Heritage At Risk.
The Crystal Palace Subway, Crystal Palace Parade, Crystal Palace Park, Bromley, Greater London.
The Crystal Palace Subway is a richly decorated underpass with eighteen stone columns, evenly spaced and topped by terracotta-and-cream brickwork fanned vaults. The subway runs under the Crystal Palace Parade. Built in 1865 by Charles Barry Junior as an entrance to the Crystal Palace for those arriving by train. View showing the newly restored structure. View from east looking into the vaults. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Crystal-Palace-Subway-in-2024\_View-from-east-looking-into-the-vaulted-underpass-%C2%A9-Historic-England-Archive.jpg?fit=300%2C278&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Crystal-Palace-Subway-in-2024\_View-from-east-looking-into-the-vaulted-underpass-%C2%A9-Historic-England-Archive.jpg?fit=640%2C593&ssl=1" class=" wp-image-198416" src="https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Crystal-Palace-Subway-in-2024\_View-from-east-looking-into-the-vaulted-underpass-%C2%A9-Historic-England-Archive.jpg?resize=595%2C551&ssl=1" alt width="595" height="551" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Crystal-Palace-Subway-in-2024\_View-from-east-looking-into-the-vaulted-underpass-%C2%A9-Historic-England-Archive.jpg?resize=1024%2C948&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Crystal-Palace-Subway-in-2024\_View-from-east-looking-into-the-vaulted-underpass-%C2%A9-Historic-England-Archive.jpg?resize=300%2C278&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Crystal-Palace-Subway-in-2024\_View-from-east-looking-into-the-vaulted-underpass-%C2%A9-Historic-England-Archive.jpg?resize=150%2C139&ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Crystal-Palace-Subway-in-2024\_View-from-east-looking-into-the-vaulted-underpass-%C2%A9-Historic-England-Archive.jpg?resize=768%2C711&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Crystal-Palace-Subway-in-2024\_View-from-east-looking-into-the-vaulted-underpass-%C2%A9-Historic-England-Archive.jpg?resize=1536%2C1422&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Crystal-Palace-Subway-in-2024\_View-from-east-looking-into-the-vaulted-underpass-%C2%A9-Historic-England-Archive.jpg?resize=2048%2C1896&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Crystal-Palace-Subway-in-2024\_View-from-east-looking-into-the-vaulted-underpass-%C2%A9-Historic-England-Archive.jpg?w=1280&ssl=1 1280w, https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Crystal-Palace-Subway-in-2024\_View-from-east-looking-into-the-vaulted-underpass-%C2%A9-Historic-England-Archive.jpg?w=1920&ssl=1 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 595px) 100vw, 595px">
Award-winning: almost two decades of determined work and lobbying have been recognised with a prestigious heritage award for the Crystal Palace Subway
It’s Cup final day, and Crystal Palace has already won a trophy.
The historic Crystal Palace Subway has jointly won the prestigious Museums + Heritage Award for restoration or conservation project of the year.
The careful and sympathetic restoration of Crystal Palace Subway – one of the few remaining structures from the Victorian Crystal Palace complex – was led by the Friends of Crystal Palace Subway, who worked tirelessly for more than a decade, and were later guided by expert advice from Historic England. The restoration was completed last year and this unique building is now back in public use 160 years after it opened, under the management of the Crystal Palace Park Trust.
The Crystal Palace Subway won the award with The Landmark Trust’s Calverley Old Hall, beating competition from HMS Victory, and two National Trust projects – Beatrix Potter’s Dolls’ House (Hill Top) and the Long Gallery Ceiling Project at Lanhydrock.
The Museums + Heritage Awards are global awards were presented on Thursday night at a ceremony in central London. The Restoration or Conservation Project of the Year category was awarded in partnership with ICON, the Institute of Conservation.
The award’s judges called the Subway’s restoration, “A bold, beautifully executed restoration, blending community energy with expert conservation to revive a lost historic space. Driven by local passion, it safeguards the past while creating a vibrant future for all.”
Jules Hussey, of the Friends of Crystal Palace Subway, said: “The community remains at the heart of the Subway: as volunteers, visitors and huge fans of this beautiful hidden site. This award recognises the collaboration with Bromley Council, the architects and all the craftspeople involved in this breathtaking restoration, and we are excited by what the future holds for the Subway in the hands of Crystal Palace Park Trust.”
Highlights of the £3.5million project – funded from the City of London Strategic Investment Pot, more than £1million from Historic England, and significant local support and individual donations – include a new glass roof, reconstructed staircases and the reuse and sourcing of heritage materials to maintain the character of the building.
The Subway’s restoration was guided by expert advice provided from Historic England and conducted by conservation specialists DBR Limited and architect Thomas Ford & Partners.
In its first three months since reopening the Subway was visited by around 6,000 people, and hosted events from a craft market and pop-up cinema screenings to stand-up comedy and a silent disco.
Victoria Pinnington, the Chief Executive of Crystal Palace Park Trust, said: “We’ve seen people queuing in the rain to attend our Open Days, and have already hosted a range of events and experiences in the space as well as filming and venue hire bookings.
“We look forward to welcoming visitors to many more events at this special, award-winning place and encourage them to explore the rest of the 200-acre, Grade II*-listed Crystal Palace Park as we embark on the next phase of the park’s transformational regeneration plan.”
The next phase of the regeneration of the park begins next week, and will see the restoration of the Crystal Palace dinosaurs and the historic Italian Terraces, alongside a host of other improvements to the park.
The next opportunities to see the Crystal Palace Subway are:
Saturday May 24, 10am-11am – relaxed session, free, book ahead
Saturday May 24, 11am-2pm – free, book ahead
Sunday June 8, 10am-noon – free, book ahead
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