Things to do
Eight brilliant reasons to go and explore Crystal Palace this weekend
Crystal Palace has it all – it’s leafy, eccentric, unpretentiously bohemian, easy to navigate and just 20 minutes by train south of central London. Its appeal...
Crystal Palace occupies a privileged position in the topography of London – one of the highest points in the city, at 367 feet. The views, consequently, are amazing and the streets steep. The hub of the community is the central triangle formed by the one-way system of Church Road, Westow Hill and Westow Street, lined with pubs, restaurants like Joanna's and Exhibitions Rooms, and independent shops. Vintage is big here and the area is best on a Sunday morning, when junk shops and stalls spill out on to the pavements of Church Road. The glass palace that gave the area its name burnt down back in 1936 but the accompanying park is still a local asset with its famous dinosaurs and National Sports Centre.
