Background Information
The Great Exhibition has a particular modern relevance in the late 20th century as the United Kingdom ponders its decision to mark the passing of the millennium with an enormous dome at Greenwich. The original Great Exhibition has to be seen in the context of the apathy and outright opposition which greeted it. It was a bold suggestion by the archivist and librarian Henry Cole, who had come across art-industry exhibitions in France. France had also hosted a highly successful Industrial Exposition in 1844. There was little or no tradition of such exhibitions in Britain, although the metal manufacturers of Birmingham had established a purpose built venue for such exhibitions in 1849. It is hard to see how Cole’s idea could have gained any support without the backing of Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria.
Albert’s enthusiasm for the Project grew steadily. He wanted an international exhibition (with each country paying its share of the costs!) of both art and industry. MPs and the government did not exactly leap over each other to get involved. However, a Royal Commission was set up in January 1850 to explore the possibilities. The ball was now rolling. Prince Albert, Sir Robert Peel, Lords Russell and Stanley led the fundraising efforts. Soon the budget was set at £230,000. The reason for such a vast sum was simple – to build something bigger and better than the French had managed!
The next step was to commission a building. Over 200 architects submitted plans, but the winner was Joseph Paxton. His remarkable design included a huge glass dome. In fact the whole building seemed to be made of glass. Not everyone was convinced that the building was safe, but work carried on all the same. The building was vast – six times the area of St Paul’s Cathedral. Laid end to end, the sash bars which secured the windows would have reached over 200 miles. The building was completed on time. Queen Victoria opened it on May 1st 1851. Even more remarkably, the Exhibition had already covered its costs from advance ticket sales, catalogue sales and public subscriptions.
The Exhibition itself was truly staggering. The public could gape in wonder at the awesome machines which were the foundations of Britain’s growing industrial might. They could marvel at the exhibitors of silks, furs, jewellery and countless other wonders from Russia, Turkey, Spain, Canada and China. There were 17,000 exhibitors and 6 million visitors. The new network of railways brought visitors from faraway Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
The French designers and craftsmen dominated the shows. They won more medals than any other nation. Despite this, the English looked with pride at an Exhibition which they saw as their own mighty triumph. After the Exhibition ended, a feat almost as impressive as the construction of the building took place. The building was dismantled and moved from Hyde Park to Sydenham. It burned down in 1936 but the park is still called Crystal Palace.
