Alexandra Palace

Last updated

Alexandra Palace
APalace 1.jpg
Alexandra Palace at sunset in April 2021
Alexandra Palace
Location Alexandra Park, London, N22
Coordinates 51°35′39″N00°07′51″W / 51.59417°N 0.13083°W / 51.59417; -0.13083
Public transit National Rail logo.svg Alexandra Palace
Underground no-text.svg Wood Green
OperatorAlexandra Park and Palace Charitable Trust
Capacity 800 (Panorama Room)
1,750 (East Hall/Ice Rink)
2,000 (Palm Court)
2,500 (West Hall)
10,250 (Great Hall)
900 (seated)/1,300 (seated/standing) (Theatre)
Construction
Broke groundSeptember 1865
Opened1 May 1875 (1875-05-01)
Renovated1873–75, 1980–88, 2016–17
Construction cost£417,000
(£50.4 million in 2023 pounds [1] )
Architect Owen Jones, John Johnson and Alfred Meeson
Builder Kelk and Lucas
Website
Official website
Building details
Alexandra Palace
General information
Inaugurated24 May 1873 (1873-05-24)

Alexandra Palace is an entertainment and sports venue in North London, situated between Wood Green and Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey. A Grade II listed building, [2] it is built on the site of Tottenham Wood and the later Tottenham Wood Farm. [3] Originally built by John Johnson and Alfred Meeson, it opened in 1873 but following a fire two weeks after its opening, was rebuilt by Johnson. Intended as "The People's Palace" and often referred to as "Ally Pally", its purpose was to serve as a public centre of recreation, education and entertainment; North London's counterpart to the Crystal Palace in South London. [4]

Contents

At first a private venture, in 1900, the owners planned to sell it and Alexandra Park for development. A group of neighbouring local authorities managed to acquire it. An Act of Parliament created the Alexandra Palace and Park Trust. The Act required the trustees to maintain the building and park and make them available for the free use and recreation of the public forever. The present trustee is the London Borough of Haringey, whose coat of arms shows lightning bolts depicting Alexandra Palace's pioneering role in the development of television.

In 1935, the trustees leased part of the Palace to the BBC for use as the production and transmission centre for their new television service. In 1936, it became the home of the BBC's first regular public television service. The broadcasting system was 405-line monochrome analogue television – the first fully electronic television system to be used in regular broadcasting. Although other facilities soon superseded it after the Second World War, Alexandra Palace continued to be used by the BBC for many years and its radio and television mast is still in use.

The original studios 'A' and 'B' still survive in the southeast wing with their producers' galleries and are used for exhibiting original historical television equipment. The original Victorian Alexandra Palace Theatre with its stage machinery also survives and as of 2019, is back in use. The theatre and stage structure is on English Heritage's Buildings at Risk register. Alexandra Palace became a listed building in 1996, [2] at the instigation of the Hornsey Historical Society. A planned commercial development of the building into a mixed leisure complex including a hotel, replacement ice-skating rink, cinema, ten-pin bowling alley and exhibition centre, encountered opposition from public groups and was blocked by the High Court in 2007.

The Great Hall and West Hall are typically used for exhibitions, music concerts, and conferences, operated by the trading arm of the charitable trust that owns the building and park on behalf of the public. There is also a pub, ice rink, palm court, and a panoramic view of central London.

In 2013, Alexandra Park was declared a local nature reserve and is also a Site of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation, Grade 1. [5] [6] [7]

The nearest railway stations are the Alexandra Palace with Great Northern services from Moorgate and London Underground station Wood Green on the Piccadilly line. Alexandra Palace is also served by London Buses route W3.

History

19th century

The "Palace of the People" was conceived by Owen Jones in 1859. The Great Northern Palace Company had been established by 1860, but was initially unable to raise financing for the construction of the Palace. Construction materials were acquired and recycled from the large 1862 International Exhibition building in South Kensington after it was demolished: the Government had declined to take it over. In 1863 Alexandra Park Co. Ltd. acquired the land of Tottenham Wood Farm for conversion to a park and to build the People's Palace, [8] on a site that stands on a ridge more than 300 ft (91 m) high, part of Muswell Hill. [9] Alexandra Park was opened to the public on 23 July 1863.

The planned building was originally named "The Palace of the People"; it and its park were renamed to honour the popular new Princess of Wales, Alexandra of Denmark, who had married Prince Albert Edward on 10 March 1863. The Palace of the People, or the People's Palace, remained as alternative names. In September 1865, construction commenced but to a design by John Johnson and Alfred Meeson rather than the glass structure initially proposed by Jones. [10]

In 1871, work started on the Edgware, Highgate and London Railway to connect the site to Highgate station. Work on both the railway and the Palace was completed in 1873 and, on 24 May of that year, Alexandra Palace and Park was opened. The structure covers some 7.5 acres (3.0 ha). The Palace was built by Kelk and Lucas, who also built the Royal Albert Hall in South Kensington at around the same time. [11] Sims Reeves sang on the opening day before an audience of 102,000. [12] Only 16 days later, Alexandra Palace was destroyed by a fire which also killed three members of staff. Only the outer walls survived; a loan exhibition of a collection of English pottery and porcelain, comprising some 4,700 items of historic and intrinsic value, was also destroyed. [13]

