The 30th of November 1936 AD, Crystal Palace destroyed by fire Crystal Palace destroyed by fire Crystal Palace , London The 30th of November 1936 AD Almost a quarter of a mile long, and rising more than 400 feet into the air, the Crystal Palace was a magnificent display of Victorian confidence and ambition. The building was originally erected in Londonï¿½s Hyde Park for the Great Exhibition of 1851. Prince Albert had first suggested such an exhibition, which was to serve partly as a symbol of British industrial and political strength for the rest of the world to see, partly as a market place for the products of the country and the empire. In the end the exhibition included the participation of other countries: Russia, Turkey, France, Egypt and the United States all provided exhibitors. The event was a massive success, attracting visitors not just from Britain but from all over the world. The vast building of iron and glass was designed by eminent Victorian architect Sir Joseph Paxton . Once the exhibition itself had ended there was much debate about what to do with the building ï¿½ it was impossible for it to stay longer term in Hyde Park.

Paxton was the leading light in the decision to move the building to a new site, the genteel London suburb of Sydenham Hill, where it would be re-erected in a park in the Penge Place Estate, which happened to be owned by his friend and backer Leo Schuster, a railway magnate. The rebuilding on the new site began in August 1852, and by June 1854 the completed structure was officially opened by the Queen . The Crystal Palace (not its official name, but the one that stuck, seen first in Punch Magazine ) enjoyed a somewhat chequered history at its new home. For a time it was a success, a major tourist destination for visitors to the capital, and a resource for Londoners themselves. It had a roller-coaster; a prehistoric swamp with model dinosaurs; it hosted concerts and cricket matches; the grounds even staged the FA Cup Final from 1895 to 1914!

The costs of running and maintaining the building and the grounds around it exceeded the revenue, however, and the place suffered a gradual but vicious spiral of decline as the Palace became shabbier so fewer visitors were attracted, thus there was less revenue to pay for upkeep and so on. In 1911 it even went into bankruptcy. Along the way there were several portents of the future disaster: in 1861 high winds caused major structural damage; and in 1866 a fire destroyed the northern part of the building. On the night of November 1936 the grand old building suffered its final tragedy. A small fire broke out, probably started by old and badly maintained wiring. Henry Buckland, whose efforts over many years had at least slowed the decline, was out walking his dog, and spotted the fire in its early stages, but it had already taken hold.

Everything seemed to conspire to put the old building out of its misery: that night there were strong winds; the old wooden floors were dry and made the ideal conduits to spread the conflagration; as the flames rose they found more fuel, broken glass panes having been ï¿½temporarilyï¿½ replaced by boards; the design itself added to the difficulties, the towers acting as chimneys drawing air in at the lower levels. In spite of 88 fire engines sent from four fire brigades being deployed to fight the inferno, and the heroic efforts of more than a thousand fire-fighters and police, by dawn the building had been utterly devastated. Piles of melted glass lay everywhere; girders heaped in crazy patterns, some of them partly melted by the intensity of the blaze. Here and there elements of the old place remained: Paxtonï¿½s bust, and some sphinxes; the two water towers designed by Brunel . Because of lack of funds the Palace had not been fully insured, and so rebuilding was out of the question. There was something symbolic in the end of the building, as there had been in its original construction.

In 1851 the British Empire was in its pomp, a world power showing it was the hub of world trade. By 1936 times had changed, and though still a major power Britain was evidently slipping away from her greatest days. The situation was summed up perfectly by Winston Churchill who had witnessed the flames soaring into the night sky: ï¿½This is the end of an age.ï¿½ The Demolition of the Crystal Palace, 1936-1941 – A Treasury of World's Fair Art & Architecture No one will ever know what really did happen that night (Beaver, 143). Indeed no one after sixty-five years precisely knows why and how the Crystal Palace was set on fire. On November 30, 1936 at six in the evening, the manager of the Palace, Henry Buckland, noticed a red glow ablaze in a staff lavatory. He called firemen and workmen to extinguish the blaze and went on with his duties. Within five minutes, the fire had swept across the Palace, which eventually then was evacuated.

