The Dinosaur Court, Part 2

The Dinosaur Court of Crystal Palace Park was actually more of a menagerie. It included extinct mammals and some creatures we no longer consider to be true dinosaurs. They were divided roughly by age (as it was then understood) and placed on three islands in an artificial lake, where water levels could be raised or lowered to show more of the sculptures at certain times.

The sculptor, Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, made every effort to depict dinosaurs in a realistic and accurate way. He consulted with top scientists of the day, including Sir Richard Owen, who first gave dinosaurs their name. Looking back from another century and a half of dinosaur science, it’s easy to laugh at the grotesquely squat Iguanodons, and the Ichthyosaurs basking on the shore like seals. It’s important to remember that Hawkins did his best with the limited knowledge then available.

The dinosaur installation was much talked about, and an immediate success at its unveiling in 1854. Hawkins made good money selling smaller replica sets for classroom use. Unfortunately, the creation of each sculpture was expensive and time consuming. Crystal Palace Park operators began cutting Hawkins’ budget as early as 1855. Ultimately he gave up on the project. Several more models that were in process were destroyed, despite a public outcry.

Hawkins went on to other achievements, including the first mounting of a dinosaur skeleton in the United States. Crystal Palace Park remained a popular destination for a time, but inevitably public tastes and world events moved on. There were fires at various times, including one in 1936 that destroyed the Crystal Palace itself. During World War II, other parts of the exhibit were taken down so that German bomber pilots couldn’t use them as a reference point.

After this, true neglect set in. Brush grew high enough to hide the figures from view. Other parts of Crystal Palace Park continued to see use, particularly the sports arena. Still, it seemed the world had forgotten the Dinosaur Court.

The story of this landmark continues on Tuesday. See you then.