PART I.

PRELIMINARY AND INTRODUCTION.

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_.

ADVERTISEMENT.

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.

PREFACE TO ORIGINAL EDITION.

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.

CONVEYANCE BY ROAD AND RAIL.

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.

~Crystal Palace Company.~

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS.

SEASON TICKETS.

FIRST CLASS.

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.

SECOND CLASS.

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.

RATES OF ADMISSION, RAILWAY ARRANGEMENTS, ETC.

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

GRAND MILITARY MUSICAL FÊTE.

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.

FLOWER SHOWS.

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.

OPERA CONCERTS.

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. „ May 25th. „ June 15th. Wednesday, July 6th. „ „ 13th. „ „ 20th.

SATURDAY PROMENADES AND SECOND SERIES OF CONCERTS.

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 MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENTS.

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.

THE SATURDAY WINTER CONCERT

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.

OPEN AIR MUSIC.

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.

LECTURES.

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 GREAT HANDEL FESTIVAL.

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.

PARK, GROUNDS, AND OUT-DOOR AMUSEMENTS.

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.

CRYSTAL PALACE ART-UNION.

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.

EXCURSIONS.

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.

* * * * *

BATH CHAIRS.

Wheel-chairs for invalids and others, may be hired in the building on the following terms:--

Within the Palace, with Assistants 1_s._ 6_d._ per hour. In the Grounds „ 2_s._ 6_d._ „ Without Assistants, 6_d._ less. Perambulators 0_s._ 6_d._ „ Double Perambulators 1_s._ 0_d._ „

Lifting Chairs for carrying Invalids up the stairs from the Railway Station, or to the Galleries, 1_s._

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 REFRESHMENT DEPARTMENT.

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.

THE SALOON 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 3_d._ each person.

THE DINING ROOM 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 2_d._ each person.

SOUTH WING DINING ROOM. 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.

THE TERRACE DINING ROOM 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 1_d._ each person.

THE THIRD CLASS ROOMS 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 „ „ 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

GENERAL TARIFF.

_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.

INDEX

TO THE PRINCIPAL OBJECTS OF INTEREST IN THE CRYSTAL PALACE, ITS GARDENS AND PARK, AT SYDENHAM,

_As described or named in the General Guide-Book_.

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 „ 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 „ Mosaic Ornament, 52 „ 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 „ „ 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 „ 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 „ 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 „ Frieze, 26 „ 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 „ The Prior’s Door, 53 Engineering and Architectural models, 139 Entrance, The, 21 Extinct Animals, The, 163

F. Fancy Manufactures, 103 Farnese Hercules, 111 „ 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 „ The Bronze, 114 „ The Crystal, 21 „ From Heisterbach, 53 „ of Renaissance period, 70 „ The Tartarughe, 77 Francis I., Equestrian Statue, 107 Franconia, Colossal Statue, 109 Frescos, Indian, 140

G. Galleries, The, 133 Gardens, The, 150 „ The Italian Flower, 150 „ 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 „ 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 „ 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 „ „ 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 „ „ 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 „ „ The German, 56 „ „ The French and Italian, 67 Megalosaurus, The, 164 Megatherium, The, 165 Mexicans, 94, 99 Michael Angelo, Statues by, 77, 78 „ „ The Medici Tombs, 78 Monuments of art, Court of, 81 „ 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 „ Concert, 112

P. Palæotherium, The, 164 Pantheon at Rome, The, 37 Papuans, The, 92 Park and Gardens, The, 147 Parthenon, Large Model of, 33 „ 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 „ „ 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 „ Jonah and the Whale, 78 „ 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 „ 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 „ „ Black Norman Font from, 55 Worcester Cathedral, Prince Arthur’s Door from, 61

INTRODUCTION.

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. FRANCIS FULLER, MR. ROBERT GILL, MR. HARMAN GRISEWOOD, MR. JOSEPH LEECH, MR. J. C. MORICE, MR. SCOTT RUSSELL, 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. E. S. P. CALVERT, Esq. T. N. FARQUHAR, Esq. CHARLES GEACH, Esq., M.P. CHARLES LUSHINGTON, 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. SAMUEL BEALE, Esq., M.P. HENRY SANFORD BICKNELL, Esq. GEORGE ENGLAND, Esq. CHARLES HORSLEY, Esq. A. C. IONIDES, Esq. JAMES LOW, Esq. DAVID OGILVY, Esq. DAVID PRICE, Esq. HENRY DANBY SEYMOUR, Esq., M.P. CAPTAIN EDWARD WALTER. 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.

ACCOUNT OF THE BUILDING.

