Festival of Britain

The south bank of the Thames was a mess after the end of World War 2 and the population of the British Isles was still experiencing rationing and other after-effects of the conflict. In an effort to raise morale, and with the Great Exhibition of 1851 in mind, the powers-that-be decided to create the Festival of Britain. The Festival Hall (now the Royal Festival Hall) was at the heart of the celebrations. The Dome of Discovery housed exhibitions on all sorts of topics related to science, the sky and the natural world. It was at the time the largest dome on the planet, and in a very futuristic style, but it was demolished after the exhibition was over.

The Skylon was also very futuristic, and was illuminated from the inside. It looked as if it was hanging in the sky unsupported.

The only part of the exhibition to survive was the concert hall, The Festival Hall. It has just undergone a multi-million pound refurbishment in an attempt to restore it to its former glory after years of fiddling and interfering. It was notorious for its accoustics, which were marred by the interior of the hall itself being lined with wood. They've even had the original carpet reproduced.


At the far end of the building you can just see a large black statue. It is a bust of Nelson Mandela which was erected in 1985. There was some controversy at the time. Some people said it was just another excess of the Greater London Council and its leader, one Ken Livingstone. Thatcher didn't like a body of people she couldn't boss about and intimidate, so she abolished it. Yah boo sucks to the nay-sayers. Now Ken Livingstone is the twice-elected Mayor of London, and Nelson Mandela even has a statue outside the Houses of Parliament!