{"id":474611,"date":"2026-03-29T20:17:25","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T19:17:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/?p=474611"},"modified":"2026-04-01T10:05:45","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T09:05:45","slug":"southbank-centre-appeals-for-festival-of-britain-memories-in-75th-anniversary-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/area\/south-bank\/southbank-centre-appeals-for-festival-of-britain-memories-in-75th-anniversary-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Southbank Centre appeals for Festival of Britain memories in 75th anniversary year"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>The Southbank Centre has launched a nationwide appeal for memories of the Festival of Britain, which took place on London\u2019s South Bank and at events across the country in 1951.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Festival of Britain was a four-month national exhibition and fair intended to be a \u201ctonic for the nation\u201d following years of war and hardship.<\/p><script type=\"text\/plain\" data-tcf=\"waiting-for-consent\" data-id=\"69959\" data-bid=\"1\" data-placement=\"448384\" data-no-track=\"impressions\">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<\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>Six years on from the Second World War, Britain was still experiencing austerity and rationing. The Labour government led by Clement Attlee was beginning to lose support, and the Festival was designed to showcase Britain\u2019s achievements in the arts and science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-southwark-news wp-block-embed-southwark-news\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"jGcFNKsOnoqod3x9HArmDi7r18DH6Lf1xl3Svwz6RIZLQVbKNBf2YgdIEjAWQXkguieqTWlybePtkhO4\"><blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"5v2cGfCbZJ\"><a href=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/area\/south-bank\/southbank-centre-was-once-voted-britains-ugliest-building-now-it-is-getting-listed-status\/\">Southbank Centre was once voted Britain&#8217;s ugliest building now it is getting listed status<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Southbank Centre was once voted Britain&#8217;s ugliest building now it is getting listed status&#8221; &#8212; Southwark News\" src=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/area\/south-bank\/southbank-centre-was-once-voted-britains-ugliest-building-now-it-is-getting-listed-status\/embed\/#?secret=OJl6exDXB0#?secret=5v2cGfCbZJ\" data-secret=\"5v2cGfCbZJ\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, the Southbank Centre is inviting anyone who attended the Festival, either at the South Bank site or at one of the many regional celebrations, to share their memories as part of a 75th anniversary project.<\/p><script type=\"text\/plain\" data-tcf=\"waiting-for-consent\" data-id=\"68153\" data-bid=\"1\" data-placement=\"448385\" data-no-track=\"impressions\">PGRpdiBpZD0ic291dGgtOTA5ODMxODk4IiBjbGFzcz0ic291dGgtY29udGVudCBzb3V0aC1lbnRpdHktcGxhY2VtZW50IiBzdHlsZT0ibWFyZ2luLWxlZnQ6IGF1dG87bWFyZ2luLXJpZ2h0OiBhdXRvO3RleHQtYWxpZ246IGNlbnRlcjsiPjwhLS0gIC8xNTQ3MjUwNzAsMjI2OTQxOTY5Njkvc291dGh3YXJrbmV3cy9zb3V0aHdhcmtuZXdzIC0tPg0KPGRpdiBpZD0iZGl2LWdwdC1hZC0yeDEiPg0KPHNjcmlwdD4NCmdvb2dsZXRhZy5jbWQucHVzaChmdW5jdGlvbigpIHsgZ29vZ2xldGFnLmRpc3BsYXkoJ2Rpdi1ncHQtYWQtMngxJyk7IH0pOw0KPC9zY3JpcHQ+DQo8L2Rpdj4gICAgICAgICAgPC9kaXY+<\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>Eight million people visited London during May to September 1951 as the country embraced modern art and architecture.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"881\" height=\"560\" src=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Royal-Festival-Hall-4.-Copyright-Morley-von-Sternberg-881x560.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-46738\" srcset=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Royal-Festival-Hall-4.-Copyright-Morley-von-Sternberg-881x560.jpg 881w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Royal-Festival-Hall-4.-Copyright-Morley-von-Sternberg-441x280.jpg 441w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Royal-Festival-Hall-4.-Copyright-Morley-von-Sternberg-768x488.jpg 768w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Royal-Festival-Hall-4.-Copyright-Morley-von-Sternberg-1536x976.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Royal-Festival-Hall-4.-Copyright-Morley-von-Sternberg-2048x1301.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Royal-Festival-Hall-4.-Copyright-Morley-von-Sternberg-560x356.jpg 560w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 881px) 100vw, 881px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Royal Festival Hall. Credit: Morley von Sternberg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"702\" height=\"560\" src=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/EAW035704-scaled-e1628084519631-702x560.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-46739\" srcset=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/EAW035704-scaled-e1628084519631-702x560.jpg 702w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/EAW035704-scaled-e1628084519631-351x280.jpg 351w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/EAW035704-scaled-e1628084519631-768x613.jpg 768w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/EAW035704-scaled-e1628084519631-560x447.jpg 560w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/EAW035704-scaled-e1628084519631.jpg 897w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 702px) 100vw, 702px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An aerial view of the South Bank in 1951<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The Royal Festival Hall is the last surviving structure from the original festival site and was the reason why the Southbank Centre itself was built.