The Victorian Geological Illustrations of Crystal Palace Park, London: cycles of conservation and neglect, 1993–2023

Abstract

In 2023, two decades after the restoration of the Victorian Geological Illustrations by the London Borough of Bromley—and the visit of the late HRH Prince Phillip to mark the completion of the restorations—it is clear that these internationally significant sculptures are in a worse state than ever before. Although interest in them remains high, and in spite of the best efforts of the Friends of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs to protect and interpret them, it is plain that they are greatly at risk. In the year that marks the two‐hundredth anniversary of the description of Megalosaurus, depicted in all its magnificence in the park, it is a matter of urgency that we promote the significance of a site that really should be recognized for what it is—world heritage—and its current state of neglect.