Our history
A brief history
We certainly have been busy! Alexandra Palace was designed as the ‘People’s Palace’ to provide entertainment and recreation for the masses. It opened on 24 May, 1873, only to burn down 16 days later. Reopening in 1875 Victorian Londoners descended en masse for festivals, fireworks, banquets, theatre and music (sound familiar?!). In 1900 an Act of Parliament placed the Park and Palace in public ownership, so it could remain ‘a place of public resort and recreation’ forever. The action continued: think daredevils, cinema and our own race course added to the bustling programme of activity. The First World War put a stop to things though and not for the first time the Palace was repurposed, including being used as a refugee camp.
In the 1930s, something totally new: Ally Pally became home to the ‘race for television’, the BBC and the world’s first tv station. Then War again, this time the Palace took on an ingenious, beam-bending role. The swingin’ 60s established us as one of music’s iconic venues – the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd played, followed by more: Led Zeppelin, BB King, Queen, Muddy Waters and the Rock Against Racism gig. Then, it happened again. The Palace burned down in 1980. It took eight years and tireless work to reopen. Sade was the first back on the Great Hall stage, then three nights from Barry Manilow. As ever, plenty more was happening. We had a dry ski slope, lots of refreshment and even a Cold War bunker. In 1990 our ice rink opened, it remains one of the hardest working rinks in the world, open 364 days a year. The 90s brought the BRITs and the MOBOs, while Blur launched Parklife here. In 1996 the Palace gained Grade II listed status.
The new millennium saw the music take off – Bjork, Jay-Z, Chemical Brothers, Florence and the Machine, Skepta – and many, many more played the Palace. Our fireworks festival grew to two days. Our Creative Learning programme launched in 2012, so far helping tens of thousands of people to gain skills, explore their creativity and improve their well-being. We hosted film premieres, Red Bull racing, snooker and, of course, the Darts. In 2018, following support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Haringey Council we completed a project to restore the East Wing, including reopening our Victorian Theatre after 80 years of closure.
As things were getting bigger, better, the pandemic hit. It didn’t stop us though, we hosted food distribution centres, testing centres and local charities. Artists streamed epic performances, we took our learning programme to libraries and care homes, whilst millions enjoyed the 196 acres of award-winning Park, kept tidy with the help of award-winning volunteers.
Today the Park and Palace are run by a charity and welcome millions of visitors each year. Our facilities provide vital leisure and green space, our learning activities benefit thousands, including some of the most vulnerable in our community, while our cultural programme not only entertains, but also significantly supports our local economy and creates hundreds of job opportunities. All the while, we are making the Palace greener, more accessible and providing more benefit to our communities than ever before.
Your Ally Pally: For then. For now. Forever.
