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A short walk from the V& A is Hyde Park
The original site of the Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace was 563 metres long, 139 metres wide and over 30 metres high
Pre-fabricated parts meant the building went up in only 22 weeks
Work started in August 1850. First, the whole site was enclosed with hoardings
Trenches were dug
Then the concrete foundation was laid
Underground iron pipes formed the base for the columns
By the end of October workmen were raising 200 columns a week
At the same time, girders were added to support the galleries and roof
The most difficult part of the job was hoisting the main ribs for the transept roof
All 16 were fixed in one week
The height of the roof was designed to leave the trees undisturbed
The roof for the main part of the building was added
Glazing wagons ran in grooves in the gutters
In one week 80 men put in over 18,000 panes of glass
The boards from the hoardings were used to make the floor
The interior was painted red, yellow and blue
The Great Exhibition opened in the Crystal Palace on 1 May 1851
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