Perhaps the most extraordinary building of the nineteenth century was the Crystal
Palace, which was built in Hyde Park for the Great Exhibition of 1851. The Crystal
Palace was not only of an immense size, but was made of iron and glass as well. As it
looked strange, a lot of people came from many countries to see it. The exhibiton was
full of goods and a great variety of machinery from various parts of the world. The
most wonderful machinery on display was Nsmyth's steam hammer. At that time,
travelling was not easy as it is today. But the exhibition was so fantastic that a total of
six million vistors took a steam-boat trip from Europ to England to see it. If the profits
of the exhibition had not been substantial, museums and colleges would never have
been erected at that time. Later, the Crystal Palace was moved to South London. It
remained one of the biggest buildings in the world until it was burnt down in 1936.