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]--as the model for the new building at Sydenham, the projectors found it necessary to make such modifications and improvements as were suggested by the difference between a temporary receiving-house for the world’s industrial wealth, and a permanent Palace of Art and Education, intended for the use of mankind long after its original founders should have passed away. Not only, however, have increased strength and durability been considered, but beauty and artistic effect have come in for a due share of attention. The difference of general aspect between the present Palace and its predecessor is visible at a glance. In the parent edifice, the external appearance, although grand, was monotonous; the long flat roof was broken by only one transept, and the want of an elevation proportionate to the great length of the building was certainly displeasing. In the Sydenham Palace, an arched roof covers the nave--raising it forty-four feet higher than the nave in Hyde Park--and three transepts are introduced into the structure instead of one, the central transept towering into the air, and forming a hall to the Palace of surpassing brilliancy and lightness. A further improvement is the formation of recesses, twenty-four feet deep, in the garden fronts of all the transepts. These throw fine shadows, and take away from the continuous surface of plain glass walls: whilst the whole general arrangement of the exterior--the roofs of the side aisles rising step-like to the circular roof of the nave,--the interposition of low square towers at the junction of the nave and transepts,--the open galleries towards the garden front, the long wings stretching forth on either side--produce a play of light and shade, and break the building into parts, which, without in any way detracting from the grandeur and simplicity of the whole construction, or causing the parts themselves to appear mean or small, present a variety of surface that charms and fully satisfies the eye.

[4] We do not know any name more suitable to express the character of this iron and glass building than that which we have chosen. In Gothic architecture we have named one style “Early English,” and we think we may with equal propriety confer the title of “Modern English” upon the new order, which is essentially the creation of the nineteenth century, and which served to house one of the greatest national displays that England ever attempted--THE GREAT EXHIBITION OF 1851. The erection of the building both of 1851 and of 1854, it may be well to remark, is mainly due to the rapid advances made in this country in the manufactures of glass and iron, substances which with only moderate attention will defy the effects of time. The present structure is capable of enduring longer than the oldest marble or stone architectural monuments of antiquity. The iron, which forms its skeleton or framework, becomes, when painted, the most indestructible of materials, and the entire covering of glass may be renewed again and again without in any way interfering with the construction which it covers.

Unity in architecture is one of the most requisite and agreeable of its qualities: and certainly no building possesses it in a greater degree than the Crystal Palace. Its design is most simple: one portion corresponds with another; there is no introduction of needless ornament: a simplicity of treatment reigns throughout. Nor is this unity confined to the building. It characterises the contents of the glass structure, and prevails in the grounds. All the component parts of the Exhibition blend, yet all are distinct: and the effect of the admirable and harmonious arrangement is, that all confusion in the vast establishment, within and without, is avoided. “The mighty maze” has not only its plan, but a plan of the most lucid and instructive kind, and the visitor is enabled to examine every court, whether artistic or industrial; every object, whether of nature or of art, in regular order; so that, as in a well-arranged book, he may proceed from subject to subject at his discretion, and derive useful information without the trouble and vexation of working his way through a labyrinth.

All the materials employed in the Exhibition of 1851, with the exception of the glass on the whole roof, and the framing of the transept-roof, have been used in the construction of the Crystal Palace. The general principle of construction, therefore, is identical in the two buildings. The modifications that have taken place, and the reasons that have led to them, have already been stated. Two difficulties, however, which were unknown in Hyde Park, had to be provided against at Sydenham: viz., the loose nature of the soil, and the sloping character of the ground. Means were taken to overcome these difficulties at the very outset of the work. The disadvantage of soil was repaired by the introduction of masses of concrete and brickwork under each column, in order to secure breadth of base and stability of structure. The slanting ground was seized by Sir Joseph Paxton with his usual sagacity, in order to be converted from an obstacle into a positive advantage. The ground ran rapidly down towards the garden, and Sir Joseph accordingly constructed a lower or basement story towards the garden front, by means of which not only increased space was gained, but a higher elevation secured to the whole building, and the noblest possible view. The lower story is sufficiently large to serve as a department for the exhibition of Machinery in Motion, and a very interesting exhibition of Agricultural Implements, which important branches of science and human industry will thus be contemplated apart from other objects. Behind this space, towards the interior of the building, is a capacious horizontal brick shaft, twenty-four feet wide, extending the whole length of the building, and denominated “Sir Joseph Paxton’s Tunnel” (A). Leading out of this tunnel are the furnaces and boilers connected with the heating apparatus, together with brick recesses for the stowage of coke. The tunnel itself is connected with the railway, and is used as a roadway for bringing into, and taking from, the Palace all objects of art and of industry; an arrangement that leaves the main floor of the building independent of all such operations. Behind the tunnel, and towards the west, the declivity of the ground is met by means of brick piers of the heights necessary to raise the foundation pieces of the columns to the level at which they rest on the summit of the hill.

