THE OPENING OF THE RELOCATED CRYSTAL PALACE BY QUEEN VICTORIA PALMERSTON (Henry John Temple, 1784-1865, Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister, 3rd Viscount)

Excellent Autograph Letter Signed to "My dear Sir Richard" MAYNE (1796-1868, Barrister and Joint First Commissioner of Police) telling him that "Count Walewsky has requested me to ask your good Offices for his Carriage tomorrow that it may be enabled to arrive at the Crystal Palace in time, and perhaps similar Facility might be given to the Carriages of other Foreign Ministers & Cabinet Ministers who must be there before the Queen arrives ...", 2 sides 8vo., C.G., 9th June

In 1851, Mayne took personal charge of policing at the Great Exhibition and he was so successful that he was finally appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath.
Count Alexandre WALEWSKI (1810-1868) was a Polish and French Politician and Diplomat.
The Crystal Palace was originally built in Hyde Park to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. After the exhibition, the Palace was relocated to an area of South London known as Penge Place at the top of Penge Peak next to Sydenham Hill, an affluent suburb of large villas. It stood there from June 1854 until its destruction by fire in November 1936. The reconstruction of the building began in 1852. It took two years to rebuild, and on 10th June 1854, Queen Victoria again performed an opening ceremony, in the presence of 40,000 guests.

Item Date:  1854

Stock No:  41130