As I Mentioned I Had A Bad Night,

and actually slept in!

Diana was up before me getting ready for work, we had a breakfast together before she left for work, later I was out on my way to Crystal Palace, 

a walk past the green,

to the 227 bus stop opposite the cottages on the other side of the road,

I alighted at what was once the Crystal Palace High Level Station, now long since demolished, but it was what was underneath I had come to see, 

and so had lots of other people! I joined this queue, 

that went to the far end of the fence, 

and back again, 

half way there, the Palace transmitter in the distance,

all in all it took about an hour, 

and here I was, 

going down to the subway that linked the now gone station with the exhibition,

the reopening of the subway on its 160th anniversary marks the first step in the wider regeneration of Crystal Palace Park, it is only open for today, but other dates will be announced for future openings,

the subway, which dates from 1865, used to link Victorian passengers from the now-demolished high-level Crystal Palace Station with the iconic Palace. It is the most substantial survivor of the huge Crystal Palace complex which was dramatically lost to fire in 1936

the Crystal Palace, famous for holding the great exhibition, was moved to Sydenham Hill in 1865 from its original home in Hyde Park. Following the fire, the shelter was later used as an air raid shelter during World War II

the whole area has been glass covered, 

from the front looking back,

the brickwork is amazing, 

not only in its pattern but in the complex concave shape of the upper part of the pillars,

 

in the centre of the pillars, these round blackened shapes, 

I made my way to the left hand wall,

looking across to the other side,

and to the rear of the subway, 

which was gated off, 

outside a courtyard, 

looking back towards the entrance,

and the black shapes in the ceiling? I am guessing the pipework for gas lights that would have illuminated the subway,

I bimbled around for some time,

and made my way to the exit, 

where the area was covered over, 

a couple of photographs of the before and after, 

the subway had become largely overgrown and partly inaccessible in the last few decades. As part of the subway’s £3.5m restoration, a new roof over the east courtyard and extensive repairs to the walls, floor, steps and entrances have taken place to ensure it is suitable for public use,

out up the stairs, 

how many must have walked these at the time the exhibition was open?

now up top, I have said it before, if there is one time I could time travel back to it would be to see the Great Exhibition in 1851, for more about the subway have a look here,

on to the central parade where the bus stops are,

two lucky crows, I had some peanuts in my pocket,

I called into have a chat in the shoe repair shop on my way home,

as I was there this custom car drove past, I hope he has a secure garage!

I walked back to the park,

past the snail mail box and home,

in the evening time for a read and a sherry, 

Diana had made me a huge chicken curry, 

'Cheers!', I settled down to a couple of films, 

firstly Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge, or Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, as it is sometimes known, great fun it was too, I followed that with an old favorite, 

 1941, this is what I wrote the last time we watched it, 'a seriously underrated movie in my opinion 1941 was such a funny and in many respects true movie, we had watched it before, I just love this film, though it was a bit of a flop in the US, 1941 puts together a number of things that happened in the US in 1941 and as it happens also in 1942/3, Japanese submarines off the coast, anti aircraft guns put in peoples front yards, San Francisco blacked out for 6 hours due to an air raid with thousands of rounds fired into the sky at nothing, not to mention the Zoot Suits riots, to name just a few true happenings that feature in this big budget Steven Spielberg movie,' but alas it did not make the list. as it ended Diana arrived home, so a coffee and a chat before we were off to bed.