guineas each for Adults, One Guinea for Children under twelve. To admit the holder on all occasions whatever, excepting the three performances of the Handel Festival.
One Guinea each for Adults, Half a Guinea each for Children under twelve. To admit the holder on all occasions whatever, excepting the three performances of the Handel Festival, and when the price of admission is Five Shillings, or upwards, on payment of Half a Crown.
The Tickets may be obtained at—
The Crystal Palace;
The Offices of the London and Brighton Railway Company, London Bridge, and Regent Circus, Piccadilly; and at the Stations on the Palace Railways, and various Lines in connection therewith.
The Central Ticket Office, 2, Exeter Hall;
And of the following Agents to the Company:—
Addison & Hollier, Regent-street; W. Austen, Hall-keeper, St. James’s Hall; Cramer, Beale, & Co., 201, Regent-street; Dando, Todhunter, & Smith, 22, Gresham-street, Bank; Duff & Hodgson, Oxford-street; Gray & Warren, Croydon; M. Hammond & Nephew, 27, Lombard-street; Keith, Prowse, & Co., 48, Cheapside; Letts, Son, & Co., 8, Royal Exchange; Mead & Powell, Railway Arcade, London Bridge; J. Mitchell, 33, Old Bond-street; W. R. Sams, 1, St. James’s-street; W. R. Stephens, 36, Throgmorton-street; Charles Westerton, 20, St. George’s-place, Knightsbridge.
Remittances for Season Tickets to be by Post-office Orders on the General Post-office, payable to George Grove.
Ordinary Rates of Admission.—These remain as before, viz.:—
On Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays (unless on special occasions) One Shilling.
On Saturdays, Half-a-Crown, unless on special occasions, and excepting those in August, September, and October, when the Price of Admission may be reduced to One Shilling.
Children under 12 Years of Age, Half-Price.
Books, containing 25 admissions for ordinary Shilling days, till the 30th of April, 1860, are issued at the following rates:—
Shilling Days, 25 for | £1 | 2 | 6 |
Half-crown Days, 25 for | 2 | 10 | 0 |
To commemorate the suppression of the Indian Rebellion. This Fête, which will bring together a larger number of wind instruments than has been before heard together in this country, will take place in the new Orchestra of the Great Handel Festival, on May 2nd.
There will be Flower Shows at the following dates:—
s. | d. | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Wednesday, | May 18th | Admission | 7 | 6 |
„ | June 8th | „ | 7 | 6 |
„ | Sept. 7th | „ | 2 | 6 |
Thursday, | Sept. 8th | „ | 1 | 0 |
Wednesday, | &c., Nov. 9th and 10th | „ | 1 | 0 |
Tickets for the first two Shows will be issued prior to the day of the Show, at the reduced rate of Five Shillings, on the written order of a Season Ticket-holder.
The Directors have made arrangements with Mr. Gye for a series of Six Grand Concerts, to be supported by the artistes of the Royal Italian Opera, Covent Garden. These Concerts are fixed to take place on—
Wednesday, | May | 11th. | Wednesday, | July | 6th. |
„ | May | 25th. | „ | „ | 13th. |
„ | June | 15th. | „ | „ | 20th. |
During the period embraced by the Concerts of the Royal Italian Opera Company the Saturday Promenades will be continued as during last Season, admission Half-a-crown.
After the conclusion of that series, it is proposed to combine the Concert and Promenade on the Saturdays, commencing with the 23rd July, for a Second Series.
For these Concerts the Directors are happy to announce that they have entered into arrangements for the services of some of the most celebrated Artistes, Continental and English, amongst whom will be found several who are highly popular with the public, and who have not yet appeared at the Crystal Palace. The admission to these Concerts will be to Non-Season Ticket-holders Five Shillings.
Other Concerts will take place during the Season; and of these due notice will be given. In the meantime the Directors may state that they will be favoured with the co-operation of Mr. Henry Leslie’s Choir: Also that some Grand Performances of Classical Music, on an extensive scale, by the Vocal Association, under the able baton of Mr. Benedict, embracing several novelties, may be looked forward to. It is further announced with pleasure that the Metropolitan Schools Choral Society, numbering among its ranks many thousands of the Children of the National Schools, whose singing last year, conducted by Mr. G. W. Martin, elicited such warm approval, will hold another celebration on Saturday, 11th June; as also will the members of the Tonic Sol-Fa Association, under the same able conduct as before. Another great meeting of the Metropolitan Charity Children is anticipated.
Will be resumed in November, as during the last Season. Every opportunity will be taken to widen the range and increase the attractions of these Concerts, and to add to the convenience of the visitors who attend them. With the latter intention, in obedience to a desire very generally expressed, it has been determined that a limited number of Reserved Seats will be provided at each Concert.
Performances of Music by a Band of Wind Instruments in the open air having, during former seasons, afforded much gratification to the Public, it is proposed to resume these performances during the coming Summer months, at frequent intervals, and at such times of the afternoon as will be most convenient for the largest number of Visitors.
The Lectures delivered by Mr. Pepper during the past Autumn and Winter will be resumed at the end of the Summer Season, and no exertions will be spared to make them efficient and interesting.
