Billed as "The People's Palace," Alexandra Palace rests on a hilltop amid 196 acres of land outside of London. Thought the grounds were originally 300 acres, it is still a showplace, and a getaway. A recreation zone, and an exhibition space. It started in 1873 as a place where people form the city could go to get away from it all. Thousands of people flooded the facility when it opened. But the fun didn't last long. Just 16 days after it opened, the place burned to the ground. Within two years it was open again, entertaining generations of people. It has an indoor ice skating rink, a conservatory with a glass roof, banquet facilities, parks, playgrounds, and more. Its most important footnote in history, however, is the fact that this was the first television home of the British Broadcasting Company. In 1936, the BBC made its first television broadcast from the tower next to the palace. It remained the Beeb's center of activity until the 1950's, but to this day the tower still carries four television channels, and six radio stations. The tower's height is 220 feet, but the building is over 300 feet above sea level, making this an important transmission point. And as an entertainment and concert venue, the BBC thoughtfully built a concrete ramp that a television camera could be wheeled down in order to provide live broadcasts of events at the Palace.

Photograph © London Tourist Board