Crystal Palace is a residential area in
southSouth London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England named from the former local landmark,
The Crystal PalaceThe Crystal Palace was a cast-iron and glass building originally erected in Hyde Park, London, England, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. More than 14,000 exhibitors from around the world gathered in the Palace's of exhibition space to display examples of the latest technology developed in...
, which occupied the area from 1854 to 1936. The area is located approximately 8 miles south east of
Charing CrossCharing Cross denotes the junction of Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street, just south of Trafalgar Square in central London, England. It is named after the now demolished Eleanor cross that stood there, in what was once the hamlet of Charing. The site of the cross is now occupied by an equestrian...
, and offers impressive views over the capital. An
electoral wardA ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...
named Crystal Palace and Crystal Palace Park are entirely contained within the
London Borough of BromleyThe London Borough of Bromley is a London borough of south east London, England and forms part of Outer London. The principal town in the borough is Bromley.-Geography:...
. However, the wider area has no defined boundaries and straddles the convergence of five London boroughs and three
postal districtsThe London postal district is the area in England, currently of , to which mail addressed to the LONDON post town is delivered. The area was initially devised in 1856 and throughout its history has been subject to periodic reorganisation, contraction and division into increasingly smaller postal...
. It is contiguous with
AnerleyAnerley is a district of South London, England, located in the London Borough of Bromley. It is situated south south-east of Charing Cross. Anerley is geographically an outer lying area of London, although it is considered to have characteristics of an Inner city suburb...
,
Dulwich WoodDulwich Wood together with the adjacent Sydenham Hill Wood is the largest extant part of the ancient Great North Wood. The two woods were separated after the relocation of The Crystal Palace in 1854 and the creation of the high level line in 1865...
,
Gipsy HillGipsy Hill is an area of South London near Upper Norwood, it is considered to be part of Crystal Palace. This area of Gipsy Hill also includes the Central Hill estate...
,
PengePenge is a suburb of London in the London Borough of Bromley. It is located south east of Charing Cross.-History:Penge was once a small town, which was recorded under the name Penceat in a Saxon deed dating from 957...
,
South NorwoodSouth Norwood is an urban town and in south London, England, in the London Borough of Croydon. It is a suburban development 7.8 miles south-east of Charing Cross. South Norwood is an electoral with a resident population in 2001 of just over 14,000...
,
SydenhamSydenham is an area and electoral ward in the London Borough of Lewisham; although some streets towards Crystal Palace Park, Forest Hill and Penge are outside the ward and in the London Borough of Bromley, and some streets off Sydenham Hill are in the London Borough of Southwark. Sydenham was in...
and
Upper NorwoodUpper Norwood is an elevated area in south London, England within the postcode SE19. It is a residential district largely in the London Borough of Croydon although some parts extend into the London Borough of Lambeth, London Borough of Southwark and the London Borough of Bromley. Upper Norwood...
. It includes one of the
highest points in London, 367 feet (111.9 m) at OS map reference TQ337707. Two television transmitter masts make the district a landmark location, visible from many parts of the London area.
History
The ridge and the historic
oakAn oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
tree known as
The Vicars Oak (located at the present-day
crossroadsIn folk magic and mythology, crossroads may represent a location "between the worlds" and, as such, a site where supernatural spirits can be contacted and paranormal events can take place...
of the
A212The A212 is an A road in South London, linking Lewisham to Croydon. It runs southwest from the South Circular at Catford, going through Sydenham, Norwood and Crystal Palace before heading south to Croydon...
Church Road and
A214The A214 is a part primary, part non-primary A road in London, England. It runs from Wandsworth to West Wickham. The section at Wandsworth, which is part of Trinity Road, was to be part of the London Ringways and is built as a three lane dual carriageway. The route runs through the London...
Westow Hill) were used to mark parish boundaries. This has led to the Crystal Palace area straddling the boundaries of five London Boroughs;
BromleyThe London Borough of Bromley is a London borough of south east London, England and forms part of Outer London. The principal town in the borough is Bromley.-Geography:...
