Official title: The London International Exhibition on Industry and Art of 1862 Planning began: 1858 Construction began: 9th March 1861 Opened: 1st May 1862 Duration: 1st May – 1st November 1862 (184 days) Location: South Kensington, in the gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society Symbol: Exhibition Palace, with the two largest domes in the world Innovations: Babbage’s analytical engine, the use of caoutchouc for the production of rubber, the Bessemer steel production process Organisation: Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Trade; from 1861, a Royal Commission President: Earl Granville Architect: Captain Francis Fowke Surface area of the Exhibition: 12.5 hectares Exhibitors: approx. 29,000, of which 9,000 from Great Britain and 2,600 from the British colonies Organisation of exhibits: 4 sections, 40 classes Foreign participating countries: 36 countries Visitors: 6.1 million Entrance price: depending on the day, between a shilling and a pound Cost: £458,842 Takings: £459,632 Profit: £790 Jury: composed of 296 British and 271 foreign members spread over the 36 industrial and agricultural classes Awards: 7,000 medals and 5,300 honourable citations