Crystal Palace Dinosaurs, Sculpture series in Crystal Palace Park, London, United Kingdom.
Crystal Palace Dinosaurs are a series of stone models of prehistoric creatures positioned throughout Crystal Palace Park along walking trails and near water features. About thirty life-sized specimens of extinct animals are distributed across the park grounds.
Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins created these models in 1854, making them the world's first life-sized reconstructions of prehistoric animals. They were built based on the scientific understanding of extinct creatures available at that time.
The sculptures shaped how people saw and understood prehistoric life in the 1800s. They remain embedded in the park's character and influence how visitors experience the landscape today.
The sculptures are accessible from Crystal Palace Station or the Penge entrance on Thicket Road, which has parking available. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended since the models are spread across the park, requiring a fair amount of walking to see them all.
The models have hollow interiors made of brick with an outer cement shell, an efficient construction method for such large works. This building technique was innovative and later influenced how sculptors and builders created oversized structures.
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