The aftermath of the Crystal Palace fire on 30th November 1936, showing the remains of a concrete wall, turned into rubble by the fire. The long pillar in the middle is of cast iron, which has bent but not cracked. The Crystal Palace was built for the Great Exhibition in 1851, in Hyde Park. It was then dismantled after the exhibition, and reconstructed in Sydenham Hill, South London, where it stayed until its destruction. All that remains today are the water towers and the gardens, now Crystal Palace Park.