The South Bank - Marsh, Industry, Culture and the 75th Anniversary of the Festival of Britain

On the 3rd of May 1951 the Festival of Britain officially opened, and the ceremonial opening was held in the new Royal Festival Hall.

75 years later, come and discover the story of the Festival of Britain, the main South Bank site, and how a festival which was meant to deliver a post war “tonic for the nation” created a futuristic view of a united country, and how the people of the country were rooted in the land and seas.

The walk looks at the pavilions and displays across the festival site, some of the people who created the festival, and how the festival shaped the South Bank we see today.

The walk will also discover the history of the South Bank of the Thames, from Westminster to Blackfriars Bridges, today one of London’s major tourist destinations, and with the Royal Festival Hall and National Theatre, also a significant cultural centre.

Along the South Bank we will discover a story of the tidal river, marsh, a Roman boat, pleasure gardens, industry, housing and crime. The South Bank has been the centre of governance for London, and the area is an example of how wartime plans for the redevelopment of London transformed what was a derelict and neglected place.

Lasting around 2 hours, the walk will start by Waterloo Underground Station in York Road and ends a short distance from Blackfriars Bridge.

At the end of the walk, we will have covered 2,000 years of history and walked from a causeway running alongside a tidal marsh, to the South Bank we see today.
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Our tour guide is long-standing London Historians Member David Sweetland.

This event is London Historians Members only. Join London Historians.

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