Crystal Palace Dinosaur "damaged"...Really?

lundi 25 mai 2020

A report on the BBC regarding alleged "damage" to the much loved stone carved dinosaurs on the island in Crystal Palace Park.

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I remember these well when I was a young kid and my mum and dad used to take me to the park. They frightened me at the time and I kept referring to them as those "'orrible animals". They are an important and one of the few remnants remaining of what was once the great 1851 exhibition glass palace, and the gardens complex surrounding it.

As for the damage, one image shows the missing bits, but the other image taken before the lower jaw had been dislodged(as the report states), reveals existing crack lines on top of the nose and around the lower jaw. I would draw attention to the plant growth in the first image running down the damaged surface around the nose. This to me, suggests that a rooting of say ivy or similar has exploited the crack over time, and made it worse. The cracks originally were probably caused by ingress of water and frost.

These carvings are Grade I listed and as such, these cracks should have been attended to when first noticed, and restored sufficiently to make them safe from further frost damage and plant ingress. No evidence in the article is presented to suggest vandalism, and it seems that the account is being used to cover up neglect by the charity responsible for their care and preservation.

I hope that they have got the broken parts and will now spend a bit of cash restoring the dinosaur back to its original condition, and check all the others too in the process..


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