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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Alexandra Palace
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(London N22) In 1862 London held a second international exhibition, hoping to repeat the success of the *Great Exhibition. The building was on the corner of Cromwell Road and Queen's Gate, where the Natural History Museum now stands. The materials were later reused, to a different design, to form the present Alexandra Palace in north London (much as the *Crystal Palace had been transferred to south London). It opened as an entertainment centre in 1873 (and reopened in 1875 after a disastrous fire), being named in honour of the princess of Wales, the future Queen Alexandra. Neither exhibition nor palace matched the earlier triumph.
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The fame of Alexandra Palace derives more from its use for television by the BBC, which from 2 November 1936 transmitted a regular service, making Alexandra Palace the world's first public television station. In 1980 much of the building was again destroyed by fire. In 1984–8 it was expensively refurbished, but in the early 1990s it remained virtually unused while proposals for its future were the subject of local controversy.
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