"I found the above photograph of a Crystal Palace concert in whichboth my parents took part. My mother marked a red cross on her skirt,while my father can just be seen in the top right hand corner,"writes Guardian reader Mr ALAN ROLFE of Wyatt Park Road, Streatham.

The Crystal Palace was a pantheon to Victorian pursuits. Whethervisitors enjoyed beautiful walks, sporting spectacles or other morecultured pastimes - they could be left in no doubt as to the heightsof late nineteenth and early twentieth century enterprise, leisure andcivilisation.

Mr John Bishop of Kenmore Road, Kenley, writes: "In 1932, myparents moved from Waddon out to the Coney Hall estate near West Wickham.I was six years old and the national newspapers had a competition forchildren to colour by paint or crayon a picture which was to win them aprize of free entry to the Crystal Palace. Of course, every child won.

"I went with my mother and my aunt. I remember the vast interior -the floor was wooden and resounded to the many feet walking about.

"We went to a circus in one of the big halls there and we saw `Thedaring young man on the flying trapeze.' A small aeroplane completewith propeller was suspended from the ceiling and rotated about a centraljoint. Opposite was the trapeze where the acrobat performed whilst thewhole lot was rotating. It was very thrilling for all of us.

"Schoolchildren from all the areas around the Crystal Palace heldsports days there. My youngest aunt, who is now 84 years old, remembersrunning in the sports there.

"When the building burnt down in 1936, we could see the huge glow inthe night sky from our garden at Coney Hall."

Mrs Betty Cordingley from Worth, West Sussex, wrote saying: "I havevery happy memories of the dear old Palace - the dog shows and bandcontests. There were always things going on.

"With its two towers and glass transepts, it was beautiful. As youentered the main door you walked on wooden flooring and a huge organ wouldbe playing. Each bank holiday people could enjoy the fair in the grounds,with four buildings - one each for South Africa, Australia, NewZealand and Canada - depicting the life of the countries.

"Every March a South London Exhibition of food and drink was held,much like the Ideal Home Exhibition, but with lots of free samples.

"Every so often the management of the Palace would have what theycalled a `Cherry Blossom' day. This meant you just had to takealong a lid of a cherry blossom tin and you got in free. There was alsospeedway each week and motor racing.

"It was incredible. The amount of variety - that was the joy ofthe Palace."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000.Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.