Alexandra Palace

Alexandra Palace is located in Alexandra Park in North London, and was intended to be the northern equivalent of the Crystal Palace. Construction was finished in 1873, but the Palace was mostly destroyed by fire only sixteen days after completion. It was quickly re-built. Opened as a "people's palace" with concert halls, library, art gallery and museum, it has had a varied history, including use as an internment camp during the First World War and most famously as the home of the first high definition television service in the world, which opened in 1936. Some of the damage caused by another major fire, in 1980, has been repaired, but political disputes over who is to pay continue to this day.

June 2008