Over half of London???s entire fire brigade eventually arrived with 381 firemen and 89 engines, but the blaze was too fierce. Stories of arson abounded because of the large amounts of flammable material the gigantic structure contained, but the true cause may have been a terrible accident (British Path??). Built for the Great Exhibition of 1851, the Crystal Palace was originally located in London???s Hyde Park. In 1851 England was the major industrial power in the world and the Crystal Palace symbolized such dominance. As the building was unprecedented in scale and destination, its future after the fair was uncertain and became a hot topic. Around that time its designer, Joseph Paxton, joined with his colleagues Samuel Laing, Arthur Anderson, Charles Lushington, John Scott Russell, Francis Fuller, Thomas Newman Farquhar, Charles Geach and Edmund Sexton Pery Calvert and formed the Crystal Palace Company. As the company issued shares and raised ??1.3 million, it was able to buy the palace from its builders, the engineers of Fox and Henderson. They were also able to secure 349 acres in Sydenham Hill, which was in Greater London.

The site was very convenient, as it was located only fifteen miles from Hyde Park and very desirable because the palace could be rebuilt at the highest point of a hill, with a commanding view of London's southern districts. Paxton eventually won approval for the transfer and proceeded to alter and enlarge the new building adding several tiers and increasing the height of the central transept. He also replaced the inner ribs with steel instead of iron. The palace's dimensions were 1608ft in length; 312ft in width, and the central transept had a height of 106ft (for the Hyde park structure) as opposed to 1848ft in length, 456ft in width, and the height of 168ft. The Crystal Palace Company also decided to enhance the new surroundings with gardens and a series of fountains. The Palace reopened in June of 1854 and was used as a venue for major exhibitions, firework displays, balloon ascents, concerts and sporting events. Eventually, The Crystal Palace stood there until it perished in the hands of nature down and with it the symbol of England's industrial power and political prestige (Hobhouse, 164).

Our actual image measures four inches by four inches is in a set of two pictures and shows the dismantling by the Thomas W. Ward company, of Sheffield and London. This is not a professional photograph, but most likely a snapshot taken by a local tourist days after the fire, which probably never appeared in print. The Special collections at the University of Maryland preserved thirteen amateur photographs showing the demolition of the Crystal Palace. This series is of great, if not unique, documentary value. The picture you are seeing on the screen makes the Palace look smaller than it really was. It only shows the inner vault of the Crystal Palace and the remains of the long barrel vault of the transept. The other picture in this set of two shows the metal frame standing as two workers haul away rubble in the background. It is important to note that the removal process was mostly done by hand and not with machinery. Workers kept carting away elements of the destroyed Palace, totally removing it from the site. Only one tower was saved from the fire. The steel ribs that support the vault are clearly visible in the photo, as the glass membrane mostly had been destroyed.

The strong contrast of black and white tones reflects the somber mood of the event, and adds to the drama of the great fire. One can also view the masonry foundation punctuated with classical pediments. Pieces of bent steel supports are also visible, bearing witness to the sheer force of the fire and its destructive nature. Iron and steel construction can carry very heavy loads, and this material is not flammable, yet it loses its ability to support great weight under the effects of high temperatures. The fire weakened the beams of the Crystal Palace, causing them to bend and curl under their own weight. Countless books and articles have been written on the Crystal Palace and the Great Exhibition of 1851, but few provide information on its demolition. During the fair, many famous architects and critics criticized Paxton's design. August Welby Pugin, a proponent of Gothic architecture, called it a "glass-monster" and even told Paxton "You had better keep to building greenhouses, and I will keep to my churches and cathedrals"(Harrison). Thomas Carlyle called it a "big glass soap bubble", and John Ruskin a "conservatory".

Ruskin's term, albeit somewhat mischievous, held an element of truth as Joseph Paxton's building experience had so far been confined to greenhouses. More recently the Crystal Palace has been called "proto-modern architecture" and has served as a precedent for commercial architecture in Europe and North America (Illustrated London News). While in existence, the Crystal Palace stood as a symbol of the economic, industrial and political strength of England. Ironically its demolition came at a time when British political and economic superiority began to crumble. After Paxton's death in 1865 at Sydenham Hill, the palace started to slowly go into decline, as admission fees did not cover maintenance costs. In 1913, as a result of the fund raising campaign launched by the Lord Mayor of London the Palace became the property of the nation. By that time the building, starved for so long of proper care and attention, was in a very poor condition. Under Henry Buckland's management the palace was repaired, cleaned, improved and even started to show a slight profit.