The dates of each performance will be as follows:—
Monday | June 20 | “Messiah.” |
Wednesday, | June 22 | “Dettingen Te Deum:” Selections from “Saul,” “Samson,” “Belshazzar,” “Judas Maccabeus,” and other Works. |
Friday | June 24 | “Israel in Egypt.” |
The Great Orchestra is 216 feet wide, with a central depth of 100 feet; and will contain on the occasion nearly 4,000 performers.
These will continue to receive the attention of the Directors. The Cricket Ground is rising into public favour, and is becoming the resort of several clubs of importance; a Rifle Ground, a Bowling Green, and a Gymnasium of approved construction, are now added to it.
The detailed plan and arrangements of this Institution are set forth in the official statement issued by the Council, which may be obtained on application at the Company’s proper offices.
Benevolent Societies, Schools, and other large bodies may visit the Palace at the following reduced rates:—applying only to Shilling Days and Third-class Carriages.
s. | d. | s. | d. | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
For a number of Excursionists over 250 and under 500 | 1 | 3 | pr. head | instead of | 1 | 6 |
Exceeding 500 and under 750 | 1 | 2 | „ | „ | 1 | 6 |
Exceeding 750 and under 1000 | 1 | 1 | „ | „ | 1 | 6 |
Exceeding 1000 | 1 | 0 | „ | „ | 1 | 6 |
Children, half-price. |
Parties wishing to arrange for Refreshments, must apply at the Palace, to Mr. F. Strange, who is prepared to make a reduction in favour of large parties, according to the kind of Refreshment desired.
⁂ When the Excursion consists mainly, or in part, of Children, it is requested that the persons in charge of them will prevent their touching any works of Fine Art in the Courts, or gathering leaves or flowers in or out of the building. Considerable damage has frequently been thus done by children, and serious noise and annoyance is caused by their running along the galleries, or playing boisterously—a practice which it is desirable to stop.
Wheel-chairs for invalids and others, may be hired in the building on the following terms:—
Within the Palace, | with Assistants | 1s. | 6d. | per hour. |
In the Grounds | „ | 2s. | 6d. | „ |
Without Assistants, 6d. less. | ||||
Perambulators | 0s. | 6d. | „ | |
Double Perambulators | 1s. | 0d. | „ | |
Lifting Chairs for carrying Invalids up the stairs from the Railway Station, or to the Galleries, 1s. |
The principal stand is near the entrance to the building, from the railways. Visitors can also be conveyed by these chairs to any hotel or residence in Sydenham or Norwood.
Crystal Palace, May, 1859.
The various Saloons and Dining Rooms allotted for the Refreshment Department are all situated at the South End of the Palace, but branch stations for light refreshments will be found in various convenient positions throughout the building, and on special occasions requiring it, in the grounds. Mr. Frederick Strange is the lessee of the whole department.
is entered at the right-hand corner of the extreme South End of the Palace, and is richly carpeted and decorated, and fitted with every elegant convenience. The very highest class of entertainment is served here to due notice and order.
Hot Dinners—Soups, Fish, Entrées, &c., &c.—to order at a few minutes’ notice. Price as per detailed Carte.
The authorised charge for attendance is 3d. each person.
is on the left of the Saloon.
s. | d. | |
---|---|---|
Dinner from the Hot Joint | 2 | 0 |
Sweets, &c., according to daily Bill of Fare. | ||
The authorised charge for attendance is 2d. each person. |
The South Wing Dining Room is entered at the left-hand corner of the extreme South End of the Palace, as the Saloon is at the right-hand. It is the most spacious dining hall of the kind in England, and is constructed entirely of glass and iron. The end and the long façade next the gardens are fitted for the whole extent with magnificent plate glass (which can be opened at convenience), commanding, from the dinner tables, a perfect view of the Terraces, Fountains, the Gardens, and the great prospect of rich landscape beyond. The dishes are served direct from the kitchen by a special covered tramway.
is entered from the garden end of the South Transept, near to the entrance from the Railways. The front, toward the garden, is glass, giving a view of the terraces and grounds. Cold dinners only are served in this room.
s. | d. | |
---|---|---|
Cold Meat or Veal Pie, with Cheese and Bread | 1 | 6 |
Chicken, with Ham and Tongue, and ditto | 2 | 6 |
Lobster Salad, per dish | 2 | 6 |
Jelly or Pudding | 0 | 6 |
Ice (Nesselrode) Pudding | 1 | 0 |
The authorised charge for attendance is 1d. each person. |
are situated near the Railway Colonnade, in the lower story of the South Wing, and near the staircase at the end of the Machinery Department.