The building consists, above the basement floor, of a grand central nave, two side aisles, two main galleries, three transepts, and two wings. It will be remembered, that in Hyde Park an imposing effect was secured by the mere repetition of a column and a girder, which, although striking and simple, was certainly monotonous; and, moreover, in consequence of the great length of the building, the columns and girders succeeded one another so rapidly that the eye had no means of measuring the actual length. At Sydenham, pairs of columns and girders are advanced eight feet into the nave at every seventy-two feet, thus breaking the uniform straight line, and enabling the eye to measure and appreciate the distance.

The building above the level of the floor is entirely of iron and glass, with the exception of a portion at the west front, which is panelled with wood. The whole length of the main building is 1,608 feet, and the wings 574 feet each, making a length of 2,756 feet, which with the 720 feet in the colonnade, leading from the railway station to the wings, gives a total length of 3,476 feet; or nearly three-quarters of a mile of ground covered with a transparent roof of glass.

Visitors are fond of reverting to the old building in Hyde Park, and of comparing it with the present structure; in order to help the comparison, we furnish, side by side, the exact measurements of the two buildings; from which it will be seen that either building exceeds the other, in some of its proportions.

CRYSTAL PALACE AT SYDENHAM. EXHIBITION BUILDING IN HYDE PARK. ft. in. ft. in. Length 1,608 0 Length 1,848 0 Greatest width 384 0 Greatest width 456 0 General width 312 0 General width 408 0 Area, including wings 603,072 0 Area 798,912 0 Height of nave from Height of nave from ground-floor 110 3 ground-floor 64 0 Height of central transept Height of transept from from ground-floor 174 3 ground-floor 102 2 Height of central transept from basement 197 10 Area of galleries 261,568 0 Area of galleries 233,856 0

Though not exactly in the direction of the cardinal points, the two ends of the building are generally called north and south, and the two fronts east and west.

The floor consists of boarding one inch and a half thick, laid as in the old building, with half-inch openings between them, and resting on joists, placed two feet apart, seven inches by two and a half inches thick. These joists are carried on sleepers and props eight feet apart. The girders which support the galleries and the roof-work, and carry the brick arches over the basement-floor, are of cast-iron, and are 24 feet in length. The connections between the girders and columns are applied in the same manner as in the building of 1851. The principle of connection was originally condemned by some men of standing in the scientific world; but experience has proved it to be sound and admirable in every respect. The mode of connection is not merely that of resting the girders on the columns in order to support the roofs and galleries, but the top and bottom of each girder are firmly secured to each of the columns, so that the girder preserves the perpendicularity of the column, and secures lateral stiffness to the entire edifice. Throughout the building the visitor will notice, at certain intervals, diagonally placed, rods connected at the crossing, and uniting column with column. These are the diagonal bracings, or the rods provided to resist the action of the wind: they are strong enough to resist any strain that can be brought to bear against them, and are fitted with screwed connections and couplings, so that they can be adjusted with the greatest accuracy. The roof, from end to end, is on the Paxton ridge-and-furrow system, and the glass employed in the roof is ¹⁄₁₃ of an inch in thickness (21 oz. per foot). The discharge of the rain-water is effected by gutters, from which the water is conveyed down the inside of the columns, at the base of which are the necessary outlets leading to the main drains of the building. The first gallery is gained from the ground-floor by means of flights of stairs about 23 feet high; eight such flights being distributed over the building. This gallery is 24 feet wide, and devoted to the exhibition of articles of industry. The upper gallery is 8 feet wide, extending, like the other, round the building; it is gained from the lower gallery, by spiral staircases, of which there are eight. The greater number of these staircases are divided into two flights, each flight being 20 feet high; but in the centre transept the two staircases contain four flights of the same altitude. Round this upper gallery, at the very summit of the nave and transepts, as well as round the ground-floor of the building, are placed louvres, or ventilators, made of galvanised iron. By the opening or closing of these louvres--a service readily performed--the temperature of the Crystal Palace is so regulated that on the hottest day of summer, the dry parching heat mounts to the roof to be dismissed, whilst a pure and invigorating supply is introduced at the floor in its place, giving new life to the thirsty plant and fresh vigour to man. The coolness thus obtained within the Palace will be sought in vain on such a summer’s day outside the edifice.

The total length of columns employed in the construction of the main buildings and wings would extend, if laid in a straight line, to a distance of sixteen miles and a quarter. The total weight of iron used in the main building and wings amounts to 9,641 tons, 17 cwt., 1 quarter. The superficial quantity of glass used is 25 acres; and weighs 500 tons; if the panes were laid side by side, they would extend to a distance of 48 miles; if end to end, to the almost incredible length of 242 miles. To complete our statistics, we have further to add that the quantity of bolts and rivets distributed over the main structure and wings weighs 175 tons, 1 cwt., 1 quarter; that the nails hammered into the Palace increase its weight by 103 tons, 6 cwt., and that the amount of brick-work in the main building and wings is 15,391 cubic yards.

