There is a new resident at Crystal Palace station: a life-size replica of an internationally famous, historic Iguanodon head, unveiled by Arriva Rail London (ARL) and Friends of Crystal Palace Dinosaurs (FCPD).

Iggy’s head now surveys the ticket hall at Crystal Palace, with the installation funded by ARL and . The replica was kindly donated to FCPD by Bompas & Parr, a creative food and drink company, from its 2010 event, The Complete History of Food. The event took the form of an experiential meal, charting key periods in England’s glorious and often bizarre culinary history – including the recreation of the epic 1853 Dinner in the Iguanodon. The sculpture will welcome visitors and residents with its beady gaze to the historic park and neighbourhoods in south London.

Charlotte Whitfield, customer experience director at Arriva Rail London, said: “We’re delighted to have been able to support this project. These iconic sculptures are a cherished part of the local area’s heritage, and it’s fantastic to bring a touch of that history into the station. The Iguanodon head will now watch over the piano cove, which we introduced earlier this year, adding even more character to the space for our customers.”

The 1853 Iguanodon Dinner

In 1852, sculptor Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins was commissioned to create life-size models of dinosaurs and other extinct animals, set in a geological walk-through Deep Time. These were part of the extensive park designed by Joseph Paxton in southeast London to complement the relocated, expanded Crystal Palace after the 1851 Great Exhibition in Hyde Park.

Hawkins invited a group of ‘the great and good’ to a dinner party with a twist on New Year’s Eve in 1853. A large striped tent was pitched around the mould used to cast the standing Iguanodon, the largest of the extinct animal sculptures. More than 20 guests reportedly crammed inside the four-and-a-half metre space for an elaborate seven-course meal. They sang a rousing toast to the dinosaur: “The event garnered widespread media attention and heightened anticipation for the upcoming opening of the Crystal Palace, as well as the surrounding park and geological landscape with its astonishing sculptures later in 1854.

Art Meets Science

The Crystal Palace dinosaurs are some of the earliest examples of palaeoart, a distinct that gives scientific discoveries a visual reality for everyone. Hawkins consulted with numerous palaeontologists of the time, using scientific evidence to depict the prehistoric creatures in life form, adding ‘flesh to the bones, and life to the animal’.

Today, the sculptures provide a fascinating snapshot of the progression of palaeontology, reflecting not only the misconceptions of the field’s early days, but how much the pioneers were able to get right. For example, the forms inferred for the Iguanodon sculptures have changed dramatically. Belgian discoveries in 1878 and later gave us our modern take on Iguanodon anatomy. Amongst the inaccuracies were the bones that had been placed as horns on their noses, later found to be thumb spikes.

Dr Ellinor Michel, Chair of Friends of Crystal Palace Dinosaurs said: “A visit to the historic Grade 1-listed Crystal Palace dinosaurs is a treat for everyone from toddlers to grandparents and a pilgrimage for all fans of history, art and science. The station Iguanodon almost

“We hope visitors will have not only their hearts warmed, but also their curiosity piqued by how our understanding of the earth and evolution of the living world around us has changed through time.”

FCPD are also pleased to share that the Geological Court with its extinct animal sculptures will undergo a thorough conservation makeover in the next year thanks to major funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to London Borough of Bromley and the Crystal Palace Park Trust. The historic site will be ready to bring joy and inspiration for generations to come.