London, Brighton and South Coast Railway closely involved with the company that purchased The Crystal Palace after the completion of The Great Exhibition in October 1851 and arranged for its removal to a site on Sydenham Hill, close to the London to Brighton main line, where it became a major tourist attraction. The LB&SCR therefore encouraged the West End of London and Crystal Palace Railway to build a branch line from Sydenham, opened in June 1854. This was extended in a wide arc round south London to Wandsworth in 1856 and Battersea Pier in 1858. Shortly after the line was completed, the LB&SCR leased it and
Alexandra Park, London incepted in the 1850s to build an education, recreation and events venue to rival south London's Crystal Palace which took the main structure of the Great Exhibition, 1851 from Hyde Park, London. The Act therefore created the Alexandra Palace and Park Trust as to which the Trustees were bound to maintain the Palace and Park and make them available for the free use and recreation of the public forever. Until September 1970, Alexandra Park hosted horse racing, including many evening meetings that were televised by the BBC. The racecourse in the park grounds was nicknamed "the Frying Pan" owing to