If you’ve been to Crystal Palace Park lately, you’ll have noticed some big changes are afoot. What exactly is going on? And where’s all the money for this coming from? Here’s our brief explainer.
Remind me about Crystal Palace Park again?
Crystal Palace Park first opened as a public pleasure ground at the same time an enlarged version of the Crystal Palace was installed on this site in 1854 — swiftly turning the area into a major visitor attraction for off-the-clock Victorians.
Infamously, the Crystal Palace burned down in November 1936, and little of the structure remains. However, its sphinx-dotted steps and Italian Terraces (designed by Joseph Paxton, architect behind the Crystal Palace) set a unique — and somewhat eerie — scene across the north-west flank of the park.
What regeneration works are happening at Crystal Palace Park?
In spring 2024, a £17.5m regeneration project was announced (that number has since risen to £21.8m) as a joint venture by Bromley Council and the Crystal Palace Park Trust charity. Much of the work is being carried out by HTA Design, the folks who recently oversaw the Queen Elizabeth II Garden In Regent’s Park.
Major steps include:
🌳 Restoration of the Italian Terraces (these are Grade II-listed), with repairs made to the walls. They’ll also be planted up with wildflowers and grasses, and be given step-free access with a route running from the centre of the park up to Crystal Palace Parade, running just above the terraces. The terraces will be used more for events.
🌳 A brand new timber frame visitor centre is being built on the site of the old one. It’ll have displays about the park’s history, biodiversity and the like. There’ll also be a community centre/cafe opened by the Rockhills Gate, near the entrance to the Crystal Palace transmitter mast.
🌳 General improvement of pathways, lighting and wayfinding.
What’s happening with the Crystal Palace dinosaurs?
Ah yes, the prized (if anatomically inaccurate) dinosaurs, as sculpted by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, and unveiled at the same time as the park (but not before a bunch of dignitaries had dinner inside one of them).
You’ll be glad to know these are being well looked after: steam cleaned, excess paint removed, and their surrounding habitat/tidal lakes freshened up with paleo-inspired planting.
You still won’t be able to play on/dine in any of these dinosaurs, however, a brand new dinosaur themed playground is up and running as of March 2026. It’s perhaps not quite as one-the-nose ‘Jurassic Park’ as some kids might’ve hoped, however.
As of spring 2026, this — and all of the above regeneration — are in full swing. The entire project is expected to be completed by the end of summer 2026.
Where did all that money come from?
Councils/charities don’t tend to have £20+m kicking about these days, so how did Bromley land all that wonga? While a £5m grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund helped a little, what helped a lot more was Bromley Council’s sale of two parcels of land at Rockhills and Sydenham Villas (see map above), where over 200 homes will be built. The wording is interesting; Bromley Council describes the sale of land adjacent to the park, whereas News Shopper says the land is in the park. Maybe that’s splitting hairs. The bottom line is, if you want to spruce up your public park these days, you’ve got to build housing too.
What else has been renovated at Crystal Palace Park?
Quite a bit in the last decade, including a glow-up for the much-loved Crystal Palace Subway (now frequently used as a venue — even a pop-up comedy club); a project to ‘Reboot the Rusty Laptop’ (that is, the Ian Ritchie Architects-designed concert platform where gigs are played); and, back in 2016, repainting those magnificent sphinxes terracotta red.
Is Crystal Palace Park still open?
Yes, while regeneration is carried out, the park remains open — with the caveat that certain areas are fenced off/paths rerouted.
And what’s going on with Crystal Palace National Sports Centre?
In the centre of Crystal Palace Park sits the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, a sizeable sports complex which is operated by Better, and features a LCC Architects Department-designed Olympic-sized swimming pool, along with an athletics track, which first opened in 1964.
However, some of the Grade II-listed Centre’s infrastructure is somewhat dishevelled, and the pool — along with its brutalist diving boards, which were used by a young Jason Statham — have been closed since 2020.
Plans are afoot to breathe new life into the site, including new padel, tennis and basketball courts; five-a-side football pitches; and an overhaul of the pool and athletics stadium. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has pledged some £23m to see this project realised — with tentative reopening dates of 2028 (the main building), and 2030 (the stadium).
Though Crystal Palace National Sports Centre sits firmly inside Crystal Palace Park, this is a entirely different regeneration project, although the two projects are in ‘regular consultation’.
Is the Crystal Palace Museum open?
Housed in a former lecture room for the Crystal Palace Company’s School of Practical Engineering, the Crystal Palace Museum is a pint-sized treasury of models, photos and souvenirs of the doomed Crystal Palace, that’s free to visit. Sadly, the museum suffered a fire in early 2025, and has been closed ever since. The good news: it’s set to reopen in spring 2026.
Are they ever going to rebuild the Crystal Palace?
Such a scheme was suggested back in 2014, but plans never got off the ground. So in short: no, no they are not.
