Fire Surround
ca.1854 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This fireplace was discovered in a house in Sydenham in 2009. It is composed of tiles designed by Owen Jones for the Alhambra Court of the Crystal Palace.
The Crystal Palace, first built for the 1851 Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, moved to Sydenham in 1854 where it stood until its destruction by fire in 1936.
However, much of the Alhambra Court was salvaged from the fire rubble and the tiles were sold as souvenirs at a garden fete in aid of St Philip's Church at Sydenham. It is likely that this fireplace was made at that time, with salvaged tiles, and purchased by the owners of the house in which it was eventually discovered.
From surviving records it is difficult to match the tiles of this fireplace to a particular part of the Alhambra Court scheme, although they are most likley to have come from one of the alcoves of the colonnade by the 'Court of Lions'.
The fireplace is the largest section of tiles known to have survived from the Alhambra Court. It demonstrates Owen Jones' use of colour and pattern and is an interesting example of the reuse of objects.
The Crystal Palace, first built for the 1851 Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, moved to Sydenham in 1854 where it stood until its destruction by fire in 1936.
However, much of the Alhambra Court was salvaged from the fire rubble and the tiles were sold as souvenirs at a garden fete in aid of St Philip's Church at Sydenham. It is likely that this fireplace was made at that time, with salvaged tiles, and purchased by the owners of the house in which it was eventually discovered.
From surviving records it is difficult to match the tiles of this fireplace to a particular part of the Alhambra Court scheme, although they are most likley to have come from one of the alcoves of the colonnade by the 'Court of Lions'.
The fireplace is the largest section of tiles known to have survived from the Alhambra Court. It demonstrates Owen Jones' use of colour and pattern and is an interesting example of the reuse of objects.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Earthenware, glazed |
| Brief description | Fireplace consisting of earthenware mosaic tiles mounted onto an upright surround and horizontal hearth and glazed in black, white, blue, green and orange. Designed by Owen Jones for the Alhambra Court, Crystal Palace |
| Physical description | Fire surround and hearth, consisting of a number of small 'mosaic' tiles in white, black, orange, blue and green surmounted by triangular tessellated tiles in white and black. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by Michael Stallybrass |
| Object history | This fire surround and hearth were discovered in a house in Sydenham (106 Westwood Hill, London, SE26 6PE) by Jan Piggott, expert on the interiors of Crystal Palace. They are composed of tiles designed by Owen Jones for the Alhambra Court of the Crystal Palace. The Crystal Palace moved to Sydenham in 1854 where it stood until its destruction by fire in 1936. According to the donor, and substantiated by contemporary photographs (see RF), much of the Alhambra Court was salvaged from the rubble and the tiles were sold as souvenirs at a garden fete in aid of St Philip's Church at Sydenham. It is likely that this fire surround and hearth were made at that time, with salvaged tiles, and purchased by the then owner of 106 Westwood Hill. From surviving records it is difficult to match this fireplace to a particular part of the Alhambra Court scheme, although it is most likley to have come from one of the alcoves of the colonnade by the 'Court of Lions' (see images on RF). Historical significance: This firplace is the largest section of tiles known to have survived from the Alhambra Court, Crystal Palace. |
| Production | Made for the Alhambra Court, Crystal Palace |
| Summary | This fireplace was discovered in a house in Sydenham in 2009. It is composed of tiles designed by Owen Jones for the Alhambra Court of the Crystal Palace. The Crystal Palace, first built for the 1851 Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, moved to Sydenham in 1854 where it stood until its destruction by fire in 1936. However, much of the Alhambra Court was salvaged from the fire rubble and the tiles were sold as souvenirs at a garden fete in aid of St Philip's Church at Sydenham. It is likely that this fireplace was made at that time, with salvaged tiles, and purchased by the owners of the house in which it was eventually discovered. From surviving records it is difficult to match the tiles of this fireplace to a particular part of the Alhambra Court scheme, although they are most likley to have come from one of the alcoves of the colonnade by the 'Court of Lions'. The fireplace is the largest section of tiles known to have survived from the Alhambra Court. It demonstrates Owen Jones' use of colour and pattern and is an interesting example of the reuse of objects. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.350:1, 2-2009 |
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| Record created | August 4, 2010 |
| Record URL |
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