Festival of Britain

The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition which opened in May 1951 in London. At that time, shortly after the end of World War II, much of London was in ruins and redevelopment was badly needed. The Festival was an attempt to give Britons a feeling of recovery and progress and promote better quality of design in the rebuilding of British towns and cities following the war. The Festival also celebrated the centenary of the 1851 Great Exhibition. It was the brainchild of the Labour Deputy Leader Herbert Morrison who described it as "a tonic for the Nation".

Legacy

Although the Festival was extremely popular and made a profit it was conceived and executed in haste and with little thought for subsequent use. The Labour Party who had championed the Festival lost power while it was open and Terence Conran has speculated that the haste with which the main site was cleared was an act of political revenge by the incoming Conservative Party government. Profits made from the Festival retained by the Greater London Council were used to convert the Royal Festival Hall and establish The South Bank. Aside from this the architectural legacy of the Festival is mixed, many architects especially those working for Local Government enthusiastically copied its forms and materials but without too much consideration to their durability resulting in a stock of buildings that became criticised.

Related Topics:
Labour Party - Terence Conran - Conservative Party - Greater London Council - Royal Festival Hall - The South Bank

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Politically the Festival of Britain has become a symbol for the incomplete promise of the immediate post-war period. The support of Peter Mandelson for the Millennium Dome project was an attempt by New Labour to engage with this symbol as Mandelson is the grandson of Herbert Morrison.

Related Topics:
Peter Mandelson - Millennium Dome - New Labour - Herbert Morrison

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