s. | d. | ||
---|---|---|---|
Plate of Meat | 0 | 6 | |
Bread | 0 | 1 | |
Bread and Cheese | 0 | 3 | |
Porter | (per Quart) | 0 | 4 |
Ale | „ | 0 | 6 |
Ale | „ | 0 | 8 |
Coffee or Tea | (per cup) | 0 | 3 |
Roll and Butter | 0 | 2 | |
Biscuit | 0 | 1 | |
Bun | 0 | 1 | |
Bath Bun | 0 | 2 | |
Soda Water, &c. | 0 | 3 |
s. | d. | |
---|---|---|
Ices, Cream or Water | 0 | 6 |
Coffee, or Tea (per Cup) | 0 | 4 |
French Chocolate | 0 | 6 |
Sandwich | 0 | 6 |
Pork Pie | 1 | 0 |
Pale Ale or Double Stout (Tankard) | 0 | 6 |
Pale Ale or Double Stout (Glass) | 0 | 3 |
Soda Water, Lemonade, &c. | 0 | 4 |
Confectionery at the usual prices. | ||
No charge for attendance is authorised on light refreshments. |
||
Note.—The Full Wine List will be found on all the tables, and at all the Stations. |
⁂ In case of any complaint against Waiters, Visitors are requested to report the circumstance, together with the number of the Waiter, at the Office of Mr. Strange. Waiters are not allowed to receive any gratuity.
A. | |
PAGE | |
Aboo Simbel, Tomb from, | 28 |
Agricultural Implements, The, | 142 |
Alhambra Court, The, | 38 |
Amazonian Natives, | 94 |
Anoplotheria, The, | 165 |
Aquaria, Fresh Water, | 96 |
Aquaria, Sea Water, | 96-100 |
Araucaria Cookii, | 131 |
Arcades for Waterfalls, | 160 |
Archery Ground, The, | 158 |
Arctic Illustrations, The, | 95 |
Arundel Society Exhibition, | 82 |
Assyrian Court, The, | 43 |
Atrium of Greek Court, The, | 33 |
Augsburg Cathedral, Bronze Doors from, | 54 |
Australian Natives of Cape York, | 92 |
Aviaries, The, | 116 |
Aegina Marbles, The, | 118 |
B. | |
Bavaria, Colossal Head of, | 109 |
Beni Hassan, Tomb from, | 27 |
Bernini, Virgin and Christ, | 78 |
Birkin Church, Norman Doorway from, | 56 |
Birmingham Court, the, | 84 |
Boilers and Furnaces, The, | 13 |
Bosjesmen, The, | 97 |
Botany of the Palace, The, | 120 |
Botocudos, The, | 93 |
Bramante, Doors from the Cancellaria at Rome, | 79 |
Byzantine Court, The, | 47 |
Byzantine Mosaic Ornament, | 52 |
Byzantine Portraits of Justinian, Theodora, Charles the Bald, and Nicephorus Botoniates, | 52 |
C. | |
Campanile, Venice, Bronze Castings from the, | 78 |
Canadian Court, | 108 |
Cantilupe Shrine, The, | 81 |
Caribs, The, | 91 |
Cellini, Benvenuto, the Nymph of Fontainebleau, | 72 |
Cellini, Benvenuto, Perseus, | 119 |
Ceramic Court, The, | 102 |
Certosa at Pavia, Sculptures and Architectural specimens from the, | 71, 72, 73, 80 |
Chameleons, The, | 117 |
Charles I., Statue of, | 105 |
Chatham, Earl of, Statue of, | 106 |
Chinese Chamber of Curiosities, | 141 |
Choragic Monument of Lysicrates, | 112 |
Cimabue, Paintings from Convent of Assisi in Italy, | 55 |
Cloisters, Romanesque, | 53 |
Cloisters, from Guisborough Abbey, | 61 |
Coliseum at Rome, Large Model of, | 37 |
Colleone, Equestrian Statue of, | 82 |
Cologne Cathedral, Architectural Details from, | 57 |
Concert Room, The, | 121 |
Cotton Spinning Machine, | 144 |
Cricket Ground, The, | 160 |
Crosses, Irish and Manx, | 55, 81 |
Crystal Palace, Account of the Building, | 10 |
Crystal Palace, Measurements of the, | 14 |
D. | |
Danakils, The, | 97 |
Dicynodons, The, | 163 |
Donatello, Bas-Reliefs and Sculptures by, | 72, 73, 81 |
Doria Palace, Doorways from the, | 72, 73 |
Duquesne, Admiral, Colossal Statue, | 111 |
E. | |
Eardsley Church, Font from, | 55 |
Effigy of Richard Cœur de Lion, | 53 |
Egyptian Court, The, | 24 |
Egyptian Frieze, | 26 |
Egyptian Pictures, | 26 |
Egyptian Figures, The Great, | 118 |
Elgin Marbles, The, | 34 |
Elizabethan Court, The, | 74 |
Elks, The Irish, | 165 |
Ely Cathedral, Door of Bishop West’s Chapel, | 61 |
Ely Cathedral, The Prior’s Door, | 53 |
Engineering and Architectural models, | 139 |
Entrance, The, | 21 |
Extinct Animals, The, | 163 |
F. | |
Fancy Manufactures, | 103 |
Farnese Hercules, | 111 |
Farnese Flora, | 111 |
Fine Arts Court, Introduction to, | 23 |
Fontevrault Abbey, Effigies from, | 54 |
Forum at Rome, The, | 37 |
Fortification, Mr. Fergusson’s System of, | 139 |
Fountains, the System of, | 172 |
Fountains, The Bronze, | 114 |
Fountains, The Crystal, | 21 |
Fountains, From Heisterbach, | 53 |
Fountains, of Renaissance period, | 70 |
Fountains, The Tartarughe, | 77 |
Francis I., Equestrian Statue, | 107 |
Franconia, Colossal Statue, | 109 |
Frescos, Indian, | 140 |
G. | |
Galleries, The, | 133 |
Gardens, The, | 150 |
Gardens, The Italian Flower, | 150 |
Gardens, The English Landscape, | 157 |
