The first “prehistoric park” was erected in 1853 on the Crystal Palace grounds at Sydenham, London, England. A prehistoric menagerie was created by artist Benjamin, many of the figures including several kinds of dinosaurs, were reconstructed based upon very incomplete fossil remains and much imagination. Hence, some of these figures are highly inaccurate based on what is now known of the animals. The statues still exist and are regularly maintained by volunteers belonging to the Friends of Crystal Palace.
Vintage stereopticon views of some of the Crystal Palace statues. To view them in 3D, “reverse cross” your eyes.
Models of dinosaurs Megalosaurus and Iguanodon by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, two of a set sold around the turn of the last century to museums and private collectors, part of a set that included other figures. They were originally sold through the Wards catalogue of scientific supplies, based upon Hawkins’ Crystal Palace statues.
