Crystal Palace: one of the truly high points of London

Crystal Palace is a residential area, south east of London and part of the London Borough of Bromley.  The area derives its name from ‘The Crystal Palace’.  Which is an enormous glass structure originally built for the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park in 1851. It was later relocated near Sydenham Hill, where it stood until its tragic destruction by fire in 1936.  The area sits about 8 miles from Central London.  It includes one of the highest points in London and therefore offers amazing views over the capital. Two television transmitter masts at the location make it a landmark visible from many parts of London.

Crystal Palace: one of the truly high points of London

Crystal Palace has become increasingly popular with families and young couples.  As well as professionals who can commute to London’s financial district within 20 minutes.

There’s plenty of green spaces including the huge and wonderful 200 acre Crystal Palace Park.   Where you will find the only Grade 1 listed dinosaur sculptures in the world!  However the area also has an urban feel to it, making it an attraction to first time buyers and young families. It was voted the best place to live in London in 2016.

Travel

Rail: At peak times, there are direct trains from Crystal Palace and Gipsy Hill stations to Victoria.  These run up to six times an hour.  There are also direct trains to London Bridge up to seven times an hour. There is also the Overground train line.  This takes just 24 minutes to Canary Wharf (via Canada Water and the Jubilee line) and you can get to Highbury and Islington in 40 minutes.

Road: Crystal Palace is less than 40 minutes from the M25, and just 15 minutes from the A23 leading into London or to the M23 towards Gatwick Airport and Brighton by the sea!

Bus: Day and Night buses run from all over London to Crystal Palace.

Property

There are many impressive Victorian villas (some converted into flats) and Victorian terraced houses, alongside mid-war terraces and modern blocks of flats.

Schools

One of the reasons many families gravitate to Crystal Palace is because of the quality of primary and secondary schools.

Both primary and secondary schools are rated highly by Ofsted and are very popular.

For example, Rockmount Primary School (ages 3 -11), the Harris City Academy (ages 11 -18) and the Harris South Norwood Academy (11-19) are sought after.

If you are looking for independent schools, these include Dulwich Prep Cranbrook, Dulwich College, James Allen’s Girls’ School and Alleyn’s School.

Things to do

• Upper Norwood Library Hub https://www.uppernorwoodlibraryhub.org is a well-established multi-purpose community and performance arts space alongside a professional library service. Events/activities include book clubs, reading groups for children, author talks, theatre, exercise classes, (e.g. Barre, Yoga) and choir groups
• The Crystal Palace Museum https://www.crystalpalacemuseum.org.uk tells the story of the magnificent Crystal Palace Building constructed around 1880, and showcases exhibits, original artefacts, photographs and documents
• The Crystal Palace National Sports Centre https://www.better.org.uk/leisure-centre/london/crystal-palace/crystal-palace-national-sports-centre# features a gym, exercise classes, sports hall, climbing walls, indoor/outdoor football, an athletics track, a dance studio and trampolines, crèche, squash and tennis courts for the local community

Rental Prices

If you’d like to find the average cost of renting a property in London, check out The Simply London Guide to London Neighbourhoods. It includes the average rental prices for the top 20 neighbourhoods in London!

Article published 14th January 2022