Gattemelata, Bronze Equestrian Statue by Donatello, | 82 |
Geerts, Charles, Ecclesiastical Sculpture by, | 56 |
Geological Illustrations, | 160 |
Ghiberti, Lorenzo, Bronze Gates from the Baptistery at Florence, | 72 |
Glass Manufactures, Foreign, | 101 |
Gold Fish, The, | 114 |
Gothic Sepulchral Monuments, | 64 |
Goujon, Jean, Carved doors from St. Maclou, | 71, 72, 73 |
Goujon, Jean, Caryatides, from the Louvre, | 72 |
Greek Court, The, | 31 |
Greenlander, The, | 95 |
Gutenberg Monument, The, | 107 |
H. | |
Hawton Church, The Easter Sepulchre from, | 63 |
Hildesheim Cathedral, Doors from, | 54 |
Hildesheim Cathedral, Bronze Column from, | 81 |
Hot-Water Apparatus, | 16 |
Hotel Bourgtheroulde, Restorations from, | 70 |
Hylæosaurus, The, | 164 |
I. | |
Ichthyosaurus, The, | 164 |
Iguanodons, The, | 164 |
Indian Court, The, | 140 |
Indians, American, | 93 |
Inventions, Court of, | 84 |
Italian Court, The, | 76 |
Italian Court, Vestibule, | 79 |
K. | |
Kaffres, Zulu, | 97 |
Karnak, Temple of, | 28 |
Kilpeck Door (Norman), | 54 |
Krafft, Adam, Ecclesiastical Sculpture by, | 57, 58 |
L. | |
Labyrinthodons, The, | 163 |
Landscape view from the Terraces, | 148 |
Laocoon, The, | 32 |
Lessing, Portrait Statue of, | 107 |
Lepidosiren, The, | 115 |
Library and Reading Room, The, | 109 |
Lichfield Cathedral, Door from, | 64 |
Lincoln Cathedral, John O’Gaunt’s Window, | 64 |
Lincoln Cathedral, Architectural Details from, | 62 |
Lizards, The, | 117 |
Lombardo, Pietro, Bronze Altar of La Madona della Scarpa, | 80 |
M. | |
Machinery in motion, | 144 |
Mammoth Tree, | 119 |
Marine Aquaria, | 96-100 |
Mayence Cathedral, Monument from, | 57 |
Medal Press, The, | 83 |
Mediæval Court, The English, | 53 |
Mediæval Court, The German, | 56 |
Mediæval Court, The French and Italian, | 67 |
Megalosaurus, The, | 164 |
Megatherium, The, | 165 |
Mexicans, | 94, 99 |
Michael Angelo, Statues by, | 77, 78 |
Michael Angelo, The Medici Tombs, | 78 |
Monuments of art, Court of, | 81 |
Monuments in front of Mediæval Courts, | 117, 118 |
Mosasaurus, The, | 164 |
Museum, Industrial and Technological Collection, | 135 |
N. | |
Natural History Illustrations, | 90 |
Naval Museum, The, | 139 |
Nave, The, | 103 |
Niobe Sculptures, The, | 34 |
Notre Dame of Paris, Arches and Iron Doors from, | 67 |
Nuremberg Doorway, The, | 56 |
O. | |
Orchestra, Great Festival, | 111 |
Orchestra, Concert, | 112 |
P. | |
Palæotherium, The, | 164 |
Pantheon at Rome, The, | 37 |
Papuans, The, | 92 |
Park and Gardens, The, | 147 |
Parthenon, Large Model of, | 33 |
Parthenon, Frieze, | 33 |
Perugino, Painted Ceiling from Perugia, | 73 |
Philoe Portico, The, | 27 |
Photographs in Galleries, Architectural, | 138, 142 |
Picture Gallery, The, | 134 |
Pilon, Germain, The Graces and other Statues, | 73 |
Pisano, Giovanni, and Nino, Statues by, | 67 |
Pipes in Gardens, System of, | 155 |
Plesiosaurus, The, | 164 |
Pocklington Cross, The, | 81 |
Pompeian Court, The, | 85 |
Portrait Gallery, Commencement of, | 33 |
Portrait Gallery, The, | 138 |
Pterodactyles, Great, | 165 |
Ptolemaic Architecture, | 26 |
Q. | |
Quail, Californian, | 115 |
Quercia, Jacopo della, Monument from Lucca Cathedral, | 73 |
R. | |
Raffaelle, Frescos from the Loggie of the Vatican, | 77, 78 |
Raffaelle, Jonah and the Whale, | 78 |
Raffaelle, Painted Ceiling from the “Camera Della Segnatura” of the Vatican, | 78 |
Rameses the Great, Figures of, | 27 |
Rathain Church, Old Window from, | 55 |
Renaissance Court, The, | 68 |
Robbia, Lucca della, Bas-Reliefs by, | 72 |
Robbia Family, The, Frieze from Pistoia, | 70 |
Rochester Cathedral, Doorway from, | 62 |
Roman Court, The, | 35 |
Romanesque (Byzantine) Court, The, | 47 |
Rosary, The, | 156 |
Rosetta Stone, The, | 28 |
Rubens, Colossal Statue of, | 111 |
S. | |
Samoiedes, The, | 95 |
Sansovino, Bronze Statues from the Campanile Loggia at Venice, | 76 |
Sansovino, Bronze Door from St. Mark’s, Venice, | 78 |
Screen of the Kings and Queens, | 103-4 |
Sheffield Court, The, | 85 |
Shobdon Side-Door and Chancel Arch, | 54 |
Site of the Crystal Palace, The, | 147 |
Somnauth Gates, The, | 141 |
Stationery Court, The, | 82 |
St. John Lateran, Arcade from, | 54 |
T. | |
Teleosaurus, The, | 166 |
Terraces, The, | 154 |
Testament, The King of Prussia’s, | 110 |
Tibetans, The, | 99 |
Toro Farnese, The, | 112 |
Torrigiano, Monument of the Countess of Richmond from Westminster, | 75 |
Towers, The Great Water-Towers, | 168 |
Transepts, The, | 105, 111, 114 |