,
CroydonThe London Borough of Croydon is a London borough in South London, England and is part of Outer London. It covers an area of and is the largest London borough by population. It is the southernmost borough of London. At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name...
,
LambethThe London Borough of Lambeth is a London borough in south London, England and forms part of Inner London. The local authority is Lambeth London Borough Council.-Origins:...
,
SouthwarkThe London Borough of Southwark is a London borough in south east London, England. It is directly south of the River Thames and the City of London, and forms part of Inner London.-History:...
and
LewishamThe London Borough of Lewisham is a London borough in south-east London, England and forms part of Inner London. The principal settlement of the borough is Lewisham...
. The area also straddles at least three
postcode districtsThe postal codes used in the United Kingdom are known as postcodes. They are alphanumeric and were introduced by the Royal Mail over a 15-year period from 11th October 1959 to 1974...
, , and . The ancient boundary between Surrey and Kent passes through the area and from 1889 to 1965 the area lay on the south eastern boundary of the
County of LondonThe County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area known today as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government Act 1888. The Act created an administrative County of...
. It included parts of Kent and Surrey until 1889 and then parts of Kent, London and Surrey between 1889-1965.
For centuries the area was occupied by the
Great North WoodThe Great North Wood was a natural oak forest that covered most of the area of raised ground starting some four miles south of central London, covering the Sydenham Ridge and the southern reaches of the River Effra and its tributaries...
, an extensive area of natural oak forest that formed a wilderness close to the southern edge of the ever-expanding city of London. Local legend has it that Sir Francis Drake's ship, the
Golden HindThe Golden Hind was an English galleon best known for its circumnavigation of the globe between 1577 and 1580, captained by Sir Francis Drake...
, had its timbers cut from trees in this area. The forest was a popular area for Londoners' recreation right up to the 19th century, when it began to be built over. It was also a haunt of Gypsies, with many local street names and pubs recording the link. The area still retains vestiges of woodland. The third quarter of the 19th Century brought the Crystal Palace and the railways.
The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace was a
cast-ironCast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
and
glassGlass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
building originally erected in
Hyde ParkHyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. Following the success of the exhibition, the palace was moved and reconstructed in 1854 in a modified and enlarged form in the grounds of the Penge Place estate at
Sydenham HillFor other uses of 'Sydenham', see Sydenham .Sydenham Hill is a hill or ridge and a locality in South-East London and the name of a road which runs along the northern eastern part of the ridge and forms the boundary between the London Borough of Southwark and the London Borough of Lewisham. The...
. It attracted visitors for over seven decades.
Sydenham Hill is one of the
highest locations in London; 109 metres (357 ft) above sea level (spot height on Ordnance Survey Map); and the size of the palace and prominence of the site made it easy to identify from much of London. This led to the residential area around the building becoming known as Crystal Palace instead of
Sydenham HillFor other uses of 'Sydenham', see Sydenham .Sydenham Hill is a hill or ridge and a locality in South-East London and the name of a road which runs along the northern eastern part of the ridge and forms the boundary between the London Borough of Southwark and the London Borough of Lewisham. The...
. The palace was destroyed by fire on 30 November 1936 and the site of the building and its grounds is now known as Crystal Palace Park.
Area today
Crystal Palace still retains much of its impressive Victorian architecture, although housing styles are mixed, with Victorian terraces next to mid-war terraces side by side with blocks of modern flats. Crystal Palace Park is surrounded by grand Victorian villas, many of which have been converted into flats and apartments.
The "Crystal Palace Triangle", formed by Westow Street, Westow Hill and Church Road, has a large number of restaurants and several independent shops, as well as a sprawling indoor secondhand market on Haynes Lane.
In 2011, parts of the Italian Terrace is falling into ruin. Some of the balcony has fallen off and a number of sculptures are damaged.The Information Desk is running a petition for Crystal Palace Park to have a sensory garden. Some of the dinosaurs show cracks.
