Crystal Palace Museum - a tiny, poor, located far from the center. But there is evidence of creative genius kept Victorian England, who brought one of the wonders of the XIX century.

History of Crystal Palace is fantastic. For the World Exhibition in 1851, Britain decided to build an unprecedented exhibition hall, the evidence of technological leadership of the country. It was spring of 1850, before the opening of the exhibition remained year. Were submitted 245 projects, but none of them was suitable.

The actual proposal was received by Joseph Paxton - a peasant's son, who worked fifteen years as a gardener. Taking care of the gardens of the Duke of Devonshire, Paxton drew attention to the strength of leaves huge Victoria Regia water lilies - that, as he wrote, "a feat of natural engineering." The structure of the leaf lilies gave him the idea of ​​the use of modular structures for the construction of the huge greenhouses. June 11, 1851 for a friendly dinner Paxton sketched the concept of Crystal Palace (in fact, a huge greenhouses) on a piece of pink blotting paper. It is for this project and the palace was built. Now sketch kept in Victoria and Albert Museum.

The building is 563 meters long and 139 meters wide was erected in just five months. Under the high glass roof planted these elms. In the palace easily accommodate 14 thousand exhibits from around the world. The vast space obzhili cheeky sparrows, and when Queen Victoria asked the prime minister of Wellington, what to do with them, he advised to have a sparrow hawk. Gardener Paxton in recognition received a knighthood.

After the exhibition, the Palace moved from Hyde Park to Saydenhemskie hills - where now a museum. The famous Brunel has created here a new system of magnificent fountains. There were exhibitions, festivals. But on the night of November 30, 1936 the building caught fire. Simmer half of its fire engines came together in London, but it was all in vain. Director Henry Buckland Palace, stroll the night nearby dog ​​crying, looking like a matter of life perishes. Together with him the fire was observed 100 thousand Londoners. Among them was Winston Churchill who said, "This is the end of the age."

From the grand palace was only a water tower. In 1941, the British blew it, and she was a good guide for Nazi bombers. At the site of the greatest century buildings now lay in ruins.

In 1990, the American oilman Barry McKay threw a career and set about organizing a museum dedicated to the Crystal Palace. The success of the case, few believed. However, the museum has existed for over two decades. In it - photographs, drawings, models of the palace.

The park surrounding the museum is a huge terrace, formerly forms part of the palace. With her fabulous views over the expanse of Kent. On the terrace are two oblezshih sphinx copies Louvre, and in the place where was the palace, looking monument to Joseph Paxton. Around the lake towering dinosaurs huge figures supplied here still in 1854. The whole park Crystal Palace - both lying next to modern London dinosaur skeleton, once amaze the world with majesty and power.