Tropical Department, The, | 114 |
Tuam Cathedral, Details and Examples from, | 55 |
V. | |
Vecchietta of Sienna, Bronze Effigy by, | 73 |
Venus of Milo, The, | 32 |
Veit Stoss, Ecclesiastical Sculpture by, | 56, 58 |
Vestibule to English Mediæval Court, | 66 |
W. | |
Water Colour Copies of Great Masters, | 79 |
Well and Water Supply, The, | 170 |
Wells Cathedral, Sculpture and Details from, | 62, 63, 64 |
Winchester Cathedral, Portion of the Altar Screen, | 64 |
Winchester Cathedral, Black Norman Font from, | 55 |
Worcester Cathedral, Prince Arthur’s Door from, | 61 |
The map of the routes to the Crystal Palace will enable the visitor to ascertain the shortest and least troublesome way of reaching the Palace from the various parts of the great metropolis and its environs. The railway communication is by the London and Brighton, and the West End Railways, which serve as the great main lines for the conveyance of visitors by rail from London to the Palace doors.
We will presume that the visitor has taken his railway ticket, which, for his convenience, includes admission within the Palace, and that his twenty minutes’ journey has commenced. Before he alights, and whilst his mind is still unoccupied by the wonders that are to meet his eye, we take the opportunity to relate, as briefly as we can, the History of the Crystal Palace, from the day upon which the Royal Commissioners assembled within its transparent walls to declare their great and successful mission ended, until the 10th of June, 1854, when reconstructed, and renewed and beautified in all its proportions, it again opened its wide doors to continue and confirm the good it had already effected in the nation and beyond it.
It will be remembered that the destination of the Great Exhibition building occupied much public attention towards the close of 1851, and that a universal regret prevailed at the threatened loss of a structure which had accomplished so much for the improvement of the national taste, and which was evidently capable, under intelligent direction, of effecting so very much more. A special commission even had been appointed for the purpose of reporting on the different useful purposes to which the building could be applied, and upon the cost necessary to carry them out. Further discussion on the subject, however, was rendered unnecessary by the declaration of the Home Secretary, on the 25th of March, 1852, that Government had determined not to interfere in any way with the building, which accordingly remained, according to previous agreement, in the hands of Messrs. Fox and Henderson, the builders and contractors. Notwithstanding the announcement of the Home Secretary, a last public effort towards rescuing the Crystal Palace for its original site in Hyde Park, was made by Mr. Heywood in the House of Commons, on the 29th of April. But Government again declined the responsibility of purchasing the structure, and Mr. Heywood’s motion was, by a large majority, lost.
It was at this juncture that Mr. Leech,[1] a private gentleman, conceived the idea of rescuing the edifice from destruction, and of rebuilding it on some appropriate spot, by the organisation of a private company. On communicating this view to his partner, Mr. Farquhar, he received from him a ready and cordial approval. They then submitted their project to Mr. Francis Fuller, who entering into their views, undertook and arranged, on their joint behalf, a conditional purchase from Messrs. Fox and Henderson, of the Palace as it stood. In the belief that a building, so destined, would, if erected on a metropolitan line of railway, greatly conduce to the interests of the line, and that communication by railway was essential for the conveyance thither of great masses from London, Mr. Farquhar next suggested to Mr. Leo Schuster, a Director of the Brighton Railway, that a site for the new Palace should be selected on the Brighton line. Mr. Schuster, highly approving of the conception, obtained the hearty concurrence of Mr. Laing, the Chairman of the Brighton Board, and of his brother Directors, for aiding as far as possible in the prosecution of the work. And, accordingly, these five gentlemen, and their immediate friends determined forthwith to complete the purchase of the building. On the 24th of May, 1852, the purchase-money was paid, and a few English gentlemen became the owners of the Crystal Palace of 1851. Their names follow:—
Original Purchasers of the Building.
