Being stuck in London whilst on lockdown due to Covid-19 has forced me to explore more of my local area whilst getting my daily exercise. Because of this, I have found there are places I can walk to from my flat which I never thought possible. It’s been pretty fun to open up Google Maps, find somewhere that looks interesting and then set aside a day to walk there and explore. One such day I walked to the Isobella Plantation in Richmond Park only to find it was closed when I got there. This time I decided to head to Crystal Palace Park, one of London’s best parks, with one curiosity I had discovered in mind, the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs.
The Crystal Palace Dinosaurs are doramas consisting of 15 statues of both dinosaurs and other extinct animals. They are the oldest dinosaur statues in the world, built-in 1851and have now been given grade 1 listed status. The various sculptures are centred around a lake inside the park and it’s free for visitors to go and admire them, they’ve been a hit since they were first installed.
Due to their age, they often don’t represent what we now belive some of these creatures to have looked like, but this discrepancy just makes them all the more intriguing! It’s a great look into a scientific view from another time. New information boards have been placed around the lake explaining the difference between what we looked like then and what we believe they look like now with new scientific context, which really helps put it into perspective.
The Crystal Palace dinosaurs make for a beautiful and very peaceful walk, situated around the lakes and surrounded by trees. With the current state of the world, it’s a great place to escape to and see something really unique. If you are in the area there is plenty more to see and do in Crystal Palace Park, there is a skate park, an urban farm and the Crystal Palace museum (both currently closed due to Corona Virus), a maze, boating lakes and some remnants of the original spectacular Crystal Place that sadly burnt to the ground in a fire in the 1930s to name just a few. For more information on the park check out the Crystal Palace Park Website or for more information specifically on the Dinosaurs check out the Friends of Crystal Palace Dinosaurs website which contains a wealth of information about the statues history and the current conservation efforts.
Did you know these historic statues existed?
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Oh I love those dinosaurs!! We (when not in lockdown) regularly visit friends who live nearby. Such a wonderfully strange and bizarre thing to find in a London park.
It really looks like an interesting place 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Another part of London I did not know was there. Thanks for alerting my family to the presence of dinosaurs in town, we will be heading over when we are allowed out!
That will be a great trip!
I’d visited London twice and never heard about this place before! Looks so interesting!
Looks like such a fun place! I had no idea it was there ^_^ I guess that – even though this lockdown is definitely not the best – at least you get to explore your own neighbourhood a bit more c: We found some great places nearby !
Oooo my son is obsessed with dinosaurs! He would LOVE this!
Thanks for posting! I have lived in London I havent heard of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs! I would love to visit when I travel back
Wow I didn’t even know this place existed!
This looks cool, had never heard of the Crystal palace.
Wow, I lived in London for years and didn’t know that anything like this existed in the city! This is such a cool thing that you have found during covid, I would love to visit when I next come back?
Ooo this is so cool! The statues don’t look like they’re almost 170 years old at all!
I haven’t been to London yet, but this spot is on my list when I travel there 🙂
I had never heard of Chrystal palace dinosaurS. Looks pretty amazing.
There’s so many places in London that I am yet to visit! I love reading about hidden places that people have discovered! I can’t wait to get a city break planned when the time is right, it’s difficult to know when things are possible due to the current pandemic.
This is so fun! Who knew there were dinosaurs in London!
I love dinosaurs, so this looks like such a cool place to visit x
This place looks incredible! Rupert would love this
This sounds incredible, I’d love to see them. And I love how you’re exploring more, we’re trying but can only go so far with little Emilia.
Okay, I didn’t know that London had quirky things like this hidden!
I love it!!
Omg what a cool place I need to visit 😩
This looks so fun! How amazing that your discovering more near you too! Xx
We’ve found some gorgeous walks in our local area too since lockdown! It makes all the difference, having somewhere new to go. Rachael xx
I love dinosaurs! But I never knew this place existed. I’ll have to make a trip to London after lockdown is completely over to see them with my family.