Crystal Palace Park
Crystal Palace Park is a Victorian pleasure ground used for many cultural, patriotic and sporting events. The sculptor
Benjamin Waterhouse HawkinsBenjamin Waterhouse Hawkins was an English sculptor and natural history artist renowned for combining both in his work on the life-size models of dinosaurs in the Crystal Palace Park, Sydenham, south London...
erected the first lifesized models of the (then) newly-discovered dinosaurs and other extinct animals in the park, following the gift of a
megatheriumMegatherium was a genus of elephant-sized ground sloths endemic to Central America and South America that lived from the Pliocene through Pleistocene existing approximately...
skull by
Charles DarwinCharles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
. The grounds once housed a football ground, which hosted the FA Cup final from 1895 to 1914 as well as
London County Cricket ClubLondon County Cricket Club was a short-lived cricket club founded by the Crystal Palace Company. In 1898 they invited WG Grace to help them form a first-class cricket club. Grace accepted the offer and became the club's secretary, manager and captain. As a result, he severed his connection with...
games
from 1900 to 1908Crystal Palace Park was a cricket ground in Crystal Palace, London . Located in the shadow of The Crystal Palace, the ground was established on June 3, 1857. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1864, when Kent played Nottinghamshire in the grounds first first-class match. Kent next at...
, when they folded, and
Crystal Palace F.C.Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
's matches from their formation in 1905 until the club was forced to relocate during the First World War.
This site is now the
National Sports CentreThe National Sports Centre at Crystal Palace in south London, England is a large sports centre and athletics stadium. It was opened in 1964 in Crystal Palace Park, close to the site of the former Crystal Palace, in the former parkland and also usurping part of the former grand prix circuit.It was...
, built in 1964. In 2005 the
Mayor of LondonThe Mayor of London is an elected politician who, along with the London Assembly of 25 members, is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London. Conservative Boris Johnson has held the position since 4 May 2008...
and the
London Development AgencyThe London Development Agency is the Regional Development Agency for Greater London, England. It is a functional body of the Greater London Authority...
(LDA) took control of the NSC as part of London's bid for the
2012 Summer OlympicsThe 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
and
ParalympicsThe 2012 Summer Paralympic Games will be the fourteenth Paralympics and will take place between 29 August and 9 September 2012. The Games will be held in London, United Kingdom after the city was successful with its bid for the Paralympics and Summer Olympic Games.Even though 2012 will be London's...
, and it is now managed by Greenwich Leisure on their behalf. In January 2011 the owners of Crystal Palace F.C. announced plans to relocate the club back to the site of the NSC from their current
Selhurst ParkSelhurst Park is an English football stadium located in the London suburb of South Norwood in the Borough of Croydon. It is the current home ground of Crystal Palace Football Club. Its present capacity is 26,309.-History:...
home, redeveloping it into a 25,000-seater, purpose-built football stadium. However
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
have also released plans to redevelop the NSC into a 25,000-seater stadium, maintaining it as an athletics stadium, as part of their plans to redevelop the
Olympic StadiumThe London Olympic Stadium will be the centrepiece of the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. The stadium is located at Marshgate Lane in Stratford in the Lower Lea Valley and has capacity for the Games of approximately 80,000 making it temporarily the third largest stadium in Britain behind...
after the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.
The extensive grounds were used in pre-war days for motorcycle and, after the 1950s, for motorcar racing; this was known as the
Crystal Palace circuitCrystal Palace circuit was a motor racing circuit in Crystal Palace, London, England. The circuit was located within Crystal Palace park. The route of the track can still be seen on maps providing access to the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre that is also located in the park.- History :The...
. Parts of the track layout remain in 2005 as access roads. The track itself fell into disuse after 1972, although it has been digitally recreated in the
Grand Prix LegendsGrand Prix Legends is a computer racing simulator developed by Papyrus Design Group and published in 1998 by Sierra Entertainment...
racing simulation and 2010 sees the 10 years of campaigning work to reopen the track culminating in
The return of Motor racing to Crystal Palace
The park also housed one of the pioneer speedway tracks, opening for business in 1928. The Glaziers raced in the Southern and National Leagues up to 1933 when the promotion moved on to a track in New Cross.
