Rare Crystal Palace photos sell for £5,000
A collection of photographs of Crystal Palace dating back to the 1850s is expected to fetch up to £5,000 at auction.
The prints of the famous palace, which was destroyed by fire in 1936, were taken by photographer Philip Henry Delamotte. The glass and iron structure, dubbed the Crystal Palace by Punch magazine, was originally constructed in Hyde Park to house the Great Exhibition of 1851.
When it was dismantled and rebuilt in the park in 1854, designer Joseph Paxton enlarged it to more than double its original size a five storey building housing a theatre, an aquarium and a grand orchestra.
It became the hub of London's musical scene and boasted a famous series of fireworks displays. But on 30th November 1936, a massive fire engulfed and destroyed the Crystal Palace.
Chris Albury, valuer and archivist at Dominic Winter auctioneers in Swindon, Wiltshire, described the auction lot as a rare photographic collection. He said: "There weren't that many photographers at that time. It was more of an amateur pursuit".
"Delamotte was commissioned to document the reconstruction in Sydenham and he made a series of photos for the Crystal Palace".
"There was a two volume document which was published containing 160 photos of the reconstruction".
"That is a very well known and documented set of photos. But not much is known about the Crystal Palace after it opened".
The portfolio of 47 prints, due to be sold today (Wednesday), has attracted widespread interest. Mr Albury said he hoped the collection would remain in the UK and may even be bought by a museum or organisation so that they could be viewed by the public.
The previous owner was interested in the Crystal Palace and bought the prints in London in the 1980s but their whereabouts before hand are not known.