POTW 25 October 2020 - Monster

[Mike Farley]

Crystal Palace Park was designed as a pleasure garden for the glass structure used for the 1851 Great Exhibition when it was relocated from Hyde Park. Even though the building burnt down in 1936 in a spectacular blaze, the area still retains the Crystal Palace name.

I grew up nearby and became familiar with the full size sculptures of prehistoric animals, mainly dinosaurs, which are a well known feature of the park. Although I occasionally took my own children there, I have not visited for some years until I took part in a recent photo walk organised by the RPS London Region. Sadly, the models have not fared well with the ravages of time and are in a state of disrepair but I still enjoyed seeing them again.

Incidentally, with free parking and plenty of options for shots, its close location makes the park a good venue for an outing when we are allowed to roam away from our homes again.