Mr. T. N. Farquhar, | Mr. Joseph Leech, |
Mr. Francis Fuller, | Mr. J. C. Morice, |
Mr. Robert Gill, | Mr. Scott Russell, |
Mr. Harman Grisewood, | Mr. Leo Schuster, |
Mr. Samuel Laing. |
[1] Of the firm of Johnston, Farquhar, and Leech, Solicitors.
It will hardly be supposed that these gentlemen had proceeded thus far without having distinctly considered the final destination of their purchase. They decided that the building—the first wonderful example of a new style of architecture—should rise again greatly enhanced in grandeur and beauty; that it should form a Palace for the multitude, where, at all times, protected from the inclement varieties of our climate, healthful exercise and wholesome recreation should be easily attainable. To raise the enjoyments and amusements of the English people, and especially to afford to the inhabitants of London, in wholesome country air, amidst the beauties of nature, the elevating treasures of art, and the instructive marvels of science, an accessible and inexpensive substitute for the injurious and debasing amusements of a crowded metropolis;—to blend for them instruction with pleasure, to educate them by the eye, to quicken and purify their taste by the habit of recognising the beautiful;—to place them amidst the trees, flowers, and plants of all countries and of all climates, and to attract them to the study of the natural sciences, by displaying their most interesting examples;—and making known all the achievements of modern industry, and the marvels of mechanical manufactures;—such were some of the original intentions of the first promoters of this national undertaking.
Having decided upon their general design, and upon the scale on which it should be executed, the Directors next proceeded to select the officers to whom the carrying out of the work should be entrusted. Sir Joseph Paxton, the inventive architect of the great building in Hyde Park,was requested to accept the office of Director of the Winter Garden, Park, and Conservatory, an office of which the duties became subsequently much more onerous and extensive than the title implies. Mr. Owen Jones and Mr. Digby Wyatt, who had distinguished themselves by their labours in the old Crystal Palace, accepted the duties of Directors of the Fine Art Department, and of the decorations of the new structure. Mr. Charles Wild, the engineer of the old building, filled the same office in the new one. Mr. Grove, the secretary of the Society of Arts, the parent institution of the Exhibition of 1851, was appointed Secretary. Mr. Samuel Phillips was made Director of the Literary Department. Mr. Francis Fuller, a member of the Hyde Park Executive Committee, accepted the duties of Managing Director, Mr. Samuel Laing, M.P., the chairman of the Brighton Railway Company, became Chairman also of the New Crystal Palace, and Messrs. Fox and Henderson undertook the re-erection of the building.
With these arrangements, a Company was formed, under the name of the Crystal Palace Company, and a prospectus issued, announcing the proposed capital of £500,000, in one hundred thousand shares of £5 each. The following gentlemen constituted the Board of Directors:—
Samuel Laing, Esq., M.P., Chairman. | |
Arthur Anderson, Esq. | Charles Geach, Esq., M.P. |
E. S. P. Calvert, Esq. | Charles Lushington, Esq. |
T. N. Farquhar, Esq. | J. Scott Russell, Esq., F.R.S. |
Francis Fuller, Esq., Managing Director. |
The present Board is constituted as follows:—
T. N. Farquhar, Esq., Chairman. | |
Arthur Anderson, Esq. | James Low, Esq. |
Samuel Beale, Esq., M.P. | David Ogilvy, Esq. |
Henry Sanford Bicknell, Esq. | David Price, Esq. |
George England, Esq. | Henry Danby Seymour, Esq., M.P. |
Charles Horsley, Esq. | Captain Edward Walter. |
A. C. Ionides, Esq. | |
Mr. P. K. Bowley is the present General Manager. |
It will ever be mentioned to the credit of the English people, that within a fortnight after the issue of the Company’s prospectus the shares were taken up to an extent that gave the Directors ample encouragement to proceed vigorously with their novel and gigantic undertaking.
In the prospectus it was proposed to transfer the building to Sydenham, in Kent, and the site chosen was an irregular parallelogram of three hundred acres,[2] extending from the Brighton Railway to the road which forms the boundary of the Dulwich Wood at the top of the hill, the fall from which to the railway is two hundred feet. It was at once felt that the summit of this hill was the only position, in all the ground, for the great glass building: a position which, on the one side, commands a beautiful view of the fine counties of Surrey and Kent, and on the other a prospect of the great metropolis. This site was chosen, and we doubt whether a finer is to be found so close to London, and so easy of access by means of railway. To facilitate the conveyance of passengers, the Brighton Railway Company—under special and mutually advantageous arrangements—undertook to lay down a new line of rails between London and Sydenham, to construct a branch from the Sydenham station to the Crystal Palace garden, and to build a number of engines sufficiently powerful to draw heavy trains up the steep incline to the Palace.
[2] A portion of this land, not required for the purposes of the Palace, has been disposed of.
