A photograph of firemen at the Crystal Palace fire, Sydenham, London, taken in November 1936 by Edward G Malindine (1906-1970) for the Daily Herald.

A photograph of firemen at the Crystal Palace fire, Sydenham, London, taken in November 1936 by Edward G Malindine for the Daily Herald.

After housing the Great Exhibition in 1851 the Crystal Palace was dismantled and rebuilt at Sydenham, south east London, reopening in June 1854. Fire broke out on the night of 30 November 1936. The fire was fought by eighty-eight fire engines and four hundred and eighty-three fire fighters from four different fire brigades. The cause of the fire was never fully established.The 'Palace of the People' as it became known, was at first a huge success as the world's first 'theme park'. However, in the twentieth century the Crystal Palace's popularity declined, failing to compete with newer forms of entertainment and recreation.