Beginnings

The Crystal Palace was originally built to house the 1851 Great Exhibition, held in Hyde Park. However, when the Exhibition was over and the Park was restored to its former glory, the building was not lost. Joseph Paxton, its designer, had other plans for his masterpiece and formed a company to raise the capital to purchase the building. With the materials in its hands, the company found an imposing location to re-erect the building on - to an extended design. The site chosen was 200 acres on the side of Sydenham Hill in South London, called Penge Place, which was formerly the home of Leo Schuster. At the top of the hill the Crystal Palace was re-built. Meanwhile, Paxton set about designing a park with ornamental gardens, terraces and fountains. A significant element of the park were two massive fountain basins, each with a jet of water at its centre that rose over 200 feet into the air.

The network of fountains, water-pipes and pumping stations could not be completed for the opening of the Palace on 10th June 1854, so there was a second ceremony in the presence of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert on Wednesday 18th June 1856 when the fountains were switched on.

Unfortunately, the cost of operating these marvels was so large that they were only used on special occasions and it was not long before thoughts were given to other uses for these vast areas.

As we shall see, football was played in other locations within the Crystal Palace Park, particularly in the early days, but the football stadium originated in 1894 when it was decided that the Cup Finals should return to London, and the vast area which had been the southerly fountain basin was turned into a massive arena.The stands were built by John Aird & Sons who had been involved in the building at Hyde Park. In 1895, the correspondent of The Sunday Times described the scene at the first Cup Final there:"As the ground is a new one, a few words may be spared perhaps for a brief description of it. In shape, it is an ellipse, and when finished will measure seventeen acres. It is situated partly on the side of the old lake, which has been filled in and turfed over, whilst the cycle track has been taken in. Yesterday eight acres of the new space were utilised. The goals were pitched on the slant from east to west. At the southern side there was stand accommodation for 3,000 people and provision for over 100 reporters. Another 3,000 reserved seats were placed inside the rails running round the scene of play and beyond these the banked-up sides of the ground formed a natural grandstand for thousands upon thousands. The sea of faces that met one's gaze on all sides presented a sight far easier imagined than described, whilst the excitement and enthusiasm was pulse-stirring enough to be trying to weak nerves".

In fact, the layout of the ground was somewhat different from this description. It is a common mistake to regard the Crystal Palace as running from east to west. As can be seen from the diagram, the Palace ran its length from north-west to south-east. It was the same with the football ground. The goals were positioned at the north and south ends of the ground. Around the playing area was a roped-off area known as the ring. On the north side was an entrance with a standing area. This was where the ground was separated from the other fountain basin. In later years, a covered platform with three or four levels was placed here for the convenience of the fans.

On the east side, the ground rose rapidly away from the ring to the trees. At the back of this area, the Crystal Palace Company had already installed a switchback railway as a fairground attraction. On matchdays, spectators would stand on the bank and as the railway was closed, they could also stand on this area. Several thousand could be accommodated there. Opposite was the Pavilion, which was a small pitched-roofed structure of wooden construction. It was here that guests of honour would sit and where the Cup was presented to the winners. On either side of the Pavilion, there were two multispan stands bringing the total seating accommodation to 3,000, including space for the Press.

On the southern end of the ground, there was further accommodation for up to 3,000 inside the ring, and beyond, the land rose away into the distance. It was here that the vast majority of the crowd stood; for many, the view was far from brilliant. Only a lucky few could see anything of the game, many had to rely on the roars of the rest of the crowd to know what was going on. The more energetic would clamber up trees or stand or sit on the various tall posts to get a view of the play.

In 1905, when the FA gave the Crystal Palace Company more security with a five year agreement to hold the FA Cup Final, the Company made a number of improvements. The Crystal Palace Magazine described these:"The aspect of the ground is being entirely changed, huge stands and rows upon rows of small gravel terraces have been built upon the once green banks that surround the field. Very little fault has ever been found with the accommodation generally, but if at previous matches spectators standing on the banks have had now and again to crane their necks to follow every movement of the ball, the splendid terraces which have been constructed should completely obviate any further such inconvenience. They rise gradually from the bottom of the slopes at intervals of about six inches, supported by strong timber, while the surface is sprinkled with a goodly layer of gravel, which, of course, allows free drainage. In all, there will be about nine miles of terracing, and everyone will get an uninterrupted view of the field of play.