The Palace was quickly rebuilt and reopened on 1 May 1875. The new Alexandra Palace contained a concert hall, art galleries, a museum, lecture hall, library, banqueting room and large theatre. The stage of the theatre incorporated machinery which enabled special effects for the pantomimes and melodramas then popular – artists could disappear, reappear and be propelled into the air. The theatre was also used for political meetings. An open-air swimming pool was constructed at the base of the hill in the surrounding park; it is long since closed and little trace remains except some reeds.

The grounds included a horse racing course with grandstand (named Alexandra Park Racecourse and nicknamed the "Frying Pan" and the "Pan Handle" because of its layout), which was London's only racecourse from 1868 until its closure in 1970, a Japanese village, a switchback ride, a boating lake and a 9-hole pitch-and-putt golf course. Alexandra Park cricket and football clubs have also played within the grounds (in the middle of the old racecourse) since 1888. A Henry Willis organ installed in 1875, vandalised in 1918 and restored and reopened in 1929, survives. In its 1929 restored form, Willis's masterpiece was declared by Marcel Dupré to be the finest concert organ in Europe. [14]

20th century

Reconstruction in 1982, after a fire in 1980 destroyed much of the building Alexandra Palace - geograph.org.uk - 1130830.jpg
Reconstruction in 1982, after a fire in 1980 destroyed much of the building
Alexandra Park and Palace (Public Purposes) Act 1900
Act of Parliament
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837).svg
Long title An Act to constitute a body of Trustees for the purpose of acquiring the Alexandra Park Palace and other lands in the county of Middlesex and to empower them to hold and manage the same as a place of public resort and recreation and for other public purposes and to make all provisions necessary or proper in that behalf.
Citation 63 & 64 Vict. c. cclix
Dates
Royal assent 6 August 1900

In 1900, the owners of Alexandra Palace and Park were threatening to sell them for redevelopment, but a consortium of public-spirited men in the district, headed by Mr. Henry Burt JP, a member of the Middlesex County Council and of Hornsey District Council, at once embraced the opportunity of securing the Palace and the beautiful grounds for the people of London. A committee was formed by Burt and the consortium managed to raise enough money to purchase them just in time. By the Alexandra Park and Palace (Public Purposes) Act 1900 (63 & 64 Vict. c. cclix), a charitable trust was created; representatives of the purchasing local authorities became the trustees with the duty to keep both building and park "available for the free use and recreation of the public forever". [15]

In 1921 a plaque was erected at the entrance of the south terrace in honour of Burt. [16] The Palace passed into the hands of the Greater London Council in 1967, with the proviso that it should be used entirely for charitable purposes, and their trusteeship was transferred to Haringey council in 1980.

During the First World War the park was closed; the Palace and grounds were firstly used as a refugee camp for displaced Belgians, [17] and then later from 1915 to 1919 as an internment camp [18] for German and Austrian civilians. [19] [20] The camp commandant was Lt. Col. R. S. F. Walker until his death in May 1917. [21]

The theatre was greatly altered in the early 1920s, with the general manager, W. J. MacQueen-Pope, spending the war reparation money on refurbishing the auditorium. He abandoned the understage machinery that produced the effects necessary in Victorian melodrama; some of the machinery is preserved, and there is a project to restore some of it to working order. After these changes, the theatre was leased by Archie Pitt, then husband of Gracie Fields, who appeared in the theatre. Fields also drew an audience of 5,000 people to the hall for a charity event.

Blue plaque Alexandra palace plaque.jpg
Blue plaque

In 1935, the trustees leased part of the Palace to the BBC for use as the production and transmission centre for their new BBC Television service. The antenna was designed by Charles Samuel Franklin of the Marconi Company. The world's first public broadcasts of (then) "high-definition" television were made from Alexandra Palace in November 1936, [22] an event which is alluded to by the rays in the modern coat of arms of the London Borough of Haringey. [23] Two competing systems, Marconi-EMI's 405-line system and John Logie Baird's 240-line system, were installed, each with its own broadcast studio and were transmitted on alternate weeks until the 405-line system was chosen in 1937. [22] After the BBC leased the eastern part of the Palace the theatre was only used for props storage space.

The Rose Window (southeast front) Alexandra Palace.jpg
The Rose Window (southeast front)

The Palace continued as the BBC's main transmitting centre for London until 1956, interrupted only by the Second World War when the transmitter found an alternative use jamming German bombers' navigation systems. [24] [25] In 1944, a German doodlebug exploded just outside the organ end of the Great Hall and the Rose Window was blown in, leaving the organ exposed to the elements. [26] In 1947 some of the pieces of the shattered rose window were incorporated in a new design by architect E.T. Spashett during renovation of bomb-damaged public buildings by the Ministry of Works. [27] [28] During the 1940s and 1950s the Palace also housed a public roller-skating rink and the Alexandra Palace Roller Skating Club.

