What was the Festival of Britain, asks the RIBA as, billed as a ‘tonic for the nation’, it argues that the Festival of Britain was designed to lift the moral of post-war Britain.
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) writes:
Billed as a ‘tonic for the nation’, the Festival of Britain was designed to lift the moral of post-war Britain and became a landmark cultural moment. Attended by over 8.5 million visitors, the festival was a government-sponsored exhibition throughout the whole country, celebrating Britain’s heritage through architecture, design, science and technology, and bringing a sense of hope and optimism for a nation run down by the war.
While the festival ran throughout the whole country, the flagship site was on London’s Southbank, where mid-century modernist architecture lay at the heart of the celebration. Buildings ranged from the ephemeral Dome of Discovery, the world’s largest domed building at the time, to the Royal Festival Hall, which still stands today as a beacon of arts and culture. In Lansbury in the East End of London, there was a ‘live architecture’ exhibition to showcase modern housing ideals in an area then under reconstruction. These groundbreaking designs symbolised a turning point in architecture and a new era for society post-war.
Inside the Collections
The Festival of Britain’s legacy endures in many ways, including through our unique collections, which encompass over 4.6 million drawings, photographs, books, manuscripts, architectural models, and artefacts, revealing how architecture has shaped society and the world we live in. From early design drawings for the Skylon, which became the festival’s centrepiece, to a presentation model for the Sea and Ships Pavilion, our collections continue to keep alive the many stories of the festival.
How the Festival lives on in our collections
Our collections span over five centuries worth of architectural history, offering the opportunity to revisit and reinterpret events like the Festival of Britain. Architecture was a key component of the festival, and while many of its buildings no longer exist, these items from our collections bear testimony to the spirit of optimism and experimentation which underpinned the whole project.
While many of the structures were temporary, the festival’s influence on architecture and design was long-lasting. Notably, it had a crucial role in popularising modern design in Britain, and influencing housing design and town planning throughout the 1950s and ‘60s. Although the architecture of the Festival of Britain was heavily criticised at the time for lacking the serious, rigid ideology of New Brutalism, it has since been reassessed and celebrated. The Southbank Centre is now recognised as a landmark of post-war concrete architecture, with its iconic brutalist buildings, including the Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Hayward Gallery, recently awarded Grade II listed status.
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