Work to repair one of Crystal Palace Park’s Grade I listed dinosaurs which was damaged during the first lockdown will soon get underway.

The nose and mouth of the Megalosaurus, one of 30 sculptures first unveiled in 1854, broke off in May following incidents of trespass onto Dinosaur Island.

A £24,870 restoration project, funding by the Government, Council and a community organisation, will focus on replacing detached parts of the sculpture with replica sections, improving its short-term appearance and preventing further deterioration.

Ellinor Michel, Chair of Friends of CP Dinosaurs said “We're grateful to Historic England, Bromley Council, DCMS and all of our Friends for helping us to conserve these stupendous beasts for future generations.

“The CP Dinos, set within the geological 'walk through time', will continue to communicate the history of scientific ideas and help us to understand our world through our love of dinosaurs!”

News Shopper: An image showing a man climbing the dinosaurs emerged soon after

The project is funded by £19,870 from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund and £3,500 from the Friends of Crystal Palace Dinosaurs.

The remaining funds required to undertake the work have been provided by the Council.

In November 2020, the Council appointed specialist conservators Taylor Pearce to undertake the repairs.

Councillor Morgan, Executive Councillor for Renewal, Recreation and Housing said “The Dinosaurs are a beloved community asset with a large national and international following.

“News of the damage caused to the Megalosaurus during the lockdown period was extremely disheartening, and the Council has been working alongside the Friends of Crystal Palace Dinosaurs and Historic England to secure the stability of the already fragile sculpture.

“Now this work is underway, and we can protect the Megalosaurus from dilapidating past the point of repair.”

London’s Metropolitan Police launched an investigation into the incident as a potential heritage crime, it is unclear if the ancient reptile was intentionally damaged or had succumbed to a pre-existing crack in the structure.

Weeks later, pictures emerged of men climbing the dinosaurs, although it is unclear whether these were connected to the damage.

The antlers on Irish Elk statues in the park were also damaged in May, although this could have been due to high winds.

The elk and the Dinos are part of more than 30 animal sculptures in the park which are on the Heritage At Risk register.

Built between 1852 to 1855 by sculptor and natural history artist Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, the statues are often looked as exemplifying advances in science since their creation.