In the early 1960s, an outside broadcast was made from the top of the tower, in which the first passage of a satellite across the London sky was watched and described. It continued to be used for BBC News broadcasts until 1969, and for the Open University until 1981. [2] The antenna mast still stands and is used for local terrestrial television transmission, local commercial radio and DAB broadcasts. The main London television transmitter is now at Crystal Palace in south London.[ citation needed ] The GLC considered a £20 million proposal in 1977 to redevelop the Alexandra Palace grounds into a multi-sport complex constructed around a shared football ground for North London clubs Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. The 75,000-seat stadium would have required a new transit connection—either a monorail line or a branch of the Piccadilly line—and private funding. The proposal was rejected by the GLC after local opposition cited the potential for hooliganism in the area. [29] [30]

Early in 1980, Haringey council took over the trusteeship of Alexandra Palace from the GLC, insuring it for £31 million, [31] intending to refurbish the building but just six months later, during Capital Radio's Jazz Festival, a fire started under the organ and quickly spread. It destroyed half the building. Again the outer walls survived and the eastern parts, including the theatre and the BBC Television studios and aerial mast, were saved. Parts of the famous organ were destroyed, though it had been dismantled for repairs so some parts (including nearly all the pipework) were away from the building in store. Some of the damage to the Palace was repaired immediately but Haringey council overspent on the restoration, creating a £30 million deficit. It was then reopened to the public in 1988 under a new management team headed by Louis Bizat. Later the council was heavily criticised for the overspend in a report by Project Management International. [32]

In 1991, the attorney-general stated that the overspending by the council as trustee was unlawful, and so could not be charged to the charity. [33] The council for some years did not accept this politically embarrassing finding and instead maintained that the charity "owed" the council £30 million, charged compound interest on what it termed a "debt" (which eventually rose to a claim of some £60 million), and to recoup it tried to offer the whole palace for sale. [34] [35]

An ice rink was installed at Alexandra Palace in 1990. Primarily intended for public skating, it has also housed ice hockey teams including the Harringay Racers, the Haringey Greyhounds, the London Racers and now the Haringey Huskies, [36] as well as a figure skating club, the Alexandra Palace Amateur Ice Skating Club.

21st century

Viewed from the south in 2007 AlexandraPalace.jpg
Viewed from the south in 2007

In June 2004, the first performances for about 70 years took place in the theatre, first in its foyer then in July in the theatre itself. Although conditions were far from ideal, the audience was able to see the potential of this very large space – originally seating 3,000, it could not be licensed for more than a couple of hundred. It was intended that the theatre would reopen, but much costly restoration would be required first. It will never again reach a seating capacity of 3,000 (not least because one balcony was removed in the early part of the 20th century as a fire precaution, when films started to be shown there). A major season of the theatre company Complicité was planned for 2005 but the project, which would have included some repair and access work, was cancelled due to higher-than-anticipated costs. [37]

Plans by the current trustees, Haringey Council, to replace all the charitable uses by commercial ones by a commercial lease of the entire building, including a casino, encountered considerable public and legal opposition, and on 5 October 2007, in the High Court, Mr. Justice Sullivan granted an application by Jacob O'Callaghan, a London resident, to quash the Charity Commission's order authorising a 125-year lease of the entire building to Firoka Ltd. [38]

In September 2009, Alexandra Palace main hall was allowed 2,000 more occupation, up to 10,250 ("still saddled by a £37 million debt it owes its guardian, Haringey Council"). [39]

A masterplan for the future of the site was drawn up in 2012, comprising six 'big ideas' to restore and redevelop the Palace. [40] The first of these to be implemented aims to transform the derelict eastern end of the Palace, making accessible the Victorian theatre and historic BBC Studios. In 2013 the Heritage Lottery Fund awarded a Round 1 pass to develop the proposals, creating a new entrance in the restored East Court, re-establishing the theatre as a flexible performance space and re-opening the BBC Studios as a visitor attraction. There was controversy regarding plans to demolish the brick infills in the colonnade on the south-east face of the building, which the BBC constructed after 1936 to form their television studios within. [41] Following a public consultation and advice from English Heritage, Planning and Listed Building Consent was given for the proposals and in March 2015 HLF awarded Round 2 major grant funding securing a positive future for the historic areas. [42]

In 2018, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios made a £27m refurbishment of the long-abandoned Alexandra Palace theatre and east wing. [43] [44] [45] [46]

In 2018, it was announced that the Theatre would open for a BBC Proms performance on 1 September [47] before officially reopening to the public on 1 December 2018 following the completion of the East Wing Restoration Project by the contractor Willmott Dixon. [48] The opening programme included performances from Dylan Moran, Horrible Histories, Gilbert & George, Gareth Malone and an evening of jazz presented by Ronnie Scott's. [49]

During the coronavirus pandemic, Alexandra Palace was used as a food distribution hub by Edible London for local residents. [50]

Notable events

Recurring

Alexandra Palace has hosted a number of significant events. Recurring events held there include the Great British Beer Festival (1977–1980), [51] the Brit Awards (1993–1995), the PDC World Darts Championship (2008–present) and the Masters snooker tournament (2012–2020 and 2022–2024).

