What started the fire that destroyed the Crystal Palace in 1936?

Brainy Blonde

It seems this has been quite a mystery ever since the fire happened. In the late 1990's a team from the New Cross Fire Station, decided to try and find the cause of the fire, using the old evidence and modern fire investigation techniques. They came to the conclusion that the cause was either 'the poor state of the building' or 'arson.' I found this information at: www.channel4.com/plus/history/crystalp2.html Jun 28 01, 3:53 AM

gtho4

The cause of the fire that destroyed the Crystal Palace is unknown, although an electrical fault due to old wiring is suspected. At first it was not believed to be serious but with so much dry old timber flooring it spread rapidly. Broken glass panels in the roof had been replaced with boarding and as the heat rose these caught fire turning the transepts into chimneys. A strong northerly wind did the rest and by the next day all that remained were the two transepts and a tangled mass of iron and melted glass. All attempts to rebuild have ended in failure. The two towers were demolished during World War II and much of the statuary was sold off in the 1950s. Apart from the TV transmitter, all that remains today are crumbling terraces and the park. http://www.ideal-homes.org.uk/bromley/crystal-palace/crystal-palace-fire.htm Feb 07 05, 8:54 AM

gtho4

This one's probably more authoritative, but the answer's the same - unknown, probably an accident. At about 7pm he and Chrystal left their house ('Rockhills') on the northern corner of Crystal Palace Parade, to walk their dog. He walked towards the Crystal Palace and noticed a red glow in the building. He ran inside to see two night-watchmen attempting to extinguish a small fire in the office area in the centre transept. It soon became obvious that the situation was very serious. The first fire brigade call was received by Penge fire station at 7:59pm, the first fire engine arriving at 8:03. By the morning of Tuesday 1st December the building was no more. There had been 88 fire engines, 438 officers men from 4 fire brigades and 749 police officers on duty that historic night. The cause was never truly established and stories of arson abounded but because of the size of the building and the huge amounts of flammable material it contained, the true cause was probably just a terrible accident. http://www.crystalpalacefoundation.org.uk/History/default.asp?ID=14 Feb 07 05, 9:02 AM

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