In the 1930's, during the Great Depression, British economy was stagnating with high unemployment and England started to its supremacy as Hitler began to gain power in Germany. The Crystal Palace on fire brought the end of England's might in world???s affairs. No longer would royalty such as Napoleon III who went in 1855; the Sultan of Turkey in 1867, the Khedive of Egypt in 1869, the Shah of Persia in 1873, Tsar Alexander II in 1874, the Sultan of Zanzibar in 1875, the King and Queen of Greece in 1876, and the Kaiser in 1891 pay a visit. During World War II the dismantling continued and the water towers were demolished in 1940 and 1941, as they were likely targets for enemy bombers. The final blow struck at 10:40pm on October 24, 1950 when the remains of the south wing were destroyed by fire.

The British Press saw the demolition of the Crystal Palace as a big blow to the political power of England and the general public wondered, "how can steel and glass burn so fiercely" (Beaver, 144). The fire was witnessed by thousands of onlookers. The fire burned for the rest of the night with great intensity, but pockets of fire still were present 20 hours later. The London Times had reported that the country was very sad and grieved over the loss of London's most famous and favorite tourist attractions. Before it burnt, the palace had even been described as "a symbol of universal happiness and brotherhood of mystical significance" (Beaver, 144). The British Path??, a radio station, even compared it to a somewhat forgotten grandparent who was more decisively missed upon his or her death. A few members of Parliament demanded that the Palace be rebuilt to demonstrate England's enduring might. They continued to push the rebuilding campaign arguing that it cost less than one of the battleship used in the World Wars.

The London Times said, "the tragedy of the Titanic in 1911 ended the Edwardian age", while the demolition of the palace would "be the end of old values of the British system" (Packer). The fire left a void in the park, which has never been filled and the area lost much of its interest. The terraces and steps still exist and the site is still listed as a Grade II historic park. The site recently has been threatened by the local council of Bromley, which wants to build a 20-screen cinema multiplex with restaurants, bars and rooftop parking for a thousand cars. The Crystal Palace Foundation was founded in July 1979 and gathers enthusiasts who want to preserve the history of the Crystal Palace. In 1990 the Crystal Palace Museum at the Sydenham site was opened and staffed solely by Crystal Palace Foundation volunteers. For over 150 years, the Crystal Palace has stood the test of all that it was faced with and now hopefully the Park can stand the test of economic and political conditions. The demolition of a fair building had never created such a commotion, which is understandable given the unprecedented love of the Crystal Palace. Works Cited Beaver, Patrick.

The Crystal Palace, 1851-1936: a portrait of Victorian enterprise. London: Hugh Evelyn Ltd., 1970. British Path??. Video of Demolition of Crystal Palace. (accessed March 2003). Creveling, Elizabeth. Photograph of Demolition of Crystal Palace. #CPDem (accessed March 2003). Findling, John E. Historical Dictionary of World's Fairs and Expositions 1851-1988. New York City: Greenwood Press, 1990. Harrison, Melvin. Crystal Palace, the End. (acessed March 2003). Hobhouse, Christopher. 1851 and the Crystal Palace. London: Murray, 1950. Hyman, Isabelle and Marvin Trachtenberg. Architecture From Prehistory to Post-Modernism. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1986. Illustrated London News. Burning of Glass Monster. Number 11, November 1936. 2-4. Packer, Martin. 2001 Remember and Celebrates.

history/1851/2001coin.html (accessed March 2003). Smithsonian Institution Libraries. The Books Of The Fairs. Chicago: American Library Association, 1992. November 30, 1936: The Crystal Palace is destroyed by fire - BT November 30, 1936: The Crystal Palace is destroyed by fire South London's iconic Crystal Palace was destroyed by fire 85 years after it had been the centrepiece of Britain's Great Exhibition. Print this story On November 30, 1936, the Crystal Palace, an iconic structure which had come to epitomise the pomp of the Victorian era, was destroyed by one of the greatest fires ever seen in London. The 990,000 square foot cast iron and plate glass building was constructed in Hyde Park for the Great Exhibition in 1851, at the behest of the Queen’s husband Prince Albert. In 1854 it was redesigned and reconstructed on Penge Common, by Sydenham Hill in South East London.