In November every year, a large fireworks display is scheduled there as part of London's Bonfire Night celebrations.

1960s

The Observer's Wildlife Exhibition held here in 1963 was an important early event in highlighting awareness of worldwide endangered species, and it gained a large attendance (46,000). [52]

In April 1967, a benefit event took place at the Palace. The 14 Hour Technicolor Dream, organised by the International Times , demonstrated the importance of the quickly developing Underground scene. Although venues such as the UFO Club were hosting counter-cultural bands, this was certainly the largest indoor event at the time. Performers included headlining act Pink Floyd as well as the Pretty Things, Savoy Brown, the Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Soft Machine, The Purple Gang, The Move and Sam Gopal's Dream (featuring Sam Gopal, Mick Hutchinson and Pete Sears). John Lennon attended, and Yoko Ono (who was soon to become Lennon's new romantic partner) presented her performance work "Cut Piece". [53]

1970s

Audio description of Alexandra Palace by former local MP, Lynne Featherstone

In 1970, Italian director Lucio Fulci filmed an important segment of his giallo film A Lizard in a Woman's Skin here. Alexandra Palace posed as a disused church. [54] The rock band Led Zeppelin played at Alexandra Palace's Grand Hall in two sell out performances on the evenings of the 22/23 December 1972. [55] Their concert tickets were priced at £1 each for the two-hour-long gig and were uniquely made available from specific Harlequin Record Shops within Central London. [56] [55]

In 1973, the Divine Light Mission held a "Festival of Love" there. [57] Also in 1973, British rock band Wishbone Ash played a Christmas concert at the Palace, billed as "Christmas at the Palace".

The American band Grateful Dead played a series of three shows there between 9 and 11 September 1974; a recording of portions of all three shows was released as part of the Dick's Picks series in March 1997.

The Campaign for Real Ale held the Great British Beer Festival there from 1977 to 1980 [51] (the 1980 edition taking place in tents outside the fire-damaged Alexandra Palace [58] ). On the afternoon of 10 July 1980 (an accidental) fire destroyed the Great Hall, Banqueting Suite, Dressing Rooms and Ice Rink during contractors routine repairs and maintenance. [59]

From 27 July to 5 August 1973, The London Music Festival '73 was held here.[ citation needed ]

1980s

After the fire, the burnt-out shell of the great hall of Alexandra Palace was used as Victory Square in Michael Radford's 1984 film adaptation of George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four . [60]

The Sinclair C5 battery electric vehicle was launched at the Palace in January 1985, one week after the closure of the 405-line television system that was inaugurated there 49 years earlier.

In November 1989, the Stone Roses performed a concert at Alexandra Palace.[ citation needed ]

1990s

Hugh Cornwell played his last performance with the Stranglers at Alexandra Palace in August 1990. This was documented by the Saturday Night, Sunday Morning album and video.

Blur performed a major concert at the venue in October 1994 to promote their album Parklife . The recording of the concert was released on video in February 1995 with the title Showtime and used as the basis for the video for the band's song "End of a Century".

From 1993 to 1995, the Brit Awards were hosted at Alexandra Palace. In November 1996 it was the venue for the annual MTV Europe Music Awards.

In 1996, the Palace hosted the inaugural London Model Engineering Exhibition which continued each year until 2021 when it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [61]

2000s

In April 2000, the funeral service of the Labour MP Bernie Grant took place at the Palace. An estimated 3,000 people attended. [62]

The Darkness performing at Alexandra Palace in 2006. Darkness live.jpg
The Darkness performing at Alexandra Palace in 2006.

The fourth Mind Sports Olympiad was held at Alexandra Palace in August 2000, with more than 4,000 competitors from around the world taking part in mind sports. [63]

In December 2002, The Miss World 2002 pageant was staged at the venue.[ citation needed ]

In June 2007, a Hackday event was hosted at Alexandra Palace by the BBC and Yahoo! During the event, the building was struck by lightning, causing the fire vents to open (and then get stuck open), and it rained inside the building. [64]

Since December 2007, Alexandra Palace has hosted the PDC World Darts Championship, [65] following 14 years from December 1993 to January 2007 of the tournament being held at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet, Essex. The Palace was previously home to the News of the World Darts Championship between 1963 and 1977.

April 2008 saw the relaunch of the regular antiques fairs, [66] now held four times a year, organised by International Antiques & Collectors Fairs (IACF).

2010s

The Masters snooker tournament has been played at Alexandra Palace since 2012. London Masters Arena.JPG
The Masters snooker tournament has been played at Alexandra Palace since 2012.

