Crystal Palace Park – not such a dinosaur: a public park in the 21st century

Winter Lecture Series 2020/21 organised jointly by The Gardens Trust and The London Gardens Trust
Monday, 8 March 2021, 6-7pm
Kathryn Whitmore, Associate Landscape Architect, AECOM; Lizzi Hewett-Brown, Bromley Council; Valerie Shawcross, Crystal Palace Park.
Opened in 1854 to house Sir Joseph Paxton’s Crystal Palace, relocated from the 1851 Great Exhibition, Crystal Palace Park is an 80 hectare iconic Victorian Park. Considered by many as the first theme park, it signalled a leisure revolution catering for a growing urban population.
With the loss of the Palace in 1936, the Park lost its way. It is still however, a highly valued community asset and retains the essence of the original design. This illustrated talk discusses the approach to transforming an enormous and internationally recognised Park, within the economic constraints of a local authority. The Regeneration Plan seeks to deliver both a renovated park and a new governance and business model, which will create a step change in the long term future of Crystal Palace Park.
Kathryn Whitmore is lead consultant for the Regeneration Plan working with
Lizzi-Hewitt-Brown, Bromley Council and Valerie Shawcross, Crystal Palace Park
Trust. Crystal Palace Park is owned and managed by Bromley Council. Crystal Palace Park Trust, a community led Charity, is working with the Council to become established as custodians with responsibility for managing the park in the future.

All lectures and booking online. Tickets: £4 for Gardens Trust/London Gardens Trust/all County Gardens Trusts members, £6 for non-members; season tickets for 12 lectures: £40/£60
The lecture will be live online on the day but will be available as a recording afterwards. All ticket holders will be sent a link to the recording the day after the lecture. The recording will be available for one week.