And now the plans were put into practical and working shape. The building was to gain in strength and artistic effect, whilst the contents of the mighty structure were to be most varied. Art was to be worthily represented by Architecture and Sculpture. Architectural restorations were to be made, and Architectural specimens from the most remarkable edifices throughout the world, to be collected, in order to present a grand architectural sequence from the earliest dawn of the art down to the latest times. Casts of the most celebrated works of Sculpture were to be procured: so that within the glass walls might be seen a vast historical gallery of this branch of art, from the time of the ancient Egyptians to our own era. Nature, also, was to put forth her beauty throughout the Palace and Grounds. A magnificent collection of plants of every land was to adorn the glass structure within, whilst in the gardens the fountains of Versailles were to be outrivalled, and Englishmen at length enabled to witness the water displays which for years had proved a source of pleasure and recreation to foreigners in their own countries. Nor was this all. All those sciences, an acquaintance with which is attainable through the medium of the eye, were allotted their specific place, and Geology, Ethnology, and Zoology were taken as best susceptible of illustration; Professor Edward Forbes, Dr. Latham, Professor Ansted, Mr. Waterhouse, Mr. Gould, and other gentlemen well known in the scientific world, undertaking to secure the material basis upon which the intellectual service was to be grounded. To prevent the monotony that attaches to a mere museum arrangement, in which glass cases are ordinarily the most prominent features, the whole of the collected objects, whether of science, art, or nature, were to be arranged in picturesque groupings, and harmony was to reign throughout. To give weight to their proceedings, and to secure lasting advantage to the public, a charter was granted by Lord Derby’s Government on the 28th of January, 1853, binding the Directors and their successors to preserve the high moral and social tone which, from the outset, they had assumed for their National Institution.
The building paid for, the officers retained, the plans put on paper—Messrs. Fox and Henderson received instructions to convey the Palace to its destined home at Sydenham, and the work of removal now commenced. The first column of the new structure was raised by Mr. Laing, M.P., the Chairman of the Company, on the 5th August, 1852; the works were at once proceeded with, and the most active and strenuous efforts thenceforth made towards the completion of the undertaking. Shortly after the erection of the first column, Messrs. Owen Jones and Digby Wyatt were charged with a mission to the Continent, in order to procure examples of the principal works of art in Europe. They were fortified by Lord Malmesbury, then Secretary of State, with letters to the several ambassadors on their route, expressing the sympathy of the Government in the object of their travels, and backed by the liberal purse of the Company, who required, for themselves, only that the collection should prove worthy of the nation for which they were caterers.
The travellers first of all visited Paris, and received the most cordial co-operation of the Government, and of the authorities at the Museum of the Louvre, and the Ecole des Beaux Arts. The permission to obtain casts of any objects which could with safety be taken was at once accorded them. From Paris they proceeded to Italy, and thence to Germany, in both which countries they experienced, generally, a ready and generous compliance with their wishes. At Munich they received especial attention, and were most kindly assisted by the British Ambassador, and the architect Baron von Klenze, through whose instrumentality and influence King Louis permitted casts of the most choice objects in the Glyptothek for the first time to be taken.
The chief exceptions to the general courtesy were at Rome, Padua, and Vienna. At the first-named city every arrangement had been made for procuring casts of the great Obelisk of the Lateran, the celebrated antique equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius on the Capitol, the beautiful monuments by Andrea Sansovino in the Church of S. M. del Popolo, the interesting bas-reliefs from the Arch of Titus, and other works, when an order from the Papal Government forbade the copies to be taken: and, accordingly, for the present, our collection, as regards these valuable subjects, is incomplete.
At Padua contracts had been made for procuring that masterpiece of Renaissance art, the candelabrum of Riccio, the entire series of bronzes by Donatello, and several other important works in the Church of St. Anthony; but, in spite of numerous appeals, aided by the influence of Cardinal Wiseman, the capitular authorities refused their consent.
At Vienna agreements had been entered into for procuring a most important series of monuments from the Church of St Stephen, in that city; including the celebrated stone pulpit, and the monument of Frederic III. A contract had also been made for obtaining a cast of the grand bronze statue of Victory, at Brescia; but although the influence of Lord Malmesbury and Lord Westmoreland (our ambassador at Vienna) was most actively exerted, permission was absolutely refused by the Austrian authorities in Lombardy, as well as in Vienna itself. Thus much it is necessary to state in order to justify the Directors of the Crystal Palace in the eyes of the world for omissions in their collection which hitherto they have not had power to make good. They are not without hope, however, that the mere announcement of these deficiencies will be sufficient to induce the several Governments to take a kindly view of the requests that have been made to them, and to participate in the satisfaction that follows every endeavour to advance human enjoyment.
In England, wherever application has been made, permission—with one exception—has been immediately granted by the authorities, whether ecclesiastical or civil, to take casts of any monuments required. The one interesting exception deserves a special record. The churchwardens of Beverley Minster, Yorkshire, enjoy the privilege of being able to refuse a cast of the celebrated Percy Shrine, the most complete example of purely English art in our country; and in spite of the protestations of the Archbishop of York, the Duke of Northumberland, Archdeacon Wilberforce, Sir Charles Barry and others, half the churchwardens in question insist, to this hour, upon their right to have their enjoyment without molestation. The visitors to the Crystal Palace cannot therefore, as yet, see the Percy Shrine.