The band Portishead hosted one of two All Tomorrow's Parties festivals titled I'll Be Your Mirror in July 2011 at Alexandra Palace. [67] The 50th anniversary programme of Songs of Praise was recorded there in September 2011 and broadcast the following month. [68]

Since 2012 the Palace has been the venue for the Masters snooker tournament, held every January. [69] The only subsequent year it has not been held there was 2021, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the 2012 Summer Olympics it served as the official hospitality venue for the Dutch Olympic team. [70]

In November 2012, it was the venue for the annual Warped Tour, a music and extreme sports festival.

Alexandra Palace continues to be a prolific and high-profile music venue attracting internationally renowned artists. Suede appeared in March 2013, playing one of the first dates in support of Bloodsports , their first new album in more than a decade. In September 2013, Björk performed one of the final concerts of her Biophilia tour. The show was the last concert to be held "in the round", a format which characterised the tour, and the first to be performed in this way at Alexandra Palace. [71] [72] The eclectic programming has included in 2015, Florence and the Machine playing 4 dates of their How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful Tour in the Palace as well as in 2016 alone, heavy metal band Slipknot, Drum & Bass DJ Andy C and the Last Shadow Puppets; with sell out shows by Twenty One Pilots [73] and Panic at the Disco. [74]

The bootcamp stage for series 13 of The X Factor was filmed at the Alexandra Palace from 6 to 8 July 2016. [75]

2020s

In June 2020, Nick Cave recorded the live album and concert film Idiot Prayer in the West Hall. On the record, he performs songs from throughout his career solo on the piano. [76]

On 18 April 2021, London Grammar performed their third album, Californian Soil, live at Alexandra Palace. [77]

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge presented the inaugural Earthshot Prizes, with many celebrity guests, at Alexandra Palace on 17 October 2021. [78]

Fontaines D.C. performed the last show of their 2021 UK tour at Alexandra Palace on 27 October 2021. [79]

On 11 November 2021, Bethesda Softworks hosted a special concert to celebrate the 10th anniversary release of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The performance by the London Symphony Orchestra and London Voices was livestreamed during the COVID-19 pandemic. [80]

