The
Crystal Palace
Foundation

Reproduction of 1856 guide book by Samuel Phillips

Detailed descriptions and many illustrations make this guide a comprehensive overview, together with descriptions of the special courts and galleries. It also offers a walking tour around the park’s thematic gardens. The Geological Illustrations and Extinct Animals are described, including the famous dinosaurs of Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins. Maps include both palace and park.

Contents
Introduction
Course adopted in Guide
Site
Entrance to the Palace
Account of the building
Hot-water apparatus
The Artesian well, and fountains supply
Crystal towers and prospect galleries
The nave
Great Transept
Introduction to the fine arts courts
The Egyptian court
The Greek court
Greek sculptures
The Roman court
Sculptures in Roman court and nave
The Alhambra court
The Assyrian court
The Byzantine and Romaneque court
The German Mediæval court
The English Mediæval court
The French and Italian Mediæval court
The Renaissance court
The Elizabethan court
The Italian court
Italian vestibule
The Stationery court
Court of New Inventions
The Birmingham court
The Sheffield court
The Pompeian court
Natural History Department
                                New World
                                 Old World
The Musical Instruments court
Foreign Glass Manufacturers
Ceramic court
A walk through the nave
English and German Sculpture court
Portrait gallery
The Library Reading and News Room
The Greek and Roman Sculpture court
The Tropical end of the building
The aviaries
The Ægina Marbles
The Picture gallery
The Colossal Egyptian figures
Court of Monuments of Christian Art
The Colossal figure of Duquesne
The Court of French and Italian Sculpture
List of modern sculptures
The garden of the nave
Main and Upper galleries
Naval Museum, and collection of engineering and agricultural models
The Indian and Chinese court
Raw produce collection
Machinery in Motion Department
Agricultural implements Department
The Park, Gardens and fountains
The Archery Ground
The Geological Illustrations and extinct animals

Why the 1856 edition?
The general guide was first published in 1854 with the opening of the park. It quickly went through several printings in 1854 and 1855, which the publisher called "editions". When the 1854 edition first went to press, however, the palace and park were still coming together. (For instance, the fountains weren't yet working!) The 1854 guide is more about hopes than reality. We chose to reprint the 1856 edition because the information accurately describes the park as visitors actually experienced it. Compared with the 1854 edition, the 1856 guide has more maps and floorplans, more drawings of exhibits, and far better descriptions of the gardens.

The differences show how quickly exhibits evolved in the palace and park during its first few years. Later editions, such as for 1860 and 1862, were substantially revised.

The 1860 edition uses most of the same images, though their quality is reduced. Some important historical information was removed. Compared with other versions of the guide, the 1856 edition is special.

197 pages paperback 76 illustrations