The Great Exhibition, as it was commonly known, took place in Hyde Park from May to October, in 1851. It was the creation of Prince Albert and Henry Cole.
“Model of Building for the Exhibition of all nations in 1851. – Mr. Turner, the contractor for the elegant new iron roof of the Lime-street railway station at Liverpool, exhibited last week at that station to a number of gentlemen invited by note from Mr. Graham, secretary of the Liverpool committee of the above important exhibition, a large and beautiful model, from his works in Dublin, of his proposed plan of erections for the great exhibition of the arts, manufactures, and inventions of all nations, which is on its way to be submitted to Prince Albert, and represents iron in toto, is built of wood, and its exterior is carried out in the minutest details with great neatness and accuracy, one inch to represent 10 feet in the proposed real building being the scale adopted. It is proposed that the whole structure should be in the Green-park, and that the present marble arch, erected by George IV., and which cost 70,000l., should be appropriated, as it stands, as the ‘Royal Entrance Gate’ from Piccadilly. The area within the boundary line of the propsed works comprises 25 acres; in addition to which there are two flanking buildings, covering two acres more. These latter buildings (forming two parallel sides of the outer quadrangle), are each 1020 feet long, byt 40 feet wide, and two stories high – the upper parts for the fine arts, the lower parts for the committee rooms, &c. Midway in each of these flanks stands a circular building, dome roofed, and intended for refreshment-rooms. The diameter of each of these is 125- feet. The rooms are all of corrugated iron and glass. The main central building consists of several oblong ranges, disposed in nearly a square, and are peculiarised by segmatical roofs of corrugated iron and huge sheets of glass, forming continuous openings, and by four circular corner buildings rising to a great height, and one large building of the same form in the centre, all of them with cupola roofs. The centre one is (to the top of the dome) 200 feet in height, and, with a colossal statue of Atlas with the world on his back at the top, the whole elevation is 260 feet. The other four correspond, and being 220 feet, bear figures and flags, representing respectively Europe, Asia, Africa and America. The diameter of the centre dome is 200 feet; and (as are the others) it is outwardly surrounded at its base by a balustraded walk, from which extensive views may be obtained. The main central buildings are ranged in parallel, and across the frontage sides, with a wide space between them. The central range is 60 feet by 200 feet; and the other two lateral ranges are 160 feet by 175 feet. Each of these is 600 feet in length, and the surface of superficial glass in the roof of one of them will be three acres. The first range of building is proposed for engine work and machinery; the centre one (600 long and 200 feet wide, which is divided into two by the central circular building), for miscellaneous articles; and the further one for agricultural specimens, implements, &c. From the central dome a comprehensive view of all that is to be seen or done below may be obtained. In the rear of the quadrangle, there are two square object towers, for working steam engines, consuming or preventing the smoke from the buildings, supplying steam for working models &c. A temporary and very rude building for the exhibition would probably cost at least 50,000l., and a few yearly exhibitions would bring a succession of the same expenditure on each occasion: Mr. Turner, therefore, proposes a permanent establishment of art, and in the interregnums between national exhibitions might be profitably appropriated as botanical gardens, theatres, lecture-rooms, museums, &c.”
The Stamford Mercury, 18th January, 1850.