Notes and references

  1. UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth . Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Historic England. "Alexandra Palace including former Alexandra Palace Station to North (1268256)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  3. "Alexandra Park Conservation & Heritage Management Plan" (PDF). Alexandra Park and Palace Charitable Trust. January 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 June 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  4. O'Connor, John J. (17 November 1986). "TV Reviews; Film Celebrates BBC's 50th Birthday". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
  5. "Alexandra Park". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 20 March 2014. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  6. "Alexandra Park". Greenspace Information for Greater London. 2013. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  7. "iGiGL data portal (map)". Greenspace Information for Greater London. Archived from the original on 14 January 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  8. "A Brief History of Alexandra Palace and Park". Hornsey Historical Society. January 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  9. Baggs, A.P.; Bolton, Diane K.; Pugh, R.B., eds. (1980). "Hornsey, including Highgate: Introduction". A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 6. London: Victoria County History. p. 101. ISBN   978-0197227503. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  10. Banerjee, Jacqueline. "Alexandra Palace". Archived from the original on 23 July 2008. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  11. "Charles Thomas Lucas at Oxford Dictionary of National Biography" . Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/49439 . Retrieved 8 July 2011.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  12. Pearce, Charles E. (1924). Sims Reeves: Fifty Years of Music in England. London: Stanley Paul. p. 307.
  13. Arthur Hayden, Spode and His Successors (Cassell, London 1925), pp. 12, 90.
  14. Felix Aprahamian, The Alexandra Palace Organ, Sleevenote to HMV HQM 1199 (Hayes 1970).
  15. "Our History". alexandrapalace.com. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  16. "Henry Burt". London Remembers. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  17. Palace, Alexandra (15 August 2014). "Alexandra Palace launches exhibition commemorating WW1 heritage | Alexandra Palace". www.alexandrapalace.com. Archived from the original on 25 February 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  18. "Alexandra Palace's war time efforts to be showcased in new app and video | Middlesex University London". www.mdx.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 16 October 2017. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  19. "WWI Internees at Alexandra Palace, London, England". Family History Circle. 7 November 2008. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
  20. "Alexandra Palace as a concentration camp". British association for Local History. 2005. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
  21. "No. 30278". The London Gazette . 11 September 1917. p. 9396.
  22. 1 2 Burns, R.W. (1998). Television: An International History of the Formative Years. London: The Institution of Electrical Engineers. p. ix. ISBN   978-0-85296-914-4.
  23. "Coat of arms". London Borough of Haringey. Archived from the original on 6 May 2006. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
  24. "Timeline". alexandrapalace.com. Archived from the original on 3 June 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  25. "The History of the BBC: Alexandra Palace's Secret War". www.televisionheaven.co.uk. 2004. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  26. Aprahamian 1970, loc. cit.
  27. "National Ar4chives: Records of the successive Works departments, and the Ancient Monuments Boards and Inspectorate, Ministry of Works, 1943–1962". Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  28. Archives of E.T. Spashett ARIBA
  29. Burnton, Simon; Miller, Nick (8 April 2016). "The Joy of Six: bad ideas in football". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  30. King, Michael (7 February 1978). "Ally Pally super stadium vetoed". Evening Standard . p. 8. Retrieved 12 November 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  31. BBC News (10 July 1980). "Alexandra Palace Fire". Youtube. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  32. Project Management International plc, Alexandra Palace: Report for the London Borough of Haringey (1990)
  33. "Council faces 'meltdown' over Ally Pally debt". The Independent .co.uk. 6 May 1996. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  34. Dillon, Denis; Fanning, Bryan (13 May 2016). Lessons for the Big Society: Planning, Regeneration and the Politics of Community Participation. Routledge. p. 35. ISBN   978-1-317-10561-9 . Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  35. "Haringey owns up to pounds 50m debt". The Independent. 20 May 1996. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  36. Harris, Martin C. (2005). Homes of British Ice Hockey. History Press. p. 116. ISBN   978-0752425818.
  37. Gillespie, Ruth (8 February 2005). "Complicite scraps plans for Alexandra Palace rebirth". The Stage . Archived from the original on 21 September 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2008. The company had announced plans for a £500,000 refurbishment of the 19th century building last year, more than 65 years after the venue went dark and planned to occupy the space for 12-weeks in the spring. However, Complicite has been forced to abandon its proposals after the cost of essential safety work on the 2,500-seat auditorium shot up from £160,000 to £310,000.
  38. "Court rejects £55m Palace plans". BBC News. 5 October 2007. Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved 25 June 2008. Firoz Kassam, the former chairman of Oxford United Football Club, wants to refurbish the building's exhibition halls, add a 150-bedroom hotel, casino, bars and restaurants and provide public leisure facilities on the site. But on Friday the judge quashed a Charity Commission order which permitted palace trustees to enter into a 125-year lease with Mr Kassam's development company, Firoka Group. Mr Justice Sullivan said lease details were not given in time for public consultation, so the whole consultation process must be reopened.
  39. "Ally Pally to welcome up to 2000 more at music concerts". Tottenham Independent. 10 September 2009. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  40. Palace, Alexandra. "East Wing Restoration – Alexandra Palace". Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  41. "COMMENT: 'Let's conserve birthplace of television, warts and all' – Heritage – Hampstead & Highgate Express – Broadway". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  42. "Alexandra Palace secures £18.8m funding for theatre revamp". BBC News. 25 March 2015. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  43. Thompson, Miles (30 November 2018). "See inside London's freshly restored Alexandra Palace Theatre". The Spaces. Archived from the original on 18 May 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  44. "Alexandra Palace Theatre restoration makes a feature of decades of decay". Dezeen. 11 August 2019. Archived from the original on 11 August 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  45. Brown, Mark (26 April 2018). "Alexandra Palace's 'hidden' theatre to reopen after £18.8m restoration". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  46. Restoration – Alexandra Palace – The East Wing Keith Armstrong 2018 The author’s personal photographic record documenting the 2 year project.
  47. "Sierra Boggess to star in West Side Story at BBC Proms". The Stage. 19 April 2018. Archived from the original on 3 May 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  48. Brown, Mark (26 April 2018). "Alexandra Palace's 'hidden' theatre to reopen after £18.8m restoration". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 May 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  49. "Ally Pally's hidden theatre launches first season in December". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 3 May 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  50. "Alexandra Palace transformed into food distribution hub during lockdown". Jersey Evening Post. 21 April 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  51. 1 2 "History of the Great British Beer Festival". www.gbbf.org.uk. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  52. William M. Adams, Against Extinction:The Story of Conservation (Earthscan 2004), p. 61. Example of display, Archived 8 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  53. "Nothing Found For Npf Mag 311 Syd Barrett And The Beatles 1966 1969 By John J Olivar 404". Archived from the original on 28 June 2011.
  54. "A Lizard in a Woman's Skin". 20 March 1973. Archived from the original on 12 April 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018 via IMDb.
  55. 1 2 "Led Zeppelin | Official Website". LedZeppelin.com. Archived from the original on 10 November 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  56. "Led Zeppelin Live". YouTube. December 1972. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  57. Price, Maeve (1979): "The Divine Light Mission as a social organisation". Sociological Review, 27, pp. 279–296.
  58. "The History of CAMRA". 2014. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  59. "Lost in flames". BBC. Archived from the original on 5 November 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  60. Pally, Ally (19 September 2019). "Ready for our close up < Alexandra Palace". Alexandra Palace. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  61. "London Model Engineering Exhibition". www.meridienneexhibitions.co.uk. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  62. "Tottenham turns out in style for Bernie Grant's funeral". The Guardian. London. 19 April 2000. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  63. Fierce rivalry in 'Olympics' for brainboxes, CNN, Paul Sussman, 23 August 2000, Archived 26 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine retrieved 18 July 2012
  64. "When hacks attack". The Guardian. London. 25 June 2007. Archived from the original on 5 October 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  65. "World Darts moves to London". BBC News. 2 April 2007. Archived from the original on 11 July 2007. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
  66. Nelson Fairs Ltd. "antiques fair". Alexandrapalaceantiquesfair.co.uk. Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
  67. "I'll Be Your Mirror London curated by Portishead & ATP – All Tomorrow's Parties". Atpfestival.com. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
  68. "Songs of Praise 50th Birthday Celebration". Archived from the original on 6 November 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
  69. "The Masters Snooker Relocates to Alexandra Palace for 2012". Alexandra Palace. 26 April 2011. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
  70. "to host Olympic Holland Heineken House". Alexandra Palace. December 2010. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
  71. Murray, Robin (11 June 2013). "Bjork Announces London Show". Clash. Archived from the original on 24 March 2014. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
  72. "Björk announces oneBjörk announces one-off London gig on September 3 – ticket details". NME. 11 June 2013. Archived from the original on 15 June 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
  73. "Twenty One Pilots Shows". bandsintown.com. Archived from the original on 1 December 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  74. "Panic! at the Disco Shows". bandsintown.com. Archived from the original on 30 November 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  75. "The X Factor 2016: Country house Boot Camp axed and new location revealed". Andrew Bullock. 7 July 2016. Archived from the original on 27 September 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  76. Cave, Nick. "Idiot Prayer". Nick Cave. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  77. Krol, Charlotte (19 April 2021). "Watch London Grammar play new album 'Californian Soil' live from Alexandra Palace". NME . Archived from the original on 3 November 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  78. Ryan, Hannah; Foster, Max (18 October 2021). "Winners of Prince William's £1 million Earthshot environmental prize announced". CNN. Archived from the original on 18 October 2021. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  79. Hodgkinson, Will. "Fontaines DC review — sensational in their big London breakout concert" . The Times . ISSN   0140-0460. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  80. Wilhelm, Parker (19 August 2021). "Join us on 11/11 for the Skyrim 10th anniversary fan celebration!" . Retrieved 14 March 2024.
Society
Television
Preceded by
Sun City Entertainment Centre
Flag of South Africa.svg Sun City
Miss World venue
2002
Succeeded by

