Improvement scheme

The Crystal Palace Park Improvement Scheme delivered more immediate improvements to the park. This was made possible with £2.4 million of funding from the Greater London Authority, Historic England and Bromley Council. Works began in June 2015. They completed in June 2019 and included:

  • A new skatepark
  • Conservation of a number of the Grade I listed dinosaurs, Grade II listed sphinxes and south terrace steps
  • Installation of interpretation boards around the Tidal Lake and dinosaur island
  • Landscaping and removal of disused structures
  • A new café and community space
  • Removal of turnstiles and improvement to access points
Crystal Palace Park Dinosaurs

Crystal Palace Skatepark

Crystal Palace Skatepark opened in March 2018 and has proven consistently popular.

The 1,100m2 skatepark sees skateboarding return to Crystal Palace Park, one of its historic homes. It was here that the first UK national skateboarding competition took place in 1977. The skatepark is the product of intensive collaboration between skatepark firm Canvas, Kinnear Landscape Architects, local riders and the Friends of Crystal Palace Skatepark. The design blends a highly contemporary approach while referencing the historic context of the park.

The skatepark is open during daylight hours, and to all users.

Crystal Palace Skatepark
Skating images courtesy of Iain Borden

Brown & Green LIFE Café

The new Crystal Palace Park café opened to the public in May 2019. It was designed by Chris Dyson Architects using half round cedar shingles that imitate the scales of the nearby dinosaurs.

Bromley Council is pleased to be working with café operator, Brown & Green. The ground floor is a dedicated café space, and the first floor is a community event space available for private hire. Community use is at the heart of Brown & Green’s business so corporate hire is limited to a maximum of 50 per cent of usage.

More information can be found on the café’s website.

Brown & Green Cafe - Crystal Palace Park

Megalosaurus Prothesis Repair Works

In October 2020, the Grade 1 Megalosaurus experienced extensive damage to its head, particularly to large parts of the upper and lower jaw, following unauthorised access to the dinosaur island during the COVID-19 lockdown period. As a result, Bromley Council worked with partners Historic England and the Friends of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs, to secure funding to undertake the necessary repair work to the jaw of the famous Megalosaurus in Crystal Palace Park. The works, which included the installation of a replica prosthetic jaw, were completed in May 2021.

This impressive sculpture was the first ever life-size reconstruction in 1854 of the first dinosaur recognised to science, making it the star of the internationally beloved, Grade 1 listed historic site.

The prosthesis was fabricated primarily from plastic, using white light scanning and 3D printing processes to recreate the fragmented section of the jaw. The 12 kg prosthesis has been attached to the head of the Megalosaurus, using interior metal hangers and iron rods, which have added stability to the body. The replacement sections have been painted to match the original features of the sculpture.

The Friends of Crystal Palace Dinosaurs