<\/p><script type=\"text\/plain\" data-tcf=\"waiting-for-consent\" data-id=\"71156\" data-bid=\"1\" data-placement=\"448386\" data-no-track=\"impressions\">PGRpdiBpZD0ic291dGgtMzQ2NTIwNjE0MCIgY2xhc3M9InNvdXRoLWluLWFydGljbGUtbXB1OSBzb3V0aC1lbnRpdHktcGxhY2VtZW50Ij48IS0tICAvMTU0NzI1MDcwLDIyNjk0MTk2OTY5L3NvdXRod2Fya25ld3Mvc291dGh3YXJrbmV3cyAtLT4NCjxkaXYgaWQ9ImRpdi1ncHQtYWQtbXB1OSI+DQo8c2NyaXB0Pg0KZ29vZ2xldGFnLmNtZC5wdXNoKGZ1bmN0aW9uKCkgeyBnb29nbGV0YWcuZGlzcGxheSgnZGl2LWdwdC1hZC1tcHU5Jyk7IH0pOw0KPC9zY3JpcHQ+DQo8L2Rpdj4gICAgIDwvZGl2Pg==<\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>Completed on 3 May 1951, the hall was finished just in time for the Festival\u2019s opening, with further additions made during the 1960s as the site developed into a major cultural hub.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1987, it became the first post-war building to be granted Grade I listed status, recognising its architectural and historical importance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To mark the Festival\u2019s 70th anniversary in 2021, the building\u2019s listing was revised to Grade II. More recently, the rest of the Southbank Centre complex has also been recognised, with the Hayward Gallery, Purcell Room and Queen Elizabeth Hall all granted Grade II listed status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Among those contributing recollections of the festival is Dame Jacqueline Wilson, who recalls that \u201cmy parents and I went to the South Bank because there was dancing after dark, which was one of the most exciting things ever.\u201d<\/p><script type=\"text\/plain\" data-tcf=\"waiting-for-consent\" data-id=\"71157\" data-bid=\"1\" data-placement=\"448387\" data-no-track=\"impressions\">PGRpdiBpZD0ic291dGgtMTk1MTQxNTQ0NSIgY2xhc3M9InNvdXRoLWluLWFydGljbGUtbXB1LTEwIHNvdXRoLWVudGl0eS1wbGFjZW1lbnQiPjwhLS0gIC8xNTQ3MjUwNzAsMjI2OTQxOTY5Njkvc291dGh3YXJrbmV3cy9zb3V0aHdhcmtuZXdzIC0tPg0KPGRpdiBpZD0iZGl2LWdwdC1hZC1tcHUxMCI+DQo8c2NyaXB0Pg0KZ29vZ2xldGFnLmNtZC5wdXNoKGZ1bmN0aW9uKCkgeyBnb29nbGV0YWcuZGlzcGxheSgnZGl2LWdwdC1hZC1tcHUxMCcpOyB9KTsNCjwvc2NyaXB0Pg0KPC9kaXY+ICAgICA8L2Rpdj4=<\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>PoeT Roger McGough has said, \u201cI remember when I was 14 being brought to London by my parents and being overawed by the Festival of Britain celebrations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cUntil then I thought only Liverpudlians knew how to enjoy themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>To submit a memory, head to the Southbank Centre website:&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.southbankcentre.co.uk\/festivalofbritain.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">www.southbankcentre.co.uk\/festivalofbritain<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-southwark-news wp-block-embed-southwark-news\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"zbJP2elDQFyTOruc38B9jMqwtakIujLqG9g7gcmavd603vzBDKFUVM8X6i4SbRUJxyhYl1HiSCrNH40QwI21YWKsGCffAVnpt5d\"><blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"dBtzAows6I\"><a href=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/area\/south-bank\/southbank-centre-faces-a-50m-repair-backlog-with-water-pooling-on-top-of-the-royal-festival-hall\/\">Southbank Centre faces a \u00a350m repair backlog \u2013 with water pooling on top of the Royal Festival Hall<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Southbank Centre faces a \u00a350m repair backlog \u2013 with water pooling on top of the Royal Festival Hall&#8221; &#8212; Southwark News\" src=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/area\/south-bank\/southbank-centre-faces-a-50m-repair-backlog-with-water-pooling-on-top-of-the-royal-festival-hall\/embed\/#?secret=sbceJ22K5S#?secret=dBtzAows6I\" data-secret=\"dBtzAows6I\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Southbank Centre has launched a nationwide appeal for memories of the Festival of Britain, which took place on London\u2019s South Bank and at events across the country in 1951. The Festival of Britain was a four-month national exhibition and fair intended to be a \u201ctonic for the nation\u201d following years of war and hardship. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19233,"featured_media":474655,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard","override":[{"template":"1","parallax":"1","fullscreen":"1","layout":"right-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"top","share_float_style":"share-monocrhome","show_share_counter":"1","show_view_counter":"1","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","show_post_category":"1","show_post_reading_time":"0","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","post_calculate_word_method":"str_word_count","show_zoom_button":"0","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","show_post_tag":"1","show_prev_next_post":"1","show_popup_post":"1","show_comment_section":"1","number_popup_post":"1","show_author_box":"1","show_inline_post_related":"1"}],"image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","disable_ad":"0","subtitle":"Do you remember the Festival of Britain celebrations in 1951?"},"jnews_primary_category":{"id":"560"},"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":{"view_counter_number":"0","share_counter_number":"0","like_counter_number":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[7375,13539,13618,18246,13602,18168,560],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-474611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-featured","category-history","category-lifestyle","category-news","category-nostalgia","category-south-bank"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474611","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19233"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=474611"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474611\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":475804,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474611\/revisions\/475804"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/474655"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=474611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=474611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=474611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}