From the end of the south wing to the Crystal Palace Railway station, as above indicated, is a colonnade 720 feet long, 17 feet wide, and 18 feet high. It possesses a superficial area of 15,500 feet, and the quantity of iron employed in this covered passage is 60 tons; of glass 30,000 superficial feet.

But vast as are the proportions of the Crystal Palace, novel and scientific as is the principle of construction, we are in some degree prepared for this magnificent result of intellect and industry by the Great Exhibition of 1851. One arrangement, however, in the present structure admits of no comparison; for, in point of extent, it leaves all former efforts in the same direction far behind, and stands by itself unrivalled. We refer to the process of warming the atmosphere in the enormous Glass Palace to the mild and genial heat of Madeira, throughout our cold and damp English winter.

The employment of hot water as a medium for heating apartments seems to have been first hinted at in the year 1594, by Sir Hugh Platt, who, in a work entitled “The Jewel House of Art and Nature,” published in that year, suggests the use of hot water as a safe means of drying gunpowder, and likewise recommends it for heating a plant-house. In 1716, Sir Martin Triewald, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, proposed a scheme for heating a green-house by hot water; and a Frenchman, M. Bonnemain, a short time afterwards invented an apparatus for hatching chickens by the same means. In the early part of this century Sir Martin Triewald’s plan of heating was applied to conservatories, at St. Petersburgh; and a few years later, Bonnemain’s arrangement was introduced into England, where it has undergone several improvements, and occupied the attention of scientific men. The application of hot water to the heating of churches, public libraries, and other buildings, has been attended with considerable success, and it is now looked upon as the safest, as well as one of the most effectual artificial methods of heating.

The simple plan of heating by hot water is that which Sir Joseph Paxton has adopted for the Crystal Palace. But simple as the method undoubtedly is, its adaptation to the purposes of the Palace has cost infinite labour and anxious consideration: for hitherto it has remained an unsolved problem how far, and in what quantity, water could be made to travel through pipes--flowing and returning by means of the propulsion of heat from the boilers. At Chatsworth, the seat of the Duke of Devonshire, the principle has been carried out on a large scale, and the experiment there tried has yielded data and proof: but in the present building, a greater extent of piping has been attached to the boilers than was ever before known, or even contemplated. In order to give the visitor some idea of the magnitude of the operation in question, it will be sufficient to state that the pipes for the conveyance of the hot water, laid under the floor of the main building, and around the wings, would, if placed in a straight line, and taken at an average circumference of 12 inches, stretch to a distance of more than 50 miles, and that the water in flowing from and returning to the boilers, travels one mile and three-quarters. But even with these extraordinary results obtained, the question as to the distance to which water can be propelled by means of heat is far from being definitely settled. Indeed, Sir Joseph Paxton and Mr. Henderson invented an ingenious contrivance, by means of which, should it ever be required, a much larger heating surface may be called forth at any time in any particular portion of the building.

The general arrangement of the Heating Apparatus may be described as follows:--Nearly twenty-four feet below the surface of the flooring of the main building, and leading out of “Sir Joseph Paxton’s Tunnel” (the name given to the roadway in the basement story, extending the whole length of the building on the side nearest the Gardens), are placed, at certain intervals, boiler-houses, each containing two boilers capable of holding 11,000 gallons of water. The boilers are twenty-two in number, and are set in pairs. In addition to these, a boiler is placed at the north end of the building, on account of the increased heat there required for the tropical plants. There are also two boilers set in the lower stories of each wing, and two small boilers are appropriated to the water in the fountain basins at each end of the building, which contain Victoria Regias and other aquatic plants of tropical climes. Four pipes are immediately connected with each boiler; two of such pipes convey the water from the boiler, and the other two bring it back; they are called the main pipes, and are nine inches in diameter.

Of the two pipes that convey the water from the boiler, one crosses the building transversely--from the garden-front to the opposite side. Connected with this pipe, at certain distances, and in allotted numbers, are smaller pipes, five inches in diameter, laid horizontally, and immediately beneath the flooring of the building. These convey the water from the main pipe to certain required distances, and then bring it back to the _return_ main pipe, through which it flows into the boiler. The second main pipe conveys the water for heating the front of the building next to the Garden; and connected with this, as with the other main pipe, are smaller pipes through which the water ramifies, and then, in like manner, is returned to the boiler. Thus, then, by the mere propulsion of heat, a vast quantity of water is kept in constant motion throughout the Palace, continually flowing and returning, and giving out warmth that makes its way upwards, and disseminates a genial atmosphere in every part.

To ensure pure circulation throughout the winter, ventilators have been introduced direct from the main building into each furnace, where the air, so brought, being consumed by the fire, the atmosphere in the Palace is continually renewed.