The Sun.
London, England, 1853-12-14 00:00:00

THE CRYSTAL PALACE AT SYDENHAM.

Notwithstanding the unfavourable state of the wea-
ther, which renders it almost impossible to approach
the Crystal Palace in consequence of the depth of the
mud, we a day or two ago visited Sydenham, when we
found the works, so far as the building is concerned,
apparently rapidly approaching to completion, though
as yet the centre transept is filled with an enormous
mass of scaffolding to enable the workmen to
cover it in from the elements—an operation which has
long since been completed in the rest of the building ;
and, judging from present appearances, we see little
reason to doubt that it will be ready to be delivered over
by the contractors to the company by the close of the
year, to enable its decoration and furnishing to be pro-
ceeded with, so that at least al arge portion of the edi-
fice, containing the most interestiug exhibition ever
brought before the public—not even excepting that of
1851 itself—may be opened early in May next.
On entering the building by the Norwood entrance of
the central transept, the spectator is at first struck with
the busy scene before him, and the great height at which
men are working, in seemingly the most conscious se-
, curity—a height which would unnerve many a brave
man to mount, even by the most secure staircase. Turn-
ing to the right, the busy scene is soon left behind, and
nothing worthy of notice is met with until the Pompeian
House excites attention. This is an exact represen-
tation of one of those magnificent structures destroyed
by an eruption of Vesuvius, in about the 80th year of
the Christian era. Excavations and descriptive accounts
of travellers have of late years made us pretty well ac-
quainted with the general form and magnificence of the
houses of Pompeii and Herculaneum, but no description
could have given us so good an idea of the luxury o
the age as the house now completing at Sydenham.
Entering by the vestibule, the visitor finds himself
in the atrium, or common family room. This
has the appearance of being open to the sky, but
is, of course, protected from the weather by the
roof of the Palace. It is most beautifully enriched with
cornices, supported by winged angels, and other devices,
elegantly gilt ; and between these are a series of elabo-
rately executed hunting pieces. The walls are also deco-
rated with most exquisite bijou paintings illustrative
of mythological subjects, including centaurs, floral
devices, &c. Here will stand the impluvium or
cistern, and an ornamental fountain. On either side
of the atrium are smaller rooms, also most exqui-
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more gorgeous, more artistic, or
more harmonious, can scarcely be imagined, and the
whole reflects the greatest credit on Signor Abatti and
his coadjutors, who have been engaged upon the work.
The ex • of
tenor the house is yet unadorned, but that, too,
will, we doubt not, ere long present a very handsome
and attractive appearance.
Beyond this house we come to a complete winter
garden, in which camelias, geraniums, &c.—many of
them in full bloom, intermixed with plants of larger
growth—are arranged in most artistic and pleasing
forms ; but whether they are placed in the positions they
are meant permanently to occupy we are unaware,
though in their present situation they form not the least
of the attractions which the Palace offers to the visitors.
At this portion of the building, considerable brickwork
foundations are being proceded with in the centre of the
flooring, designed, we believe, for the fountains with
which the winter garden will be ornamented. Beyond
a view of the galleries, and of the country from them,
nothing more of interest is to be found in the southern
transept of the palace.
On making his way to northern transept, the visi-
tor comes on the Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and Alham-
bra Courts, which are advancing rapidly to completion,
under the direction of Mr. Jones—though the latter, as
yet, presents a very inadequate idea of what it is likely
_
to become. In the Egyptian' and Greek Courts the pro-
gress is more satisfactory, the: decoration of each being
very far advanced. The pillars in the Egyptian Court
will be richly coloured and covered with hieroglyphics
and figures of a most extraordinary and curious descrip-
tion. The restoration of the friezes of the Parthenon, in
the Greek Court, is highly interesting ; and the colours of
the horses, men, &e., stand out in bold relief from a
dark blue ground, surrounded by a border of gold.
The imitations of Sienna and other marbles, por-
phry, &e., in their courts, are all excellent, being
executed tinder the superintendence of Signors Bononi
and Monti; who are engaged to assist in carrying out
the designs of Mr. Jones. On the opposite nave of the
northern portion of the building, the renaissance, me-
diaeval, and Byzantine courts are being constructed
under the direction of Mr. Digby Wyatt ; but though
enough has been executed to show that they •
will be of
great interest, and that the workmanship will be of the
most florid and minute nature, they have scarcely made
sufficient progress for us to think it de •
sirable to enter
into any description of them, beyond stating that the
relievos, friezes, carved windows, &c., already executed
are sure to command more than
the various visitors. The
numerous halls, approaches
to them, and galleries above, are
filled with a large col-
lection of ;statues, sphinxes
and modern, all of great busts, casts, &c., ancient
interest, but which it would be
unjust specially to allude to until they are more metho-
dically arranged than at present.
Proceeding to the extreme end of the central tran •
Sept, we come to the principal entrance to the
grounds, to which we descend by steep flights of gra-
nite steps, 100 feet in breadth, flanked on either side
by enormous sphinxes in stone, 14 feet long and
seven high, standing on granite pedestals. This and
two similar entrances, about 20 feet narrower, to the
right and left, conduct us to the principal terrace, un-
derstood to be 2,000 feet in length, 60 broad and 18
deep. From this terrace a few additional steps lead us
to the gardens, which, with the intended fountains, are
in a considerable state of forwardness, though the
weather, when we last visited them, prevented our
making that examination we should have wished, and
deterred us from attempting to call upon our friend
Mr. Waterhouse Hawkins, who, we hear, is making
most extraordinary progress with his reproductions of
the Megatherium, Plesiosaurus, and other monsters,
" which geology teaches us to have existed at some far
distant era of the world's history.
We shall, however, do ourselves the pleasure, at an
early period, of again visiting the Palace, when we hope
that better weather will enable us to lay before our
readers more detailed particulars of the out-door works.
At present the only drawback to the appearance of the
Crystal Palace from the exterior are the towers for the
waterworks, which are generally understood to be com-
pleted, though we hope not, as we are quite sure a little
ingenuity, if it could not render them absolutely orna-
mental, could go far to give them something of a decent
- artistic and architectural appearance,—Morning Past.