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Crystal Palace Park dinosaurs saved in restoration

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Iguanodon dinosaur with another green dinosaur in the background

Crystal Palace Park Trust

A big green dinosaur stands in front of a big brown dinosaur

Crystal Palace Park Trust

Close up of Ichthyosaurs

Crystal Palace Park Trust

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Victoria Cook

London

The Grade I listed dinosaurs that live in Crystal Palace Park have been removed from Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register after a multi-million pound regeneration project.

The Victorian sculptures had become cracked and broken following their installation 172 years ago, and risked losing toes, teeth and tails unless they were saved.

Bromley Council used £22m from the sale of nearby land to fund the project, which included improvements across the park. The National Lottery Heritage Fund contributed £5m.

Crystal Palace Park Trust, which co-delivered the project, said the dinosaurs had been restored to their "former glory", and now looked how they did to the Victorians in 1854.

A close look at a heavily damaged dinosaur face.Friends of Crystal Palace Dinosaurs

When the dinosaurs were first placed in the park, they provided the Victorians with the first visual representations of fossil discoveries being made around the world at the time.

The life-sized models would have been "an extraordinary sight" for them, Historic England said.

The sculptures were created to inspire wonder and educate the public, and represented "the cutting edge of scientific knowledge" at the time.

The Megalosaurus being steam cleaned by someone in a high-visibility jacket.Historic England Archive

Claudia Kenyatta and Emma Squire, co-CEOs of Historic England, said the models came at a time when the Victorians were asking "big questions about the origins of life on Earth".

They said the dinosaurs were "internationally important in the history of science and loved by people around the world".

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were said to have been fascinated by the dinosaur displays and visited several times.

A person works on an Iguanodon foot that is being revealed with original paint pigment still intact.Historic England Archive

Over the decades, the sculptures became weathered and damaged, and in 2020 they were added to the Heritage at Risk Register.

The register aims to highlight historic sites that need renovation and financial support.

Yvonne Bear, Bromley's executive councillor for renewal, recreation and housing, said the site regeneration had focused on "securing this historic park for the future".

Three people in high-visibility jackets paint a sculpture of a Hylaeosaurus, meaning forest lizard.Historic England Archive

A special weekend of events and performances to mark the end of the regeneration will take place on 18 and 19 July.

Victoria Pinnington, CEO of Crystal Palace Park Trust, said they were thrilled to "throw open the gates" for visitors to enjoy the dinosaurs and wider park.

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