What did Great Exhibition and Crystal Palace multicoloured plaque do at Hyde Park?

The Story

Standing in Hyde Park today, it's almost impossible to imagine the magnificent glass palace that once dominated this space in 1851, hosting the Great Exhibition - the world's first international exhibition of manufactured products. The Crystal Palace, as it became known, was a revolutionary structure designed by Joseph Paxton that covered 19 acres of the park, housing over 100,000 exhibits from across Britain and its Empire as well as foreign nations, attracting over 6 million visitors during its 5½ month run. Queen Victoria herself opened the Exhibition on May 1st, and for just one shilling - equivalent to about £5 today - working-class visitors could marvel at industrial innovations, exotic treasures, and technological wonders from around the globe, making this spot the birthplace of the modern world's fair movement. The Exhibition's tremendous success here in Hyde Park demonstrated Britain's industrial might at its imperial peak, though the Crystal Palace itself would later be relocated to Sydenham Hill where it stood until its destruction by fire in 1936.