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Crystal Palace Park in Autumn
Sketch by Lis Watkins
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Let's draw London in 2023 - Find our full programme here
Join us on either of the dates above to sketch in
Crystal Palace Park. Built in 1852 by Sir Joseph Paxton, the park is situated in South East
London and home to the famous Crystal Palace Dinosaurs.
The dinosaurs were commissioned in 1852 to accompany the Crystal Palace after
its move from the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, and they were designed and
sculpted by
Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins. By modern standards, the sculptures are completely inaccurate, having been
based on the scientific knowledge of the time, but they are fascinating to
look at and even more fun to draw. They were the first ever life-sized models
of extinct animals to be sculpted, and after extensive restoration they were
upgraded to Grade I listed in 2007.
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Dinosaurs at Crystal Palace Park
Sketch by Sarah Minty
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The dinosaurs are found on the ‘Penge side’ of the park, next to the
lake, but the park and its surroundings have lots of other points of
interest too which we have listed below.
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On the banks of Crystal Palace Lake
Sketch by Sarah
Minty
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The sketchwalk on 17 June will be run by Sarah Minty, and Lis Watkins
will run the session on 2 July.
If this is your first sketchwalk with us, welcome to Urban
Sketchers London!
Every sketchwalk has a leader, a meeting point at the beginning, a
gathering place in the middle and another one at the end, when we
‘throw down’ our sketchbooks and pose for a group
photo. Sketchwalk leaders know the area and are there to help
you feel at ease and give you some ideas about what to sketch.
Please note there is no tuition during the sketchwalks. We all draw
what we wish, following the
Urban Sketchers manifesto and sharing our drawings at the end.
We look forward to seeing you!
Meeting point
We will meet at the Brown and Green Life Cafe which is near the Penge Gate
entrance to the park on Thicket Road (scroll down to see the location map).
The nearest station is Penge West, which is a seven-minute walk away and
connects to the London Overground. Penge East station is a 14 minute walk,
with trains running from London Victoria. Crystal Palace Station is a 11
minute walk and has trains to London Victoria and London Bridge, as well as
the London Overground.
Options for drawing
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Crystal Palace Dinosaurs
and lake, with the added option to sketch people in pedallos (if the
boat house is open). Keep your eyes peeled for other animal sculptures
amongst the trees too, including a giant sloth.
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Some of the dinosaurs at Crystal Palace Park
Photo by
Sarah Minty
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Crystal Palace Park
city farm
which is open from 12pm to 3:30pm and free to the public.
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Crystal Palace Bowl
an outdoor stage, also known locally as the ‘rusty laptop’, where the
likes of Pink Floyd and Bob Marley have performed.
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The remains of the old
Crystal Palace
which was destroyed by a fire in 1936. There is not much left of it
now, but there are some statues and sphinxes that remain.
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Crystal Palace sunbathers
Sketch by Sarah Minty
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The park is great for people sketching, and often you’ll find large
gatherings of people under the trees barbecuing in the summer.
The surrounding streets of Penge have some beautiful villas, and there are
the Victorian Royal Watermen’s Almhouses on the High Street.
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Royal Watermen's Almshouses
Sketch by Lis Watkins
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Crystal Palace also has a number of cafes and buildings that
would be interesting to draw on ‘The Triangle’, if you can manage the walk
up the hill, and some of the streets offer a glimpse of the city
beyond.
Key times and meeting points
11am
We will meet at the Brown and Green Life Cafe near the Penge Gate
entrance to the park on Thicket Road (see the location map below). The
nearest station is Penge West, which is a 7 minute walk away and connects
to the London Overground. Penge East station is a 14 minute walk, with
trains running from London Victoria. Crystal Palace Station is a 11 minute
walk through the park and is connected to London Victoria, London Bridge
and the London Overground.
1pm
Meet back at the Brown and Green Life Cafe for the lunchtime
throwdown and group photo by the gorilla statue (see the photo below). The
cafe is a great place for lunch, and there are also some options in Penge
or on Anerley Hill which leads up to Crystal Palace.
If it is
raining, there is an undercover bit to the side of the cafe which will
give some shelter.
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Brown and Green Life Cafe
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We will gather at the gorilla statue for
our throwdowns at
1pm and 3.30 pm
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3:30pm
Meet at the same place for the afternoon throwdown and group photo to
finish the day.
Afterwards
We suggest the
Bridge House pub for a
drink afterwards.
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Bridge House pub
Sketch by Lis Watkins
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Practical information
Food and drink and conveniences
The cafe in the park offers a selection of food and drink. There are also
options on Penge High Street (10 minutes walk), on Anerley Hill leading up
to Crystal Palace, or in Crystal Palace itself.
There are loos
in the park next to the Visitors Centre near the lake and dinosaurs.
Public transport
The nearest station to the meet up point is Penge West, which is a 7
minute walk away and connects to the London Overground. Penge East station
is a 14 minute walk with trains running from London Victoria. Crystal
Palace Station is an 11 minute walk through the park and is connected to
London Victoria, London Bridge and the London Overground.
The
176 bus from central London will take you all the way to Penge, get off at
the Thicket Road stop.
Accessibility
The Brown and Green Life Cafe has an accessible toilet and all the
locations are wheelchair-accessible. Let us know if you need any support
on the day.
Covid guidance
Urban Sketchers London remains alert to national guidance about COVID-19
and its variants. Even though restrictions have been lifted, it's sensible
to take all necessary precautions to keep ourselves and fellow sketchers
safe throughout the event. The risk of infection for outdoor events is
low, but basic guidance still applies:
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Please do not attend if you feel unwell
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Wear a face covering when you're close to others
- Give people space
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Practise good hand hygiene.
Further information
If you're new to Urban Sketchers London, have a look at Mike Whalley's
brief history of the international Urban Sketchers movement.
Location map
See you at Crystal Palace Park!
Let's draw London in 2023 -- Find our
full programme here
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Anniversary Book
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Let's draw Crystal Palace Park - Saturday 17 June or Sunday 2 July 2023