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muswell Hill</span> Suburb in north London, England

Muswell Hill is a suburban district of the London Borough of Haringey, north London. The hill, which reaches over 100 m (330 ft) above sea level, is situated 5+12 miles north of Charing Cross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wood Green</span> District in north London

Wood Green is a suburban district of the London Borough of Haringey, London, England. Its postal district is N22, with parts in N8 or N15. The London Plan identifies it as one of the metropolitan centres in Greater London, and today it forms a major commercial district of north London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Borough of Haringey</span> London borough in United Kingdom

The London Borough of Haringey is a London borough in north London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner London, and by others as part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 by the amalgamation of three former boroughs. It shares borders with six other London boroughs. Clockwise from the north, they are: Enfield, Waltham Forest, Hackney, Islington, Camden, and Barnet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crouch End</span> Human settlement in England

Crouch End is an area of North London, approximately five miles (8 km) from the City of London in the western half of the borough of Haringey. It is within the Hornsey postal district (N8). It has been described by the BBC as one of "a new breed of urban villages" in London. In 2023, it was voted the best place to live in London by the Sunday Times, saying "A creative edge and friendly neighbours give this lofty northern enclave social capital in the capital".

Harringay is a district of north London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is centred on the section of Green Lanes running between the New River, where it crosses Green Lanes by Finsbury Park, and Duckett's Common, near Turnpike Lane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parkland Walk</span> 2.5-mile linear green walkway in London

The Parkland Walk is a 3.1-mile (5.0 km) linear green pedestrian and cycle route in London, which follows the course of the railway line that used to run between Finsbury Park and Alexandra Palace, through Stroud Green, Crouch End, Highgate and Muswell Hill. It is often mistakenly described as 4.5 miles long, but even taking in the gap between the two sections it still only totals 3.1 miles (5.0 km). The route follows the bridges and cuttings of the line, but avoids the closed surface section of Highgate station and its adjoining tunnels, which are closed to walkers for safety reasons. The walk is almost all in Haringey, but a short stretch between Crouch Hill and Crouch End Hill is in Islington and this section incorporates Crouch Hill Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hornsey Town Hall</span> Municipal building in London, England

Hornsey Town Hall is a public building in Hatherley Gardens in the Crouch End area of Hornsey, London. The building was used by the Municipal Borough of Hornsey as its headquarters until 1965. It is a Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandra Park, London</span> Park in the London Borough of Haringey

