Behind the Build: Crystal Palace Park with Alan Gordon

At Taylor Maxwell, we’re proud to work alongside leading manufacturers and project teams to help deliver some of the UK’s most significant restoration and construction projects. We spoke to Alan Gordon, part of the specification team here at Taylor Maxwell, about our involvement in the regeneration of the historic Italian Terraces at Crystal Palace Park in South London, where close collaboration with Vobster Architectural and the wider project team helped bring this landmark restoration to life.

Hi Alan, thanks for taking the time to talk to us today. Can you tell us about the Crystal Palace Park restoration project and your role within it?

Crystal Palace Park is one of the most famous sites in London where the original Crystal Palace building was situated. This is a multi million pound project to renovate the historical Italian Terraces which were built from stone when the building was built in the 1860’s. My involvement was to closely liaise with their project team mainly from Maylim, starting with the original project design in June 2025, through to the first orders in October 2025, and finally completion in June 2026.

What products and materials did Taylor Maxwell supply for the project and why?

Taylor Maxwell supplied Wet Cast Bathstone in Light Etch from our partners Vobster Architectural, with a total value of material in excess of £500k. We were tasked with matching the existing profiles of Copings, Pier caps, Balustrades, Bottles and Closed panels. The product provided a very good match in terms of aesthetics and the ability to match the complex profiles of the existing historical stonework.

At what stage did Taylor Maxwell become involved in the project, and how did you add value during this process?

I was first approached by Maylim, the landscape contractors, in May 2025 to provide a suitable match to the existing stonework on the site. Samples were provided by Aaron Cummings, Director of Vobster at a site meeting to discuss the proposal and detailing. Adam Dowling, Technical Manager at Vobster also provided invaluable input and advice on the design and produced all of the CAD details for approval.

A factory visit to Vobster was also arranged once the stones were in production, to showcase to the Architects and Maylim how the stone is produced and the quality that is achieved through the mould making to the finish of the stones.

Who were the key stakeholders involved and how did you work together?

The project team consisted of Architect - Donald Insall Associates, Main Contractor – Maylim, and the Crystal Palace Park Trust. There was close collaboration between ourselves, Vobster, and Maylim to finalise the design and detailing. The factory visit was hugely beneficial so that Maylim could understand the process involved, and helped when we needed to explain lead times and modifications to the moulds, the casting, and finishing process.

Were there any challenges that arose during the project, and how were they overcome?

Yes, there were some technical issues which provided challenges on how some of the units were best produced in terms of the mould making and casting. Some of the sizes and weights of the units were very heavy and logistically was challenging, but in-depth discussions between Vobster and Maylim provided clarity.

The project was also broken down in to different areas and when the first orders were placed the lead time was around 8–10 weeks from approval of the drawings. A number of other orders were then placed in January, February, and March 2026, and at this point the Vobster availability had increased to 18–20 weeks due to an increase in their order book, so this provided a huge challenge to the team at Vobster to deliver these later orders in time for the completion date in June. The last order was originally due in July but Vobster worked tirelessly to bring this forward to completion in early June.

What was the overall outcome of the project?

Overall the project was delivered in time and to an extremely high standard, with the finished wet cast stone bringing new life to Crystal Palace Park, while matching the historical heritage of the Italian terraces. The client and all stakeholders, were all very happy with the quality of all of the stones supplied. Also to credit Vobster, as there wasn’t one complaint on the quality of the supplied product!

Looking back, what made this project a success?

I would say a combination of teamwork of Taylor Maxwell working closely with Vobster to achieve an extremely high quality product generally on time to meet the clients expectations. It was a privilege to be involved with such an historical site which will leave a great legacy for the public for many years to come. This project truly serves as a case study to showcase what Vobster do and the high quality material that they produce, from concept, to manufacture, all the way through to delivery.

Thank you very much for sharing your insights, Alan. It’s great to hear how early collaboration, technical expertise and strong partnerships between Taylor Maxwell, Vobster Architectural and the wider project team contributed to the successful restoration of one of London’s most historic landmarks.

To learn more about the historical restoration of Crystal Palace Park, read our case study that covers the project in more detail.