The regeneration of a Victorian vision for all

HTA Design led a multidisciplinary team to restore key Victorian features within the Grade II-listed park and Registered Garden, with the works completed by construction company Maylim. The works were funded by the sale of land adjacent to the park for affordable housing and a £5m grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Further match funding was also received from the Garfield Weston Foundation, London Marathon Foundation, the Wolfson Foundation and Pilgrim Trust.

As conservation architects, DIA supported the repair and restoration of the Grade II-listed Italian Terraces, Grade I-listed Tidal Lake, and Geological Court, including 29 prehistoric sculptures and 14 geological illustrations.

These sculptures were included on Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register, and the conservation works sought to improve their condition, address the causes of deterioration and establish a sustainable framework for their long-term conservation and management, to secure their removal from the Register.

The Tidal Lake and Geological Court

The Tidal Lake and Geological Court are home to the renowned Crystal Palace ‘dinosaurs’, prehistoric sculptures. Unveiled by natural history artist and sculptor Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins in 1854, the life-sized sculptures and geological illustrations form a Grade I listed collection within Crystal Palace Park and provide rare insight into Victorian scientific understanding. The conservation works sought to stabilise and conserve the collection whilst safeguarding it for future generations.

Extensive repair and consolidation works have been undertaken to 29 dinosaur sculptures, constructed from concrete and Roman cement. Repair materials and techniques were developed through investigation and trial repairs to ensure compatibility with the original construction, whilst detailed paint analysis, historical research and specialist palaeontological advice informed the conservation and reinstatement of painted finishes and missing elements. The works honour Hawkins’ original Victorian vision rather than reinterpret the sculptures in accordance with modern palaeontological understanding.

Alongside this, 14 areas of geological illustration, made of unique materials, have been carefully consolidated to ensure they enhance the historic narrative of the Court and future-proof the area for generations to come.

The Italian Terraces

Designed by Sir Joseph Paxton in the 1850s, the Grade II-listed Italian Terraces are among the most significant surviving features of the original Crystal Palace landscape. Following the destruction of the Crystal Palace by fire in 1936, the Terraces gradually fell into disrepair.
The conservation works sought to improve the condition of the Terraces, address the underlying causes of deterioration and secure their long-term preservation, whilst retaining their architectural character and significance. Particular emphasis was placed on the removal of invasive vegetation, including Japanese knotweed and buddleia, the elimination of water traps, improvements to drainage and the stabilisation of masonry affected by root growth, movement and water ingress.

Informed by detailed condition surveys, historical research and material analysis, the works included the repair of deteriorated masonry, the consolidation of unstable structures and the careful repair and reinstatement of substantial sections of the balustrades. Historic fabric and earlier repairs were retained wherever possible, whilst replacement elements were informed by analysis of historic stone, mortar and previous English Heritage repair works. The reinstatement of missing balustrades restored both the architectural composition and historic appearance of the Terraces, whilst supporting their continued use and enjoyment by visitors.

The discovery of the original foundations of the bust plinth informed the relocation of the Paxton Bust to its original location on the Terraces, re-establishing its historic relationship with the surrounding landscape.