MEMORIES OF VISITING THE CRYSTAL PALACE
“It was just a fantastic building… you only have to see pictures of it now. It went right along the length of Crystal Palace Parade — so much more spectacular than the Hyde Park one. A beautiful building….”
Join us as 96-year-old Patricia Cove shares vivid, first-hand memories of the Crystal Palace — from childhood picnics and boating on the lake, to seeing the mighty Hindenburg soar overhead.
Pat recalls stepping inside the vast glass palace as a child, marvelling at towering indoor trees and giant guns, and the unforgettable sight of the sky glowing red during the 1936 fire. She describes the eerie aftermath, and a second Crystal Palace fire in 1950 she witnessed alongside Winston Churchill (and his gold-embroidered slippers!).
Pat also recounts childhood brushes with wartime danger, Crystal Palace FC players as housemates, and escaping bullets from a German fighter plane. A remarkable glimpse into a life shaped by South London’s most iconic landmark.
I had the huge pleasure of meeting Pat at the Sydenham Christmas Market. I struck up a chat with a fellow stallholder selling beautiful pottery vases and asked if she knew of The Crystal Palace Chronicles.
To my amazement, she replied that she knew the Crystal Palace very well — she remembers it burning in 1936 aged eight and had visited the building and grounds countless times growing up. Pat kindly agreed to meet again and share her memories for the first time with the Crystal Palace Museum. I gave her a copy of my book — and she promised to be kind and not list any bits I’ve got wrong…
Pat donating her grandmother's guide book to the Crystal Palace to Patrick Faulkner, Lead Archivist at The Crystal Palace Museum
A chance meeting
Meeting Pat at the Sydenham Christmas Market
In an ironic twist of fate that proves fact is stranger than fiction, Pat’s interview coincided with yet another fire at the Crystal Palace. The Crystal Palace Museum, the last surviving Palace building, seemed the perfect backdrop to record Pat’s memories. So it was with excitement that I arrived on the morning of 29 January to help set up before picking up Pat. But as I pulled into the museum driveway, excitement quickly turned to shock and disbelief.
The museum’s head archivist, Patrick Faulkner, hurried around the corner, asking me to move my car. Fire engines needed the space—the Crystal Palace Museum was on fire.
No sooner had I reversed onto Anerley Hill than two fire engines, sirens blaring, came hurtling down from the Triangle. It was impossible not to imagine that fateful night in 1936, and fear that fire was about to finish the job on the final remnant of the Crystal Palace.
Fire at the Crystal Palace Museum!
The historical significance was not lost on the fire fighters either, who were only too happy to prevent history repeating itself. The fire was soon under control and extinguished. Once again, the dreaded underfloor seems to have been the suspected source (I did look around but there were no signs of a haunting hooded alone child from my books coming to finish the job…)
On any other Friday, nobody would have been at the museum. Be it fate or good fortune that we arranged the interview that morning, the last structure of the Crystal Palace remains with its treasure trove of artefacts intact. And, once again, thankfully nobody was hurt.
Our interview with Pat went ahead at the offices of the Crystal Palace Park Trust within the National Sports Centre in the heart of the park. It was truly wonderful to hear her recollections.
With a glint in her eye, Pat noted that the morning’s events had left some of us with a lingering smell reminiscent of the smoky scent that hung in the air after the 1936 fire. Pat’s story is now entwined with the latest—and hopefully the last—fire.
The podcast was produced by Emma Fleming.
With special thanks to Patrick Faulkner and The Crystal Palace Museum, Katie Weston, Rosie Baines and the Crystal Palace Park Trust.
