Palaeotherium magnum returns to the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs Tertiary Island

Palaeontologists, historians, and artists have collaborated to rebuild a Victorian-era sculpture of Palaeotherium magnum, a 2.2-meter-long, extinct mammal distantly related to horses, at the Grade 1 listed Crystal Palace Dinosaurs site. The original sculpture had been missing for 60 years, but thanks to the dedicated efforts of experts, it has been faithfully recreated. Come join the unveiling of the restored sculpture at Crystal Palace Park on 2nd July, followed by special topic guided tours of the mammals and geology of the Crystal Palace Dinosaur site.

The Crystal Palace Dinosaurs, comprising approximately 30 palaeontological statues, up to 40 geological displays, and related landscaping, form a unique and historic collection in Crystal Palace Park. Created between 1853 and 1855 the statues by renowned natural history artist Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, were the world's first attempt to model extinct animals as full-scale, in the flesh.

While the term ‘Dinosaurs’ is used to refer to the collection, only four of the statues are strictly dinosaurs with others representing marine and flying reptiles as well as crocodilians, amphibians, and mammals like Palaeotherium magnum. The sculptures stand in a landscape designed to be a 'walk through geological time', complete with constructed outcrops of the rocks where the original fossils were found.

The reconstruction of the Palaeotherium magnum sculpture has been carried out by Britain’s leading palaeoartist, Bob Nicholls, under the supervision of the Friends of Crystal Palace Dinosaurs, scientists from the Natural History Museum and the University of Portsmouth. It has been funded by the new Crystal Palace Park Trust and Friends of Crystal Palace Dinosaurs. This project marks the first attempt in 20 years to replace a lost sculpture at the site.