Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Alexandra Palace

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Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Alexandra Palace

Alexandra Palace is situated in the London Borough of Haringey. It is a popular entertainment and sports venue. It is known as ‘The People’s Palace’ and is placed at a grade II level.

It is Grade II listed evtertainment and sports venue in London. It is situated between Wood Green and Muswell Hill.

Originally, it is built on the site of Tottenham Wood and the later Tottenham Wood Farm otherwise known as John Johnson and Alfred Meeson farm.

The purpose of building Alexandra Palace was to serve the public centre of recreation, educaiton and entertainment. It started operation in 1873. It was known as The People’s Palace and often referred to as  “Ally Pally”.

Unfortunately, fire broke down the building prompting a rebuilding which was done by Johnson. The first performance was in 2004, it hosted a varied range of sports and music events.

At first a private venture, in 1900, the owners planned to sell it and Alexandra Park for development. A group of neighbouring local authorities managed to acquire it.

An Act of Parliament created the Alexandra Palace and Park Trust. The Act required the trustees to maintain the building and park and make them available for the free use and recreation of the public forever.

The present trustee is the London Borough of Haringey, whose coat of arms shows lightning bolts depicting Alexandra Palace’s pioneering role in the development of television.

1. It has a Rich History

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The palace was an idea by Welsh architect Owen Jones in 1859. The construction was delayed due to funds, the materials for the building were largely recycled from the 1862 International Exhibition building in Kensington.

It was built on the land of Tottenham Wood Farm and converted into a park and opened to the public in July 1863. The palace was named after Alexandra of Denmark(the popular princess) who married Prince Edward in 1863.

2. Tragedy In The Palace

16 days after opening there was a fire that destroyed the palace and killed three members of the staff. However, the palace was rebuilt and reopened in 1875.

There was a concert hall, museum, art galleries, lecture hall, library, banqueting hall, and large theatre which boasted the palace’s ratings.

3. Park Grounds

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It is full of leisure opportunities for example an open-air swimming pool as well as a horse racing course which was London’s only racecourse until 1970 when it was closed.

During WW1 ( World War 1), the park was closed and was used as a refugee camp for displaced Belgians. It was later an internment camp for Germans and Austrians.

In the 1960s, the palace was also home to the BBC broadcast tower until 1969. The last antenna standing is used for local television and radio services in the palace.

4. The Palace Currently

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Alexandra Palace is surrounded by 196 acres which offer activities for visitors of all interests and ages. The parkland is open and boasts a GoApe adventure site as well as an ice skating rink that hosts ice hockey games.

The theatre has 10,400 seats which are pretty big and it can hold a good amount of tourists.

On 18 April 2021, London Grammar performed their third album, Californian Soil, live at Alexandra Palace.^[62]

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge presented the Earthshot Prizes, with many celebrity guests, at Alexandra Palace on 17 October 2021.

Fontaines DC performed the last show of their 2021 UK tour at Alexandra Palace on 27 October 2021

On the 19th May 2022 Charli XCX took to the stage for her largest show to date, mid way through her Europe and North American tour: Crash the Live Tour.

5. Easy to Access

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Alexandra Palace is easily located using London’s central transport system. There is also free parking on-site for those driving.

They have their own train station fittingly called Alexandra Palace Station. It is located at the Wood Green entrance to the Park.

A regular train service with Great Northern runs direct from Moorgate, through Highbury & Islington or from Kings Cross, changing at Finsbury Park.

There is  Disabled Accessibility Guide for Alexandra Palace Train Station in Haringey providing accessible disability and wheelchair friendly information.

6. Notable Events Over Time

Alexandra Palace has hosted a number of significant events over the course of its history. Events held there include the Great British Beer Festival (1977-1980), the Brit Awards(1993-1995), the PDC World Darts Championship(2008-present), and the Master’s snooker tournament(2012-2020-2022)Every Year, a large fireworks display is scheduled there every November as a part London’s Bonfire Night celebrations.

In 1963, the Observers’ wildfire exhibition was held there. It was an awareness event that highlighted the endangered species and it gained a large attendance.

In April 1967, a benefit event took place there, it was organized by the International Times. It was to demonstrate the quickly developing Underground scene.

In 1970, an Italian director filmed an important segment of his Giallo film A Lizard In A Woman’s Skin. The palace posed as a discussed church.

There were festivals held there in 1973 and in 1974, an American band played a series of three shows.

7. It has been in Existance for a Long Time

The Alexandra Palace is a hundred and forty-seven years old but it has managed to keep its natural attraction. Inviting more tourists than normal, the grounds together with all the events held there help to add fame to the palace.

8. Ownership

The trust has a sole Corporate trustee, Haringey Council, who inherited the Palace in 1980. The assets and activities are overseen by a Trustee Board appointed by the Corporate Trustee and two stakeholder committees.

9. The Palace was Built with a Purpose

It was first used to shelter refugees fleeing Belgium and Netherlands. It was later used as a camp and during the Second World War the building once again played host to refugees and in 1940 became a staging area for troops returning from Dunkirk.

10. The Palace is Large

The crystal palace is a 313-foot summit of Muswell Hill, west of Wood Green. The structure covers 7.5 acres and can hold an audience of 102,000 and possibly more.