The park remains a major London public park. The park was maintained by the
LCCLondon County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
and later the
GLCThe Greater London Council was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council which had covered a much smaller area...
, but with the abolition of the GLC in 1986 control of the park was given to the London Borough of Bromley. The park is entirely within the London Borough of Bromley, but its proximity to other boroughs left many Crystal Palace residents of surrounding boroughs feeling disenfranchised.
A long-fought-over local issue is whether to build on the open space which was the location of the original Crystal Palace building or to leave it as parkland as the GLC had done. Any development would be within the London Borough of Bromley, but affect residents in neighbouring boroughs and the access to the NSC. It would also affect the skyline view across the whole of London.
The park is situated half way along the Norwood Ridge at one of its highest points. This ridge offers views northward to central London, east to the
Queen Elizabeth II BridgeThe Queen Elizabeth II Bridge is a high and long cable-stayed road bridge across the River Thames in south east England. It was opened in 1991 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II....
and
GreenwichGreenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
, and southward to
CroydonCroydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
and the
North DownsThe North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. The North Downs lie within two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty , the Surrey Hills and the Kent Downs...
. The park has recently become home to many ring-necked parakeets, especially in the trees around the café and play area. Sightings of the birds have become increasingly common in South London but rarely in a location as busy as Crystal Palace Park. The park is one of the starting points for the
Green Chain WalkThe South East London Green Chain, also known as the Green Chain Walk is a linked system of open spaces between the River Thames and Crystal Palace Park in London, England. In 1977 four London Boroughs and the Greater London Council created this Green Chain of 300 open spaces to protect them from...
, linking to places such as
ChislehurstChislehurst is a suburban district in south-east London, England, and an electoral ward of the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:...
,
ErithErith is a district of southeast London on the River Thames. Erith's town centre has undergone a series of modernisations since 1961.-Pre-medieval:...
, the
Thames BarrierThe Thames Barrier is the world's second-largest movable flood barrier and is located downstream of central London. Its purpose is to prevent London from being flooded by exceptionally high tides and storm surges moving up from the sea...
and
ThamesmeadThamesmead is a district of south-east London, England, located in the London Boroughs of Greenwich and Bexley. It is situated east of Charing Cross....
. Section 3 of the
Capital RingThe Capital Ring is a strategic walking route that is being promoted by London's 33 local councils, led by the City of London Corporation in partnership with the Greater London Authority and its functional body for regional transport, Transport for London, through which much of the funding is...
walk round London goes through the park.
Media
Television
Two
TVTelevision is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
transmitterIn electronics and telecommunications a transmitter or radio transmitter is an electronic device which, with the aid of an antenna, produces radio waves. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the antenna. When excited by this alternating...
towers — Crystal Palace Transmitter (640 ft) and Croydon Transmitter (500 ft) — stand on the hill at Upper Norwood, making the district a landmark location, visible from many parts of the London area. The towers may appear similar in height and design, but the Crystal Palace mast, constructed 1956, stands on a slightly higher elevation. The current Croydon tower was built in 1962.
Films
The Italian JobThe Italian Job is a 1969 British caper film, written by Troy Kennedy Martin, produced by Michael Deeley and directed by Peter Collinson. Subsequent television showings and releases on video have established it as an institution in the United Kingdom....
has a scene filmed by the athletics track, in which
Michael CaineSir Michael Caine, CBE is an English actor. He won Academy Awards for best supporting actor in both Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules ....
says "You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!"
The Pleasure GardenThe Pleasure Garden is a short film written and directed by James Broughton in 1953. Among its crew was Peter Price as sound editor. Cast members included the subsequent director Lindsay Anderson and Broughton's partner Kermit Sheets....
was also filmed in the park.
