Image for illustration: Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room © Acabashi; Creative Commons CC-BY-SA 4.0; Source: Wikimedia Commons
The 1960s Southbank Centre – including the Hayward Gallery, Purcell Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall etc, have been listed Grade II.
Historic England writes:
… Arts complex built between 1963 and 1968 to designs by the Special Works Group of the London County Council/Greater London Council Architect’s Department (chief architect (Sir) Hubert Bennett). It comprises the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room for the performance of music and the Hayward Gallery, which was jointly designed with and funded by the Arts Council…
Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II
List Entry Number:
1492622
Date first listed:
04-Feb-2026
List Entry Name:
The Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room and Hayward Gallery and associated terraced walkways and stairs
Statutory Address:
Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room, and Hayward Gallery, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX
The Twentieth Century Society writes:
We’re thrilled to announce that the 1960s Southbank Centre, which includes the Hayward Gallery, Purcell Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall and skatepark under-croft, has finally been Grade II listed… by DCMS – the government Department for Culture Media and Sport.
The visionary combination of performance spaces and art gallery is a post-war architectural masterpiece, yet is perhaps the most totemic – and controversial – example of British Brutalism. Twentieth Century Society and Historic England (formerly English Heritage) have recommended listing the Southbank Centre on 6 separate occasions since 1991, yet this advice had been consistently rejected by the Secretary of State of the day, until now. The decision brings to an end an unprecedented 35 year-long impasse, one of the longest running battles in British architectural heritage.