At just after 7pm on the evening of November 30 the Palace’s manager, Sir Henry Buckland, was walking in the grounds of the building when he saw a red glow emanating from it. He found two nightwatchmen trying to douse a fire that had begun in the women’s cloakroom and spread to the central transept. The blaze took hold with alarming speed as the flames, helped by a strong wind, swept across the Palace’s acres of timber flooring, up into galleries and along glazing bars. The Penge Fire Brigade was not called until nearly 8pm; by that time, the building was an inferno. Its glow, which was said could be seen across eight counties, proved an attraction for Londoners; an estimated 100,000 made their way to Sydenham Hill to watch the conflagration. Despite the best efforts of 88 fire appliances and 438 men from four brigades, the building could not be saved, its central transept collapsing with a deafening roar. Buckland told reporters that the magnificent structure would “live in the memories not only of Englishmen, but the whole world”. Should the Crystal Palace be rebuilt?

Let us know in the Comments section below. The Crystal Palace - Did you know? The original Palace had measured 1,851 feet (564 m) long, with an interior height of 128 feet (39 m), and was at the time the largest amount of glass ever seen in a building. The name ‘Crystal Palace’ came from a satirical article in an 1850 edition of Punch about the forthcoming Exhibition, by playwright Douglas Jerrold. Though the building had not yet been approved, he spoke of it as ‘a palace of very crystal’, and the name stuck. From the time of its reopening on Penge Common in 1854 to 1884, the Palace averaged 2 million visitors a year, hosting a wide range of shows and exhibitions, meetings for numerous societies and organisations, as well as concerts, circuses, pantomimes, and weekly firework displays that only ceased in 1935. The building suffered its first major fire in 1866. The north transept was destroyed and never rebuilt. In 1911, the building hosted The Festival of Empire for George V’s coronation.

Despite attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors, the revenue raised was still not enough to keep the Palace solvent, and its anticipated sale by auction was announced. A number of ‘Save the Palace’ schemes came into being and the Earl of Plymouth raised the money to prevent it being sold to developers. The Lord Mayor of London set up a fund to repay him, and in 1913 the Palace became the property of the nation. The cause of the fire was never discovered, but theories have included old and faulty wiring to a carelessly-discarded cigarette falling between floorboards. At the time of the fire, the Norwood Orchestra was practising in the Garden Hall. One escaping violinist recalled hearing ghastly groans coming from the building, which she later discovered were caused by hot air rushing through the pipes of its huge Handel organ. Winston Churchill, on his way to Chartwell from London, broke his journey to view the blaze. He is reported to have watched with tears in his eyes, saying: “This is the end of an age.” ‘Crystal Palace’ came to denote the area where the building had stood, as well as naming the sports stadium that was built on its grounds and the local football team.

The north and south towers survived the inferno, but were summarily dismantled early in World War II. Some statues and steps remained until the 1960s but these were removed during construction of the sports stadium. There have recently been tentative discussions between a Chinese developer and Bromley Council for a replica Crystal Palace to be built on the grounds of the old building. Video: The Crystal Palace is destroyed | History Today Video: The Crystal Palace is destroyed By Dean Nicholas Posted 30th November 2015, 11:11 A marvel of the Victorian era, the Crystal Palace was destroyed in a fire on November 30th, 1936. Opened by Queen Victoria for the Great Exhibition of 1851, the Crystal Palace, a vast steel-and-glass structure designed by Joseph Paxton, was originally sited in Hyde Park. When the Exhibition ended, the Palace was bought up by a private company, dismantled and moved to Sydenham, south-east London, where it was re-built as the centerpiece of an expansive new garden, complete with (inaccurate) models of dinosaurs.

Despite these attractions the 'Acropolis of Empire' was not a financial success, despite a dedicated railway line from central London ferrying visitors to it, and was eventually purchased by the government in 1909. On November 30th 1936, a fire began in the cloakroom. The flames spread quickly, aided by strong winds and the timber flooring used throughout, and the entire building was soon destroyed. Related articles What Happened in 1936 including Pop Culture, Significant Events, Key Technology and Inventions UK --- King Edward VIII abdicates King Edward VIII abdicates to marry Wallis Simpson More Information and Timeline for Edward VIII Abdication 1. King George V dies in January of 1936 only a year after celebrating his Silver Jubilee. 2. Edward VIII, the Prince of Wales, becomes Great Britain's ruling monarch from January to December of 1936. 3. Throughout his youth Edward had various affairs with married women. In 1930 he had fallen in love with a married woman named Wallis Simpson. 4. Simpson got divorced in 1936 and it was clear that Edward was going to marry her. 5.