Our Mother's HouseOur Mother's House is a 1967 British drama film starring Dirk Bogarde. The screenplay was by Jeremy Brooks, based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Julian Gloag.-Plot:...
has a scene featuring
Dirk BogardeSir Dirk Bogarde was an English actor and novelist. Initially a matinee idol in such films as Doctor in the House and other Rank Organisation pictures, Bogarde later acted in art-house films such as Death in Venice...
with several children on the boating lake in Crystal Palace Park.
Music
The park features prominently as the setting of an outdoor
raveRave, rave dance, and rave party are parties that originated mostly from acid house parties, which featured fast-paced electronic music and light shows. At these parties people dance and socialize to dance music played by disc jockeys and occasionally live performers...
in the music video for
The Chemical Brothers'The Chemical Brothers are a British electronic music duo comprising Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons. Originating in Manchester in 1991, along with The Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, The Crystal Method, and fellow acts, they were pioneers at bringing the big beat genre to the forefront of pop culture.- Background...
number 1 single
Setting Sun"Setting Sun" is a song by The Chemical Brothers, released as a single in 1996 from their second album Dig Your Own Hole. With vocals by Noel Gallagher, it reached number 1 on the UK Singles Chart and number 80 on the US Billboard Hot 100, their highest position there so far. The song sampled The...
.
A mini-album about the history of the local area, entitled
Fire & Glass: A Norwood Tragedy, was released in Spring 2007 by the Anglo-Dutch group,
H.E.R.R.H.E.R.R. is a Dutch / English band that was founded in 2002 by Michiel Spapé . Other core members are Miklos Hoffer and, from the second album onwards, Troy Southgate . Musically, they have been described as neofolk, minimalist, Neoclassical and martial...
.
Literature
Arthur Conan DoyleSir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
was active in the area between 1891 and 1894. Although he lived in nearby
South NorwoodSouth Norwood is an urban town and in south London, England, in the London Borough of Croydon. It is a suburban development 7.8 miles south-east of Charing Cross. South Norwood is an electoral with a resident population in 2001 of just over 14,000...
he visited the Crystal Palace and
Upper NorwoodUpper Norwood is an elevated area in south London, England within the postcode SE19. It is a residential district largely in the London Borough of Croydon although some parts extend into the London Borough of Lambeth, London Borough of Southwark and the London Borough of Bromley. Upper Norwood...
area regularly in connection with the Upper Norwood Literary and Scientific Society. The Forresters Hall on Westow Street was known as the Welcome Hall (or just Welcome) in those days and it was in that hall in May 1892 that
Arthur Conan DoyleSir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
was elected president of the society. He was re-elected to the post in 1893 and resigned in 1894. Each occasion was in the same hall.
Other
Troy SouthgateTroy Southgate is an author, musician and leading National-Anarchist activist based in the United Kingdom.-Politics:Originally from Crystal Palace, in South London, Southgate is of English-Scots descent and moved to the small village of Jarvis Brook, East Sussex, in his teenage years...
, author, musician and activist was born and bred in the area, living on Gipsy Hill and the Central Hill Estate. He also attended the local Rockmount School.
Sports teams
- Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
(association football)
- London Olympians
The London Olympians is a British amateur American football team, based in Crystal Palace, London. They are the United Kingdom's most successful amateur American football club...
(American football)
Roads
The area is served by the
A212The A212 is an A road in South London, linking Lewisham to Croydon. It runs southwest from the South Circular at Catford, going through Sydenham, Norwood and Crystal Palace before heading south to Croydon...
,
A214The A214 is a part primary, part non-primary A road in London, England. It runs from Wandsworth to West Wickham. The section at Wandsworth, which is part of Trinity Road, was to be part of the London Ringways and is built as a three lane dual carriageway. The route runs through the London...
,
A234The A234 is an A road between Crystal Palace and Beckenham in London, England.It starts as Crystal Palace Park Road near the top of Sydenham Hill. Running down on the North side of Crystal Palace Park it passes under two viaducts for the railway lines between London Bridge and East Croydon and...
and
A2199 roadThe A2199 is an A road that runs from Herne Hill to Crystal Palace in South London, England. It is the main north-south arterial road for West Dulwich and meets the east-west A205 South Circular next to West Dulwich railway station. It comprises two roads, the northern half is Croxted Road and at...
s.
