London's Crystal Palace is a fantastic structure that has stood for 85 years instead of a year

Unfortunately, the time allotted to human creations, from the point of view of history, is small. Even the pyramids at Giza are gradually being destroyed and someday the world will lose them too. But sometimes it also happens that temporary structures built from not the most reliable materials surprise with their longevity. The Crystal Palace in London exceeded the limit allowed to it by the creators by 85 times! It is possible that if it were not for a fatal accident, this amazing building would adorn the capital of Britain even now.

The history of the Crystal Palace, which was considered the most amazing building in Victorian England, began in 1851. The World Exhibition was going to be held in London — the most significant event in the field of science, technology and production. The British, as the organizers of the exhibition, wanted to impress the imagination of guests and participants with the scope of the pavilion. That's how the idea of a grandiose Crystal Palace appeared.

One of the key figures of the ambitious project was the gardener Joseph Paxton. He was considered the best specialist in the field of greenhouses in the kingdom. It was Paxton who proposed to build a pavilion in the form of a greenhouse palace, made of metal and glass. The gardener's sketches appealed to the organizers of the exhibition and the pavilion project was created in record time.

Construction was carried out at a rapid pace on the territory of Hyde Park - a favorite place for walking citizens. The large-scale construction was visible from afar and even before the building was ready, it was nicknamed the "Crystal Palace". The pavilion was so huge that it was not even necessary to cut down the centuries-old trees of the park. They fit freely under the glass arches of the palace.

The exhibition of 1851 was a great success. But the most amazing achievements of industry and science, brought to London from all over the world, paled in front of the Crystal Palace. We can say that the building has become the most popular exhibit of the event.

Unfortunately, the age of exhibition halls is not long. The structure was designed and built with the expectation that it would last only a year. The London authorities could not allow the huge area of the historical park to remain occupied by a glass palace, even if it was so fantastic. As a result, exactly a year later the structure was dismantled.

Joseph Paxton did not want to put up with the destruction of his brainchild. He spent some time beating the doorsteps of officials, petitioning for the restoration of the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park. When he realized that he would not achieve anything, he bought the pavilion structures. A stubborn gardener has purchased 157 hectares of vacant land in south-east London. There he decided to restore the palace.

To do this, Paxton founded The Crystal Palace Company and attracted investors. In 1853, the construction of the wonderful building began again. The Crystal Palace has been updated. He got an artificial lake, a fountain system and two water towers. The building was surrounded by a beautiful park with sculptures and grottoes. To make it easier for visitors to get to the sights, they even carried out a separate railway line and built a station.

The Crystal Palace became the first and only thematic object in London. It hosted exhibitions and fairs, festivals and other events. A menagerie was constantly working in the complex, and a little later it was supplemented with a grandiose marine aquarium.

It so happened that the structure, whose service life was only a year, turned out to be a long-lived one. Thanks to the efforts of the owners, the Crystal Palace structures were regularly inspected and repaired. After 85 years, the building looked beautiful and seemed unshakable. But one autumn night in 1936, the unique pavilion was destroyed in a fire.

Before that, the building had already burned once and received serious damage. But they were quickly eliminated and not all citizens even realized that trouble had happened to the Crystal Palace. But the 1936 fire was much bigger. The flame spread rapidly, heating metal structures. Openwork columns and trusses bent and brought down unique glass arches and walls.

Perhaps the pavilion could have been saved again. But the palace staff acted extremely unprofessionally. Employees tried to fight the flames on their own without calling firefighters. When it became clear that all efforts were in vain, finally, firefighters were called. But when the first fire trucks arrived at the scene, there was nothing left to save.

When they managed to cope with the fire, a terrible picture appeared before the audience. The palace of glass and steel formed like a house of cards, burying everything that was inside. Only a huge foundation and a couple of statues that were located near the entrance survived.

{PARAGRAPH}The investigation of the incident lasted several months. Investigators  Scotland Yard considered several versions, among which there was a deliberate arson. As a result, we came to the conclusion that the fire was caused by faulty wiring. The fact that the palace structures quickly collapsed was attributed to their dilapidation.

Later, attempts were repeatedly made to rebuild the Crystal Palace. This idea does not leave enthusiasts even today. In 2013, Chinese billionaire Ni Zhaoxing announced his desire to build an exact replica of the structure in London. He decided to completely recreate the building in the smallest detail. The location and other important points were even agreed upon. Unfortunately, it did not go further than that — the idea turned out to be too expensive. According to preliminary estimates, the construction will cost $ 800 million (52 billion rubles).

Fire often destroys buildings that had the title of "the most-the most". In 1964 in Portland, Oregon, USA, the world's largest hut burned down. By the way, it was also built for the exhibition and also no one expected that it would stand for more than half a century.