twin towers

The History of Sydenham from Cippenham to present day. Links to photos especially welcome!
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MartinH
Posts: 149
Joined: 10 Sep 2007 10:17
Location: Sydenham SE26

twin towers

Post by MartinH »

I have been following, with great interest, the liason between falcor and tulse hill terry for the last couple of weeks. The interior photos of the statues have been marvellous especially when backed up with information of their where abouts today. I wonder if anyone on the site would mind coming up with some photos of the towers. let's not forget that at the time these were two of the tallest structures in the world. I would love to see some interior shots and also some of the entrances and staircases. I have had an interest in the CP for the last forty years and have collected various postcards and memorabilia which I will eventually post on this brilliant website. Thanks
Falkor
Posts: 1371
Joined: 10 Feb 2006 17:45
Location: Surrey Quays

Post by Falkor »

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this photo came out poor quality :cry:
I don't exactly have any photos of the interior... Also, check out this photo from Steve Grindlay:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevegrindlay/324903708/
I have had an interest in the CP for the last forty years and have collected various postcards and memorabilia which I will eventually post on this brilliant website.
Looking forward to it; I hope you can post some scans from your collection soon!
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MartinH
Posts: 149
Joined: 10 Sep 2007 10:17
Location: Sydenham SE26

twin towers

Post by MartinH »

Thanks falkor, I knew it would'nt take you long to reply. When I was doing some research on the CP in the mid seventies I used to go to a tempory library in Betts park. They had a terrific amount of photos on the CP which were in some old filing cabinets. I believe it was when the old Anerley library had been demolished. Might be worth contacting Bromley library to find out ! Thanks again
Falkor
Posts: 1371
Joined: 10 Feb 2006 17:45
Location: Surrey Quays

Post by Falkor »

I've visited most local libraries/archives, but I was a little disappointed to tell you the truth. You won't find anything close, content-wise, to what Terry has posted in his 4+ page topic. What Terry has done is like a country first. As far as the CP is concerned there's very limited information/pics that can be found in the library. You mention Bromley Library; I'm pretty certain they have 0 views of the Industrial Courts in the south nave, except for maybe the Sheffield Court. The Jan Piggott book was the first to give a true taste of them, featuring about 3, along with an interior shot of one of the water towers. You should pick up a copy ASAP, even though I have some issues with it myself; basically, it should be used in conjunction with anything else you can find on the palace, including the Ian Leigh book. Even then it's only possible to gain a brief overview. The Crystal Palace Museum has 4/7 Industrial Courts displayed in one of their panels. In the last 48 hours, Terry has covered all 7 of them in a world's first! Has anyone even begun to take in all the info available on this website through Terry's topic? I know I haven't. I guarantee that out of the 4 Sculpture Courts in the Centre Transept, only the Christian Monuments one can be seen among the local library's photograph collection. Try and find one of the South Transept looking in the direction of the Garden Front with the Equestrians; it's virtually impossible outside of this forum, unless you know a big collector whose tracked every Ebay auction over the last several years and has made a few purchases himself. The amount of research Terry must have done, I don't think anyone can even fathom it. Even though I've had communication problems with the guy right from the start, I have to seriously rate him! The Crystal Palace is a bit of an international collectors game--very specialised. And most collectors are reluctant to share information/pictures. Terry must have had untold dealings with private collectors to present some of the more decent quality stereoviews in the main topic. The Royal Boxes sold beyond $50 each, and Terry has provided upgraded scans over the Ebay thumbs. Again, lot's of rare stuff has been brought together for that remarkable free journey through the nave. I found one stereocard in Lambeth Library. I didn't find any in Bromley Library. The V&A had one of the Byzantine Court from the Nave (Terry has posted that one in good quality). Anyway, you get the picture... :wink:
MartinH
Posts: 149
Joined: 10 Sep 2007 10:17
Location: Sydenham SE26

twin towers

Post by MartinH »

Hello falcor. As beautiful and magnificent the statues and courts are, they are still the contents of the CP. My interest is the CP as a whole, from the structural and engineering side of the building to the layout of the grounds. The colossal amount of manpower involved in the building of the foundations, ironwork, and glass production in such a short span of time defies belief. In the mid seventies I used to work for a major domestic appliance manufacturer and visited many houses in the area. Invariably the customer would be over 60 years old and I took every opportunity to mention that the CP was one of my interests and would ask them about their memories of the Palace of the people. I can guarantee that the first words they would utter would be "Oh yes,I saw it burn down". I found this extremely frustrating but soon came to the conclusion that, to the majority of people, the CP had become derelict and was an eyesore from a bygone era. I feel that this is the reason that their are relatively few photos and film footage after the first world war. Personally I would have loved to have met someone in charge of maintenance or security, someone who actually worked their. Steve Grindlay's photo of men working on top of the tower is a perfect example.
Their were other structures in the grounds of the palace that have been demolished without being documented. One that comes to mind, and has been mentioned elsewhere, was a very large brick built vault. It used to be sited around where the intermediate lake was. I can remember climbing up the solid doors and looking through a grill only to be confronted with a very scary face of a statue. On looking closer I could see around fifty different statues of all sizes. Someone must be alive who demolished this building or at least had a hand in moving the statues. I apologise for going off at a tangent but we must document every surviving brick and feature before the proposed refurbishment of Crystal Palace Park sweeps them away for ever !! Thanks
Falkor
Posts: 1371
Joined: 10 Feb 2006 17:45
Location: Surrey Quays

Post by Falkor »

You should come and speak to Ken Kiss at the Crystal Palace Museum--it will have to be after xmas--he could tell you everything about the engineering side. You probably saw the Engine House for the intermediate reservoir before it was demolished... Nobody bothered to take any photos of either of them; there were (3) altogether.
kennyb2
Posts: 133
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 09:22
Location: wilts

Post by kennyb2 »

Martin, That was not so much a vault, as a building sunk well into the ground; I remember it well and have mentioned it somewhere here.
Very damp and overgrown
I had to be hoisted up on a pals shoulders to lookin .Full of statues in far better condition than those shown This would have been about 1960/1/2
I have been puzzled by a mention of the sale in 1957, was there a later one, I remember it was covered on TV I think; black and white, BBC probably.
where exactly is this rangers hut today?
then again a faint recall that these statues where leftovers that did not sell. are they these broken ones I wonder?
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