Q: What do you get if you cross Jurassic Park
with Pompeii?
A: Crystal Palace Park, London.
Well, they’re
not really fossilized Dinosaurs, but simply the strange creations of the
sculptor Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins. Built
in 1853, they are one of the strangest parts of the Victorian era that still
survives in London today. The park
itself is a nice place to visit, with plenty of open space, picnic areas and a
children’s play area. There is a café in
the park which is a nice, cheap and cheerful little place for a cup of coffee
or a bite to eat.
The walk around the Dinosaur Pond is
well sign-posted with the names and descriptions of the Dinosaurs on show. There is even an audio app of Darwin’s views
on evolution that can be downloaded as an extra guide around the walk. Just be warned that the path can get rather
muddy if the weather has been wet, so you might want to bear that in mind when
choosing which shoes to wear.
It is a shame that you don’t find
Crystal Palace Park in a lot of London tour guides, as it is one of the more
interesting parks in the city and well worth a visit. It is especially a good place to visit with
children, particularly little boys who like their Dinosaurs. They don’t even have to know that they are
only made of concrete. It’s always fun
to see just how far you can pull their little legs!
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