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Commemorative plate of the Great Exhibition. The actual building was three times the length of St Paul's Cathedral.The Great Exhibition of the works of industry of all nations was conceived by Prince Albert and Henry Cole. Their aim was to improve the manufacture and design of British goods and to cultivate public taste. In a spectacular temporary exhibition building in Hyde Park more than 100,000 exhibits were put on display. On May 1 1851 Queen Victoria opened the Great Exhibition. By the time it closed on October 15 it had attracted more than six million people, nearly a third of the population. Architect and gardener Joseph Paxton, designed the exhibition building which was made of glass, iron and timber. The seemingly fragile structure was nicknamed 'The Crystal Palace' by the satirical magazine Punch. In this print, the two naves have been shortened, but the building was actually three times the length of St Paul's Cathedral.

Commemorative plate of the Great Exhibition. The actual building was three times the length of St Paul's Cathedral.