Alexandra Park is a 200 acre (80–hectare), Green Flag Award, and Green Heritage winning, diverse-landscape park, in the Borough of Haringey in north London adjacent to Hornsey, Muswell Hill and Wood Green. Laid out on the site of Tottenham Wood and the later Tottenham Wood Farm, the park and palace were named in 1863, the year of the marriage of Alexandra of Denmark to the Prince of Wales who became King Edward VII.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandra Palace railway station</span> National Rail station in London, England

Alexandra Palace railway station is on the Great Northern Route that forms part of the East Coast Main Line, and takes its name from the nearby Alexandra Palace in the London Borough of Haringey, north London. It is 4 miles 78 chains (8.0 km) down the line from London King's Cross and is situated between Hornsey and either New Southgate on the main line or Bowes Park on the Hertford Loop Line which diverges from the main line just north of Alexandra Palace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hornsey and Wood Green (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983-2024

Hornsey and Wood Green was a constituency in Greater London created in 1983 and represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament from 2015 until its abolition for the 2024 general election by Catherine West, of the Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tottenham (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1950 onwards

Tottenham is a constituency in Greater London represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since 2000 by the current Foreign Secretary, David Lammy of the Labour Party. Lammy has also served as the Shadow Foreign Secretary from 2021 to 2024 in the Shadow Cabinet of Keir Starmer, in which he previously served as Shadow Secretary of State for Justice and Shadow Lord Chancellor from 2020 to 2021. Tottenham was re-created as a parliamentary constituency in 1950, having previously existed from 1885 to 1918.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts</span> Drama school

Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, formerly Mountview Theatre School, is a drama school in Peckham, south London, England, founded in 1945. Mountview Academy provides specialist vocational training in acting, musical theatre and actor musicianship, as well as production arts and theatre creative practices. The President of the school is Dame Judi Dench, and the Principal is Sally Ann Gritton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noel Park</span> Human settlement in England

Noel Park in north London is a planned community built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries consisting of 2,200 model dwellings, designed by Rowland Plumbe. It was developed as the Noel Park Estate on a tract of land on the edge of north London as part of the fast growing development of Wood Green. It is one of four developments on the outskirts of London built by the Artizans, Labourers & General Dwellings Company. From 2003 to sometime in 2009, the name was also given to a small park near the southern edge of Noel Park, formerly known – and now known again – as Russell Park.

Highgate Wood School is a secondary school located in Crouch End in the North London borough of Haringey. It accommodates pupils aged 11–16, providing secondary education to 1,500 pupils. The school also has a sixth form.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northumberland Development Project</span> Property development in London, England

The Northumberland Development Project is a mixed-use development project that centres around the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium which replaced White Hart Lane as the home ground of Tottenham Hotspur. On opening in April 2019, the stadium had a capacity for 62,062 spectators, later increased to 62,303, and was designed to host football as well as NFL games. The development plans also include 585 new homes, a 180-room hotel, a local community health centre, the Tottenham Experience, a Spurs museum and club shop, an extreme sports facility, as well as the Lilywhite House, which contains a Sainsbury's supermarket, a sixth form college and the club's headquarters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Stroud Green</span>

Stroud Green in London, England, is a suburb adjacent to Finsbury Park in the northern part of Greater London. While most of the area is in the London Borough of Haringey, a very small part is in the London Borough of Islington. The Stroud Green Road not only forms the boundary between the two boroughs but is also the area's principal thoroughfare and a busy local shopping street, with many popular restaurants and bars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crouch End Hill</span> Street in north London

Crouch End Hill is a street in north London, England, running between Crouch End and Hornsey Rise in the boroughs of Haringey and Islington. It is not to be confused with 'Crouch Hill" which runs between Crouch End and Stroud Green. The two roads meet at a "Y" junction in Crouch End and together the two routes constitute the southern access to Crouch End Broadway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandra Park Racecourse</span> Former horse racing venue in London

Alexandra Park Racecourse, known to Londoners as Ally Pally, was a horse racing venue in Alexandra Park, London, England; it was colloquially known as the Frying Pan on account of its shape. It opened on 30 June 1868 and closed 102 years later on 8 September 1970. It is now incorporated into the park, with a sports pitch in the centre of the racetrack oval.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of the London Borough of Haringey</span>

The coat of arms of the London Borough of Haringey was granted on 10 May 1965, after the mergers of the former Municipal Borough of Hornsey, the Municipal Borough of Wood Green and the Municipal Borough of Tottenham. Unlike most other London boroughs, it was decided not to create arms based on the charges in the coats of arms of the former boroughs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandra Palace Theatre</span> Venue in Haringey, North London

The Alexandra Palace Theatre was originally built in London, England, in 1873 for the performance of opera and ballet, but within a few weeks was burnt to the ground with the rest of the Alexandra Palace. The Palace, including the theatre, was rebuilt and reopened in 1875 and is now a Grade II listed building. The new theatre included a 22 foot cellar below the stage which housed complex machinery for use in scene changes and movement of actors. The theatre fell into disrepair for many years but was reopened in 2018 after refurbishment in the style of 'arrested decay'. The stage machinery is one of the few surviving examples in the country.