As regards the stands, the alterations have been carried out in an even more comprehensive manner. The old erections on either side of the Pavilion have been entirely taken away, and two new modern buildings of much greater capacity substituted. For some time past a small army of workmen have been employed in making changes, and the result is gratifying in the extreme. The frontage of the new stands is practically on a level with the Pavilion, and though, of course, constructed on the banks, which, as has so frequently been urged, forms the best of foundations, seeing that none of the seats are above a few feet from the ground - an important factor in the minds of nervous enthusiasts - affords the occupants a perfect view of the game. The increased stand accommodation has in no way interfered with the "ring" seats, which will be laid out as in former years, while it will lessen the congestion around the rails shutting off the actual field of play. The two new stands will themselves accommodate 5,000 people, which, of course, is considerably in excess of that provided by the old structures...", these are the stands with decorated gables which are so distinctive in photographs of the Cup Finals.

The Crystal Palace Magazine continues: "Another point - and an important one - is that from the farthest corner in the last row of either of the stands, a perfect view of both goals can be obtained; in fact, with the exception of perhaps two or three seats, even the corner flags can be seen without the slightest inconvenience. The new arrangements will provide room for over three thousand more people, bringing the total seating accommodation up to just over sixteen thousand. The extra facilities will entail an expenditure of something like £5,000".

By 1911, the Crystal Palace was in a dire financial state and so the whole enterprise was offered for sale. The Sports arena was described in the Sale Catalogue as containing 20 acres, bisected by a Central Avenue. On one side was the Football Ground. This had two covered steel and wood stands, arranged for seating about 5,000, a pavilion containing, on the upper floor, entrance gallery from the ground, and refreshment room, with fitted bars, etc., Committee and Secretary's Room, ladies and gentlemen's cloakrooms, lavatories, and covered seating accommodation for 420. On the lower floor, there were 24 dressing rooms, bathrooms and lavatories, and a store room. The whole building was heated by radiators.

Adjoining the central avenue was a wood and tile building occasionally used as a telegraph office. In the rear was a brick and iron store. On the opposite side of the Football Ground was an uncovered wooden stand with accommodation for some 3,500 spectators and a refreshment shed with bar and cellar.

In 1913, there was a proposal to acquire the Crystal Palace ground for the nation. The FA considered this but rejected it. So, substantially, this was the layout as it existed when football resumed after the First World War. Changes were made to the ring to make space for a speedway circuit in 1928 and in the late 1930s, the arena was used as a paddock for the motor racing fraternity. However, the ground looked much the same in the 1950s as it had always done. This then was swept away to build the athletics stadium and the adjacent National Sports Centre in the early 1960s.

The Northern fountain basin was also filled in and was used for a number of activities. When the grounds were renovated after the Great War, this arena was also used for football matches. The 1911 Sale Catalogue called the area the Cycle Track consisting of the cement concrete cycle track, one-third of a mile in length and about 30 feet wide, with a curved bank at either end on a timber trestle staging with palisade fencing. Inside, the cycle track was a cinder racing path one mile in length. On the East side, adjoining the cycle track was a covered stand, wood framed and iron roofed, terraced for seats with accommodation for some 850 spectators with press box and dressing rooms, lavatories and shower baths. Adjoining this was a Pavilion in brick and wood containing on the lower floor, stores, dressing rooms, shower and Roman baths, lavatories and bar, with covered seats above. The building again was heated by radiators. In the corner adjoining the central avenue was a refreshment stand having open sides and a fitted bar.

With all these facilities, it was not surprising to see many games going on at one time. For instance, Crystal Palace FC might be playing a league match on the Football Ground while say Corinthians were engaged in an exhibition game on the other ground.Access to the groundThe Crystal Palace and its Park already had turnstiles at the entrances into the building and at the railway stations. Therefore in the pre-1914 period football supporters paid to enter the Crystal Palace complex and could enjoy all its attractions before and after the big game.It has been widely reported that at least one of the turnstiles from the Crystal Palace football ground found a new home at Shrewsbury Town. We discovered that there were actually three old turnstiles at Shrewsbury all dated 1884 (which predates the Crystal Palace football ground) and made by Stevens and Sons of Southwark. However, there is no information as to how these turnstiles got there. It may have been that they were acquired after the demise of the Crystal Palace itself in 1936.

The first footballers at the Palace did not have such wonderful conditions in which to play. They probably had to play on Penge Common without even a marked-out pitch. But they were pioneers of the game and their team had the distinction of bearing the name 'Crystal Palace'.

Extracts from: "To the Palace for the Cup - An affectionate history of football at The Crystal Palace" by Ian Bevan, Stuart Hibberd and Michael Gilbert

If you are interested in learning more about the history of the original Crystal Palace take a look at the Crystal Palace Foundation website.