1851: The Crystal Palace is erected in Hyde Park, London, to house The Great Exhibition of 1851, a showcase of products from around the world, at a cost of £150,000 - or £13.1m in today's money.
1854: Crystal Palace was rebuilt in an enlarged form on Penge Common, next to Sydenham Hill, an affluent south-east London suburb full of large villas
1866: A fire causes damage to the north transept.
1871: The world's first cat show, organised by Harrison Weir, was held at The Crystal Palace
1890s: The popularity of Crystal Palace began to decline and the building was beginning to deteriorate into disrepair.
1909: Robert Baden-Powell first noticed the interest of girls in his Scouting movement while attending a Boy Scout meeting at Crystal Palace. This lead to the formation of Girl Guides and later, Girl Scouts.
1911: The Festival of Empire was held to mark the coronation of George V and Queen Mary. Following the festival, the burden of maintenance costs became too large and bankruptcy was declared.
1913: The Earl of Plymouth purchased Crystal Palace to save it from developers. It was later bought by a public subscription for the
