The time portal - a photo on Flickriver

The time portal

            The 719-foot Crystal Palace TV transmitter - the fourth tallest structure in London and built in 1956 - framed by all that remains of the original 1851 cast iron Crystal Palace that once stood nearby before it burned down in 1936.

The palace was originally constructed in Hyde Park to stage The Great Exhibition of 1851, housing 14,000 exhibitors from around the world in its 990,000 square feet area and displaying examples of the latest technology from around the world developed in the Industrial Revolution. After the exhibition closed, the building was moved to here - the top of Sydenham Hill, on the border of Surrey and Kent - and enlarged to serve as a permanent exhibition set amid parkland. The cost of the relocation was £1,300,000 (£96.5 million in today's prices), against a cost for the original Hyde Park construction of £150,000 (£13.1 million as of 2011). One rather ineffectual way of raising funds to pay for all this was with the first major use of public toilets, known as the Retiring Rooms, and in which 'Monkey Closet' flushing lavatories were installed. This high tech Victorian novelty cost a penny to visit, and is believed to have given rise to the British euphemism 'to spend a penny.' All this, and the world's first ever cat show too, which was held at the palace in 1871. My, the excitement just kept on coming!

That was until November 30, 1936, when a small fire - ironically enough starting in the iconic toilets - was fanned by strong winds and quickly spread. Despite being attended by 89 fire engines and over 400 firemen, the building was completely destroyed. At the peak of the fire, a crowd of 100,000 people, including Winston Churchill, gathered to watch the flames. Part of the palace had been in use by television pioneer John Logie Baird for experiments for his mechanical television system, and much of his work was consumed in the fire.

Two decades later though, the Crystal Palace TV transmitting station was established at the park. Its broadcasting tower was the tallest structure in the capital until 1991, and has been nicknamed London's Eiffel Tower.

Taken in Crystal Palace Park, Crystal Palace, south London, England on September 26, 2011.

Taken in: United Kingdom / England / London / Crystal Palace (show map)

Taken on: September 26, 2011

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Camera: Canon EOS 450D, f/7.1, 1/125 sec, 18mm, ISO 200 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 450D
Aperture:	f/7.1
Exposure Time:	0.008 sec (1/125)
Focal Length:	18mm
ISO:	200
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Elements 7.0 Windows
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