Wallis Simpson would not have been an appropriate Queen as she was a two-time divorcee and both of her previous husbands were still alive. When faced with the prospect of choosing the crown or love, Edward made the decision to abdicate and renounce his claim to the throne. 6. Edward ordered the Instrument of Abdication on December 10th of 1936 and it became effective on the next day. He also gave up any claim that his children might have to the throne. He had never been crowned King and he had ruled for a total of three-hundred and twenty-five days. 7. His brother Albert became King next and took the name George VI. 8. Edward married Wallis Simpson in 1937 and he became the Duke of Windsor after his abdication. 9. Edward and Wallis lived abroad for the rest of their lives in places like France and the Bahamas. He died in 1972 at the age of seventy-eight. 10. Some controversy surrounded the Duke and his political beliefs as he had made visits to Nazi Germany and had reportedly supported Hitler.

Some people believe that his abdication was less for love and more to prevent a King with extreme political beliefs from taking the throne during a time of political crisis and impending war. He had also reportedly showed support for the unemployed and poor. at the Summer Olympics in Berlin More Information and Timeline for Jesse Owens 1. Jesse Owens was born in September 1913. 2. Jesse Owens ties one world record and breaks five world records in May of 1935 within forty-five minutes at the Big Ten Intercollegiate Championship. 3. The 1936 Summer Olympics were held in Berlin, Germany. Germany's leader, Adolf Hitler, had hoped that the Germans would dominate the games and therefore back up his claims of racial superiority. 4. Jesse Owens, an African-American man, dominated the track and field events at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Here is a break-down of his Olympic accomplishments in Berlin. a. Gold Medal in the 100 meter race b. Gold Medal in the 200 meter race c. Gold Medal in the 4 x 100 meter race d. Gold Medal in the long jump e. Broke or equaled nine Olympic records f.

Broke or equaled three World records 5. Owens managed to defy Hitler's racial claims and was thought of as a hero by those at the Berlin games and abroad. 6. While Owens was hailed as a hero by the people when he returned home to the United States, he still faced prejudice and discrimination in a racially segregated country. Owens was also denied recognition by US leaders and was effectively ignored by then President Roosevelt and his successor Truman. 7. Owens ended his athletic career after the Olympics in 1936. He died at the age of eighty from lung cancer. UK --- BBC First Public Television broadcasts BBC starts the first public Television broadcasts in London More Information and Timeline for BBC Television Broadcasts 1. The British Broadcasting Company is formed and the BBC begins to broadcast a regular daily radio service across the United Kingdom in 1922. 2. The British Broadcasting Company Ltd. is closed at the end of the year in 1926. Starting in 1927 , the British Broadcasting Corporation is formed by Royal Charter. 3. The first television broadcasts were made by John Logie Baird using BBC transmitters and frequencies starting in 1929. 4.

Simultaneous picture and sound television broadcasts began in 1930 with the opening of a second BBC radio transmitter. 5. By 1932 , the BBC took over the responsibility of making television programs from Baird after they built a television studio. 6. Daily television transmissions continued until 1935 using Baird's system. 7. In 1936, the BBC begins the world's first regular "high-definition" television service in November, replacing Baird's system. United States --- Rural Electrification Act The Rural Electrification Act becomes law, bringing electricity to the more remote parts of the country. More Information for the Rural Electrification Act The Rural Electrification Act was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during May of 1936. The law provided low-cost loans to rural farmers to help them create cooperative electric power companies. The cooperatives would then bring electricity into homes in the rural regions of the United States. While electricity was quite common in U.S. cities during this time, much of rural America did not have access to it yet.

