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
The Crystal Palace catering for women also). During the exhibition, 827,280 visitors each paid one penny to use them. It is often suggested that the euphemism "spending a penny" originated at the Exhibition but the phrase is more likely to date from the 1890s when public lavatories, fitted with penny coin-operated locks, were first established by British local authorities. The Great Exhibition closed on 11 October 1851. The life of the Great Exhibition was limited to six months, after which something had to be done with the building. Against the wishes of Parliamentary opponents, a consortium of eight businessmen including Samuel Laing and