Crystal Palace, London

Crystal Palace
View of Crystal Palace from the park. Four London boroughs; Bromley, Croydon, Lambeth, and Southwark meet at this junction.
Crystal Palace Location within Greater London
Population	12,255 (2011 Census. Bromley Ward)[1]
OS grid reference	TQ341708
London borough	Bromley Croydon Lambeth Lewisham Southwark
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LONDON
Postcode district	SE19, SE20, SE26
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
UK Parliament	Croydon North Dulwich and West Norwood Lewisham West and Penge
London Assembly	Bexley and Bromley Croydon and Sutton Lambeth and Southwark
List of places UK England London 51°25′13″N 0°04′14″W / 51.4203°N 0.0705°W / 51.4203; -0.0705

Crystal Palace is an area in South London, named after the Crystal Palace Exhibition building which stood in the area from 1854, until it was destroyed by fire in 1936.^[2] About 7 miles (11 km) southeast of Charing Cross, it includes one of the highest points in London, at 367 feet (112 m),^[3] offering views over the capital.

The area has no defined boundaries and straddles five London boroughs and three postal districts, although there is a Crystal Palace electoral ward and Crystal Palace Park in the London Borough of Bromley. It forms a part of the greater area known as Upper Norwood, and is contiguous with the areas of Anerley, Dulwich Wood, Gipsy Hill, Penge, South Norwood and Sydenham. The area is represented by three parliamentary constituencies, four London Assembly constituencies and fourteen local councillors.

Until development began in the 19th century, and before the arrival of the Crystal Palace, the area was known as Sydenham Hill. The Norwood Ridge and an historic oak tree were used to mark parish boundaries. After the Crystal Palace burned down in 1936, the site of the building and its grounds became Crystal Palace Park, the location of the National Sports Centre which contains an athletics track, stadium and other sports facilities. Crystal Palace Park has also been used as the setting for a number of concerts and films, such as The Italian Job and The Pleasure Garden and contains the Crystal Palace Park Concert Platform, in place since 1997. Two television transmitter masts make the district a landmark location, visible from many parts of Greater London. Local landmarks include the Crystal Palace Triangle, a shopping district made up of three streets forming a triangle; Westow Park, a smaller park that lies off the triangle southwest of Crystal Palace Park; and the Stambourne Woodland Walk.

Crystal Palace was named in the Sunday Times newspaper's top ten list of "the best places to live in London" of 2016.^[4] In April 2022 Crystal Palace was named the best place to live in London by the Sunday Times,^[5][6] being characterised by a bohemian fusion of urban vibes and village-feel.