Crystal Palace Park's Grade II Italian Terraces are off Historic England's at-risk register after a £22m park regeneration. The dinosaurs came off in July.

The Italian Terraces at Crystal Palace Park have been removed from Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register. Bromley Council announced the news on Thursday, almost 90 years after the Palace itself burned down in 1936.

The Grade II terraces once led up to the Crystal Palace, in what is now the north-west corner of the borough. They follow the park’s Crystal Palace Dinosaurs, which came off the register in July.

Hannah Parham, Historic England’s Head of Places Regeneration, called the terraces “magnificent”. She said their removal was “a fantastic achievement” and “testament to years of dedication by Bromley Council and Crystal Palace Park Trust”.

What was done to the terraces

The council lists this work:

  • the stonework restored
  • better drainage, to stop water pooling and flooding
  • more planting and wildflower meadows
  • two new step-free routes, reinstated staircases and relevelled ground
  • the bust of Sir Joseph Paxton, who founded the Palace and the park, moved back to its original spot
  • new seating, lighting and power supplies

The restoration finished this summer. Finishing touches, including grass and flower seed, are going in now, ready for the spring, the council says.

Overgrown stone steps and arches at the Italian Terraces, with ivy and weeds across the stonework
The terrace steps overgrown, before the restoration. Photo: Italian terraces, Crystal Palace Park (3) by Jim Osley (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons

Who paid for it

The terraces were one part of a £22m regeneration, which the council calls the largest in the park since 1936. The money came from:

  • the council’s sale of land next to the park for affordable housing
  • a £5m grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund
  • match funding from the Garfield Weston Foundation, the London Marathon Foundation, the Wolfson Foundation and the Pilgrim Trust

The same project restored the dinosaurs and the Grand Centre Walk. It also built a Dinosaur Playground and a visitor centre.

The terraces now earn money as well. The council says 100,000 people came to festivals there this summer, with acts including Alanis Morissette and Snow Patrol. That income is a key part of the Crystal Palace Park Trust’s new funding model for looking after the park.

Victoria Pinnington, the trust’s chief executive, called the removal of both the dinosaurs and the terraces “a glowing tribute” to the regeneration team.

Councillor Yvonne Bear, the council’s Executive Councillor for Renewal, Recreation and Housing, called it “another huge milestone”.

What it means for you

The terraces now have two step-free routes. The trust’s website lists what’s on at the park, and we keep a wider list on our things to do in Bromley page.

The park’s Winter Makers Market runs on 5, 6, 12 and 13 December. Its listing also mentions Christmas tree sales, which we cover on our Christmas trees page.