the fire of 1866
After the fire of 1866
After the fire of 1866
An accidental fire occurred on the 30th December, 1866; and the larger portion of the northern wing, including the tropical department and the Assyrian Court, was burnt down. An unfortunate chimpanzee, which had been one of the 'lions' of the palace, perished in the flames. This wing has only been partially rebuilt, much to the injury of the symmetry of the edifice. Whatever may have been the cause of this disastrous fire, it was, at all events, a curious fact that it occurred on the very day after a lecture on combustion had been given in the palace.
From London Old and New by Edward Walford MA, published in 1878 by Cassell & Company Ltd, partially reprinted in 1995 as Walford's History of Sydenham and the Crystal Palace by Local History Reprints, 316 Green Lane, Streatham, London SW16 3AS.