Lawmakers believed that by bringing it to less densely populated areas the people living there would have an improved quality of life. The act revolutionized rural America by bringing more of the country into the modern world and equalizing the opportunities of urban and rural communities. Germany --- Hindenburg The LZ 129 Hindenburg a German zeppelin is completed and takes it's Maiden Flight In Germany More Information for the Hindenburg first flight The German airship "The Hindenburg" had its first public flight during March of 1936. It was launched from Friedrichshafen, Germany and the inaugural flight was used as a propaganda tool by Nazi Germany. The Hindenburg airship toured around Germany with the Graf Zeppelin airship for several days dropping leaflets asking the public to support the German occupation of the Rhineland, a violation of the Treaty of Versailles. The Hindenburg then became a commercial airship that was used to ferry passengers between the United States and Germany until it was famously destroyed when it burst into flames while attempting to land in New Jersey in 1937. Spain - Francisco Franco becomes Head of State The Spanish Civil War begins and Francisco Franco is named the Head of State.

On July 18th The Spanish Civil War begins More Information for Spanish Civil War General Francisco Franco was named the Head of State in Spain for the Nationalist government during October of 1936. The Spanish Civil War had started in July of 1936 when the rebel Nationalists, headed by Franco, began an armed uprising against the Republican government. The civil war continued for more than two years and Franco did not defeat the Republicans until March of 1939 when the Nationalists took Madrid and the civil war ended. General Francisco Franco continued to hold his position as the dictator of Spain until his death in 1975. UK / Canada --- Aviator Beryl Markham Aviator Beryl Markham becomes the first woman to complete a non-stop transatlantic flight from East to West. More Information for Beryl Markham Aviator Beryl Markham becomes the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean from East to West during September of 1936. Markham was born in Britain but lived most of her life in Kenya. As a young woman she earned her pilot's license and worked as a commercial pilot.

In 1936 Markham set out from England in her Vega Gull plane on what would become the first non-stop solo transatlantic crossing from East to West by a female pilot and the first transatlantic crossing from East to West to leave from England. She flew for over twenty hours and was forced to stop at Cape Breton Island in Canada due to low fuel just short of her original intended destination in New York. United Kingdom -- Crystal Palace Fire The Crystal Palace in London, England is destroyed in a huge fire on November 30th of 1936. The building�s manager Henry Buckland noticed a small fire during the night while walking his dog and called for help. Over 80 fire engines and 400 officers came to the scene but by the morning most of the building had been destroyed. The cause of the fire was unknown but was thought to be accidental. The historic glass and steel structure had been build in 1851 for the �Great Exhibition,� one of the first World�s Fairs. After the Exhibition the Crystal Palace was moved and turned into a park. It proved difficult to maintain due to its large size and by the 1910s it had fallen into disrepair.

United States --- Gone With The Wind The book Gone With The Wind is Published on June 30th. More Information for Gone With the Wind. In June of 1936, Margaret Mitchell's epic novel "Gone With the Wind" is published in the United States. The book focused on the life of fictional Southern belle "Scarlett O'Hara" in Atlanta prior to the outbreak of the Civil War, during the war, and during reconstruction. The book soon became one of the best-selling novels in history, winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1937. Mitchell also faced criticism over her glorified portrayal of the Civil War and slave-owners in the South. By 1939 it had been made into a very popular, Academy award-winning, classic American movie. United States --- "The Phantom" comic strip The first "The Phantom" comic strip is published. More Information for The Phantom Comic Strip "The Phantom" comic strip is published for the first time as a daily newspaper comic strip during February of 1936. Created by Lee Falk, the Phantom is considered a seminal character in the development of modern superhero characters.

The Phantom is believed to be the first comic hero to wear a form-fitting costume with a mask that hides the hero's pupils, both standard features of many modern hero characters. Falk wrote the comic up until his death in 1999 when it was taken over by several other writers. The story revolved around the "Phantom" who was a mysterious hero that dedicated himself to fighting injustice in the fictional African country of "Bangalla." The comic is still being created today and over 2,000 issues have been published. United States --- Tornadoes strike Tupelo, Mississippi and Gainesville Killer Tornadoes strike Tupelo, Mississippi and Gainesville, Georgia. More Information for the Tupelo-Gainesville Tornado Outbreak The Tupelo-Gainesville tornado outbreak occurs during April of 1936 when several strong tornadoes spawned throughout the southern United States over four days. About seventeen tornadoes struck Arkansas, Kentucky, Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Mississippi, with Tupelo, MS and Gainesville, GA being hit by some of the strongest storms.

