What did Great Exhibition and Crystal Palace multicoloured do at Hyde Park?

Standing in Hyde Park today, it's remarkable to imagine that in 1851 this was the site of the magnificent Crystal Palace, a revolutionary glass and iron structure that housed the Great Exhibition - the first World's Fair. The massive building, designed by Joseph Paxton, showcased over 100,000 exhibits worth £2 million (excluding the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond) and attracted six million visitors during its five-month run, demonstrating Britain's industrial might to the world.

The Exhibition's tremendous success generated profits of £186,437 - a fortune at the time - which was later used to develop the cultural and educational institutions along Exhibition Road, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Science Museum, and the Natural History Museum. Though the Crystal Palace was later relocated to Sydenham Hill, this spot in Hyde Park marks where this ambitious Victorian spectacle forever changed London's cultural landscape and set the template for World's Fairs to come.

Discover more stories across London

Collect 1,625+ Blue Plaques with the Legacy app