Whilst Messrs. Jones and Wyatt were busy abroad, the authorities were no less occupied at home. Sir Joseph Paxton commenced operations by securing for the Company the extensive and celebrated collection of palms and other plants, brought together with the labour of a century, by Messrs. Loddiges, of Hackney. The valuable assistance of Mr. Fergusson and Mr. Layard, M.P., was obtained for the erection of a Court to illustrate the architecture of the long-buried buildings of Assyria; and a large space in the Gardens was devoted to illustrating the Geology of the antediluvian period, and exhibiting specimens of the gigantic animals living before the flood.
As soon as the glass structure was sufficiently advanced, the valuable productions of art which Messrs. Jones and Wyatt had acquired abroad rapidly arrived, and being received into the building, the erection of the Fine Art Courts commenced. To carry out these works, artisans of almost every continental nation, together with workmen of our own country, were employed; and it is worthy of note, that although, but a few years before, many of the nations to which these men belonged were engaged in deadly warfare against each other, and some of them opposed to our own country, yet, in the Crystal Palace, these workmen laboured for months, side by side, with the utmost good feeling, and without the least display of national jealousy.
To the whole of these workmen, foreigners and English, engaged in the Crystal Palace, the Directors are anxious to express their obligations and sincere acknowledgments. They recognise the value of their labours, and are fully aware that, if to the minds of a Few the public are indebted for the conception of the grand Idea now happily realised, to the Many we owe its practical existence. Throughout the long and arduous toil, they exhibited—allowance being made for some slight and perhaps unavoidable differences—an amount of zeal, steadiness, and intelligence which does honour to them, and to the several nations which they represent. To all—their due! If the creations of the mind stand paramount in our estimation, let appropriate honour be rendered to the skill of hand and eye, which alone can give vitality and form to our noblest conceptions. Of the advantages attendant on the erection of the Crystal Palace, even before the public were admitted to view its contents, none was more striking than the education it afforded to those who took part in its production. For the first time in England, hundreds of men received practical instruction—in a national Fine Art School—from which society must derive a lasting benefit. It is not too much to hope that each man will act as a missionary of art and ornamental industry, in whatever quarter his improved faculties may hereafter be required.
At one time during the progress of the works as many as 6,400 men were engaged in carrying out the designs of the Directors. Besides the labours already mentioned, Mr. B. Waterhouse Hawkins, in due time, took possession of a building in the grounds, and was soon busily employed, under the eye of Professor Owen, in the reproduction of those animal creations of a past age, our acquaintance with which has hitherto been confined to fossil remains. Dr. Latham was engaged in designing and giving instructions for the modelling of figures to illustrate the Ethnological department, whilst Mr. Waterhouse and Mr. Gould, aided by Mr. Thomson, as superintendent, and Mr. Bartlett, as taxidermist, were collecting and grouping valuable specimens of birds and animals to represent the science of Zoology. Towards the exhibition of the articles of industry, six architects were commissioned to erect special courts for the reception of the principal manufactures, and agents were employed in various parts of England to receive the applications of intending exhibitors.
Such are a few of the operations that for the first few months went forward in, and in respect of, the Crystal Palace; and, excepting by those whose business it was to watch the progress of the works, no adequate idea can be formed of the busy activity that prevailed within the building and without, or of the marvellous manner in which the various parts of the structure seemed to grow under the hands of the workmen, until it assumed the exquisite proportions which it now possesses. It remains to state that, whereas the parent edifice in Hyde Park rose under the eye and direction of Sir Charles Fox, the present building was constructed under the superintendence of Sir Charles’s partner, the late Mr. Henderson, aided throughout his long and arduous labours by Mr. Cochrane, his intelligent and indefatigable assistant. Mr. William Earee has been the Company’s Clerk of the Works from the raising of the first column, and still occupies that position.
Her Majesty and his Royal Highness the Prince Consort have been, from the first, graciously pleased to express their warmest sympathy with the undertaking, and visited the Palace several times during the progress of the works. In honouring the inauguration of the Palace with her royal presence, her Majesty gave the best proof of the interest she takes in an institution which—like the great structure originated by her Royal Consort—has for its chief object the advancement of civilisation and the welfare of her subjects.[3]
[3] The Queen’s apartments in the Crystal Palace, destined for the reception of her Majesty and his Royal Highness the Prince Consort, when they honour the Exhibition with their presence, have been erected by Messrs. J. G. Crace and Co., in the Italian style. This beautiful suite of apartments, which are placed at the north end of the building, consists of a large entrance vestibule with architectural ornaments, and painted arabesque decorations. A long corridor leads from the vestibule to the several apartments, and is formed into an arched passage by means of circular-headed doorways, before which hang portières, or curtains. To the right of the entrance are two rooms, one appropriated to the ladies-in-waiting, and the other to the equerries; the walls of both being divided into panels, and decorated in the Italian style. On the left are the apartments for the use of her Majesty and the Prince Consort, consisting of a drawing-room and two retiring rooms. The walls of the drawing-room are divided by pilasters, the panels covered with green silk. The cove of the ceiling is decorated with arabesque ornaments.
In taking the structure of the Great Exhibition of 1851—that type of a class of architecture which may fairly be called “Modern English”[4]