This weekend however my attention was caught by 'Next Neighbourhood - Crystal Palace, London.' The author, Mr. Jim Pickard, failed to mention the importance of that name to tens of thousands of 'RND' men in 1914-1918, but then it appears that history is not his strong point; he informs that
"In 1951(sic) it hosted the Great Exhibition and became a symbol of imperial optimism." Ah well; what's a hundred years here and there?
What really saddened me was reading his description of the current state of the place. Surely someone, presumably the local authority, could tidy it up and provide an attractive leisure area for the public whom they represent. If the surrounding area is going to become the next big thing in the London property market, then an attractive open space and gardens will be a major selling point.
Here is part of what Pickard said
'Paxton's gardens and fountains still survive but in a state of utmost dilapidation. A walk through the area on a Baltic-cold January morning means negotiating areas of broken glass. Two statues of sphinxes remain, bizarrely out of place beside a series of terraces..................................................................... (quoting) a recent letter to a local campaign; "I did visit the park with my daughters at Easter and was devastated to see the state it is in...It bore closer resemblance to a rubbish tip than the park...."
One of the sphinxes & the RND
picture from 'With the Royal Naval Division on board HMS Crystal Palace & Elsewhere' Souvenir N.2, published by W. H. Smith & Son (Arden Press). Paxton's 'Crystal Palace' itself is seen in the background – it burned down in a 1936 fire.
It is to be hoped that the current state of neglect is not the calm before a storm of concrete and tarmac cover the place. I see from http://www.crystalpalacefoundation.org.uk/...fault.asp?ID=15 that Bromley and others have already been trying (and failing) for twenty-odd years to 'improve' the site.