Rail
Crystal Palace is accessible by rail via
Crystal Palace railway stationCrystal Palace railway station is in the London Borough of Bromley in south London. It is located in the Anerley area between the town centres of Crystal Palace and Penge...
, where
SouthernSouthern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Officially named Southern Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead Group and Keolis, and has operated the South Central rail franchise since October 2000 and the Gatwick Express service...
trains run to and from Victoria and London Bridge railway stations.
Crystal Palace railway stationCrystal Palace railway station is in the London Borough of Bromley in south London. It is located in the Anerley area between the town centres of Crystal Palace and Penge...
is one of the few stations to border two zones, Zones 3 and 4.
As of May 2010, the station also serves the East London Line branch of the
London OvergroundLondon Overground is a suburban rail network in London and Hertfordshire. It has been operated by London Overground Rail Operations since 2007 as part of the National Rail network, under the franchise control and branding of Transport for London...
, connecting with the Docklands and
ShoreditchShoreditch is an area of London within the London Borough of Hackney in England. It is a built-up part of the inner city immediately to the north of the City of London, located east-northeast of Charing Cross.-Etymology:...
and in 2011 extended services to Highbury and Islington.
The South Gate of the Park is accessible by rail via
Penge WestPenge West railway station is in the London Borough of Bromley in south London. The station is operated by London Overground, with London Overground and Southern trains serving the station. First Capital Connect and some Southern services pass through the station. It is located in Travelcard Zone...
by
SouthernSouthern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Officially named Southern Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead Group and Keolis, and has operated the South Central rail franchise since October 2000 and the Gatwick Express service...
trains from London Bridge. This station also serves the East London Line branch of the
London OvergroundLondon Overground is a suburban rail network in London and Hertfordshire. It has been operated by London Overground Rail Operations since 2007 as part of the National Rail network, under the franchise control and branding of Transport for London...
There are renewed hopes that the Croydon tramlink to Crystal Palace will eventually find funding and open in a few years.
Bus
The area is also well served by
busThe London Bus is one of London's principal icons, the archetypal red rear-entrance double-deck Routemaster being recognised worldwide. Although the Routemaster has now been largely phased out of service, with only two heritage routes still using the vehicles, the majority of buses in London are...
routes being the terminus for many of them. These services include routes N2,
3/N3London Buses route 3 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Abellio London.-History:...
, N63, 122, N137,
157London Buses route 157 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Abellio London.-History:...
, 202, 227, 249, 322, 358, 363, 410, 417, 432, 450, 931 and 934
Nearest places
- Gipsy Hill
Gipsy Hill is an area of South London near Upper Norwood, it is considered to be part of Crystal Palace. This area of Gipsy Hill also includes the Central Hill estate...
- Sydenham
Sydenham is an area and electoral ward in the London Borough of Lewisham; although some streets towards Crystal Palace Park, Forest Hill and Penge are outside the ward and in the London Borough of Bromley, and some streets off Sydenham Hill are in the London Borough of Southwark. Sydenham was in...
- Penge
Penge is a suburb of London in the London Borough of Bromley. It is located south east of Charing Cross.-History:Penge was once a small town, which was recorded under the name Penceat in a Saxon deed dating from 957...
- Dulwich
Dulwich is an area of South London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth...
- Anerley
Anerley is a district of South London, England, located in the London Borough of Bromley. It is situated south south-east of Charing Cross. Anerley is geographically an outer lying area of London, although it is considered to have characteristics of an Inner city suburb...
- West Norwood
West Norwood is a place in the London Borough of Lambeth.It is primarily a residential suburb of south London but with some light industry near Knights Hill in the south....
- Upper Norwood
Upper Norwood is an elevated area in south London, England within the postcode SE19. It is a residential district largely in the London Borough of Croydon although some parts extend into the London Borough of Lambeth, London Borough of Southwark and the London Borough of Bromley. Upper Norwood...
External links