Crystal Palace Park Ruins
the lost palace that burned in a night
The ghostly terraces, statues and sphinxes left behind after the great glass palace burned down, scattered across a sprawling free park.
Free to visit · Crystal Palace · Crystal Palace · SE19 2GA
Opening: Daily, dawn to dusk
The Crystal Palace was the vast glass-and-iron hall built for the 1851 Great Exhibition, moved here to Sydenham Hill and then lost forever when it burned to the ground in a single dramatic night in 1936. The palace is gone, but its enormous Italian terraces, crumbling balustrades, headless statues and stone sphinxes still climb the hillside, free to wander.
There is something hauntingly romantic about walking these grand empty steps to nowhere, with the foundations of the vanished palace marked in the grass. It feels like the ruins of a lost civilisation hidden in a south London park.
The park is huge and full of free curiosities, a National Sports Centre, a maze, a boating lake and most famously the Victorian dinosaur sculptures at the far end. Between the ruins and the dinosaurs you have one of the strangest and best-value days out in London.
Getting there: A short walk from Crystal Palace station, on the park's many entrances.
Best time to go: A clear day to walk the terraces, ideally paired with the famous dinosaurs nearby.
Insider tip: Combine the terraces with the free Crystal Palace dinosaurs at the lower lake, the two together make the perfect afternoon. Look for the headless sphinxes that once guarded the palace steps, still standing guard over nothing.
Free things to do in London · London Free Guide