The series of tornadoes devastated the region with over 450 total deaths and with estimates of up to 3,500 people injured. The cost of the damage was thought to be in the millions of dollars and the severity of the situation encouraged the country to develop more sophisticated tornado warning systems in the following years. Calendar For The Year 1936 BBC - London - History - Lost in flames You are in: London > History > Cutty Sark > Lost in flames The Crystal Palace Lost in flames Sadly, the Cutty Sark is not the only historic tourist attraction that has been destroyed in a fire. BBC London looks back through the flames Crystal Palace 1936 Crystal Palace originally stood in Hyde Park for the Great Exhibition in 1851, but when that finished the whole glass and iron structure was re-located to south east London. It re-opened in 1854 to a site then known as Penge Place Estate. Its designer Sir Joseph Paxton, said it would become a 'Winter Park and Garden under Glass'.

At 1,848 feet long and 408 feet wide, with two huge towers and fountains with over 11,000 jets rising into the air, the site was soon attracting two million visitors every year. Events included festivals, concerts and sports, such as cricket and FA Cup football. It even had a rollercoaster. Another attraction was the prehistoric swamp with models of dinosaurs - the first models of their kind coming only 30 years after the discovery of the first fossils. Although Crystal Palace had already fallen into a state of disrepair (the Two Towers had been destroyed in WWII) and, indeed, it had been declared bankrupt in 1911, it was a huge fire on the night of 30th November 1936 that brought the most devastation. Because the glass panes had been replaced with boarding and with so much dry timber flooring, the fire soon spread over the whole site. In an attempt to bring the fire under control 88 fire engines, 438 officers, men from 4 fire brigades and 749 police officers on duty that historic night. By the morning most of the building had been destroyed.

The cause of the fire is unknown, but it is thought that old electrical wiring is to blame. All that remains today are some crumbling terraces and a bust of Sir Joseph Paxton, but there has been a refurbishment of the Dinosaur Park. Reports in 2007 suggest that the two giant towers will be rebuilt and used as environmentally friendly electricity generators. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites Windsor Castle 1992 A spotlight shining on a curtain is believed to have started a fire in Windsor Castle that soon spread to over 100 rooms and threatened to destroy one of the greatest art collections in the world. The Duke of York, who was in residence at the time of the fire, joined the human chain that was removing the valuable, and in some cases priceless, works of art out of the castle. It is thought that most of the collection was saved. The fire started at 11am in a private chapel on the first floor of the north-east wing and took 250 firefighters nearly 15 hours and 1.5 million gallons of water to put out. The restoration cost £40m pounds and took five years to complete.

The Queen met 70% of the costs and opened up Buckingham Palace to the public to generate extra funds. Alexandra Palace 1980 Ed Marks of Stoke Newington emailed BBC London to remind us of the Alexandra Palace fire in 1980. In fact, this was not the first time that 'Ally Pally' had been on fire. Just sixteen days after it opened in 1873 the Palace was destroyed by a fire in the Dome. It would not open again for two years. On 10th July 1980, the Great Hall, Banqueting Suite, former roller rink and theatre dressing rooms were completely destroyed in another fire. After development and restoration work, it re-opened in March 1988. Ed Marks recalls, "I was living in Muswell Hill at the time and remember seeing a huge pall of smoke as I came home on the 134 bus, approaching Muswell Hill Broadway. I didn't realise what it was until I got home." "Because of its position at the top of the hill, it was difficult to get water up to the fire, so a chain of fire engines was used to pump water from the bottom of the park.

It took nearly 3 days to put the fire out." Madame Tussauds 1925 In 1802, Marie Tussaud, a French woman, was travelling around England and Ireland exhibiting her collection of waxworks, which included big names of the day such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Benjamin Franklin. The outbreak of the Franco-English war in 1803 meant she was unable to travel back to her homeland and that a permanent base for her collection was needed. The first permanent exhibition was opened on Baker Street in 1835. The museum then moved to its current location on Marylebone Road in 1884. In 1925 a fire destroyed most of the figures inside but, crucially, the moulds survived and the historic waxworks could be re-made. The exhibition re-opened in 1928. The cause of the fire is unknown. Madame Tussauds, which now incorporates the London Planetarium, is still a popular tourist attraction and has branches throughout the world. The Globe Theatre today The Globe Theatre 1613 On its completion in 1598, The Globe was the grandest and biggest theatre in London.

