click on the links below to explore further

When the Festival closed and the contents were sold there were a number of curious items which arrived at home - two lobster creels, plaster white doves (sadly none of these survived), wooden and cane models of different types of fish and a 6ft6 ins leather boxer from the Sports Pavilion. (contributor Nicky Hessenberg, daughter of Sir Hugh Casson, Director of Architecture, aged 8 in 1951) Why not contribute your memories?

Tangible souvenirs of the Festival survive today, both in London and across the rest of Britain. While most of the South Bank Exhibition was dismantled very quickly, the pedestrianised riverside area remains, where the Royal Festival Hall has been joined by other arts venues. In East London the fiftieth anniversary of the Lansbury Estate was recently celebrated, while across Britain towns and villages still benefit from civic improvements inspired by the occasion of the Festival. And while many of the works of arts commissioned for or displayed at the Festival have been destroyed or lost, others have found their way into museums and galleries.

a concert hall of which to be proud

The London County Council's Royal Festival Hall set in the midst of the South Bank exhibition will be a permanent example of her determination to serve not only music, but architecture, painting and sculpture. ('Festival of Britain' guide book)

The Royal Festival Hall is the most notable physical legacy of the Festival of Britain. With its clean and simple lines, its function expressed in its shape, and its use of detail to reinforce the main concept rather than act as decoration, it played a key role in the introduction of modern architecture to the British public. And it was more than just a concert hall. The extensive internal spaces were intended to be public and social spaces in their own right. The interior was designed as an experience, open and flowing, with visitors entering at the side and moving upwards within the building as the river was slowly revealed - although this experience was lost after the relocation of the entrance to the river side of the building during the developments of the 1960s. Further plans for its redevelopment are currently in progress as the Royal Festival Hall continues to evolve.

The simplicity of the external design of the Hall may give little hint of the care and skill which have gone into every detail of its construction... the Royal Festival Hall can claim to be a work of art in itself. ('South Bank Exhibition' guide book)

an excuse to improve

Rural and urban district councils have planned more ambitious schemes, some severely practical like a new sewerage system or the changing of the street lights from gas to electricity... Houses, cottages and clubs have been built for old age pensioners. Playing fields and sports grounds have been made or improved. There are places where 1951 will see laid the foundation stone of the new Town Hall or where a new park will be opened for the first time. ('Festival of Britain' guide book)

The Festival was a national affair. Cities, town and villages across Britain were encouraged to celebrate the Festival in their own way. While many organised local events, others used the occasion as an opportunity to undertake some form of civic improvement or other local initiative. Schemes ranged from a factory at Brynmawr and a town square layout in Wolverhampton, to a bus seat in Amberley in West Sussex and the planting of three trees on Fordham Heath near Colchester. And there were many more. Some schemes have since been destroyed, replaced or redeveloped, but others survive.

The Festival was not London only. Things happened all over the country and memorials were built. Here in this small village there is a permanent stone bus seat in the centre of the village. There was a two hourly bus service then. It finished in the sixties but the seat is still there. (contributor Prunella Guthrie) Why not contribute your memories?