However, it didn't just show plays - it was also reputed to be a brothel and gambling den. Perhaps most famous for staging Shakespeare's plays, the Bard was also a working actor on its boards. On June 29 1613, a cannon, used for heralding grand entrances, misfired during a performance of Henry VIII - the thatched roof caught on fire and burned the whole theatre to the ground. Although it was rebuilt the following year, in 1642 the theatre was closed down and destroyed under the strict religious regime of Oliver Cromwell's Puritans. It was a time when many social activities were being suppressed and eventually the conflict between the Puritans and the Royalists led to the English civil war. The foundations of the Globe Theatre was not discovered until 1989, and soon work began, 200 yards from the original, to recreate the site to its former glory. It was the first thatched roof building to be built in London since the Great Fire of London in 1666. The restored Globe finally opened in 1995. Do you know of any other London landmarks or tourist attractions that have been damaged in fires?

Email us at yourlondon@bbc.co.uk last updated: 10/04/2008 at 12:26 created: 21/05/2007 The Crystal Palace fire | Sarah J. Young UCL SSEES The Crystal Palace fire Seventy-five years ago, on 30th November 1936, the Crystal Palace was destroyed by fire. Contemporary newsreels give a good impression of the events of that evening: You can also see the Pathe newsreels here , and parts of the Crystal Palace is on Fire video made by the Crystal Palace Foundation. What really struck me as I was looking for accounts and images of the fire is the extent to which it was and continues to be seen as a spectacle, comparable with all the palace’s previous performances. This letter by Edgar McWilliam, written the day after the fire, describes traffic and pedestrians surging up the hill to watch. The report from The Guardian on 1 December 1936 also focused on the crowds of on-lookers: The immensity of the crowd destroyed the possibility of evacuating the area around the tower.

Anerley Hill, where the tower was most likely to fall, was one solid, seething mass of people. Mounted and foot police struggled to force the crowd back. Even the fire engines were hemmed in. […] It was a strange crowd which came out to see the end of a famous London landmark. There were the connoisseurs forearmed with a knowledge of local topography. There were the sort of young men and women to be seen at almost any free entertainment in the streets. There were vast numbers of cyclists, both men and women. There were youngish men and women with traces of Bloomsbury, Hampstead and Chelsea in their clothes and speech, taking the whole affair very gravely. But among these were to be seen many elderly men and women to whom the destruction of the Palace meant the end of a chapter in their lives. That sense of both the spectacle of the fire, and what the building meant to people, is also apparent in this lovely animation, The Crystal Palace is on Fire , by Peter Rest.

And this ‘souvenir’ postcard of the fire is a good indication of the perception of the fire as the palace’s final performance: This all seems to present a distinct contrast with how the fire was reported internationally, where it seems its significance wasn’t always understood, as a feature in Life magazine, 23 December 1936, shows (pp. 33-35). Describing the palace as a ‘gigantic greenhouse,’ the article rather sniffily labels one of the pictures, ‘Wreckage of Crystal Palace art consisting of hideous plaster copies from the Egyptian, Greek, Pompeian, Byzantine and Gothic. If it had been real art, the fire would have done a billion dollars damage’, which rather misses the point. Here, the spectacular nature of the fire lies merely in its size, but the innate sense of the palace itself as a show, and its copies as architectural, archaeological and artistic theatre, eludes the author. Seventy-five years later, the sphinxes and statues adorning the terraces have been transformed from archaeological pastiche to real ruins, but that sense of spectacle is still apparent.

Sphinx, Crystal Palace park, November 2011 Walking through the ruins gives a taste of what an extraordinary sight the palace must have made. It indicates how powerful the trace of something that has essentially vanished can be. In the case of the Crystal Palace, I think that’s because its real power lay not in Joseph Paxton’s innovative design for the iron-and-glass structure alone – it was always its appeal to the imagination that mattered most. Share this:

Question: Which famous London building was destroyed by fire in November 1936?
Answer: The Crystal Palace