FESTIVAL OF BRITAIN

In 1949, with much of Britain still showing the visible scars of World War II, and a decade of rationing and austerity, the Labour government, under Prime Minister Clement Attlee, decided that British spirits needed a boost. Their solution to the gloom of postwar Britain was a Festival of Britain – a national exhibition that would focus on the nation’s achievements in design, technology, industry, science and the arts, and promote a feeling of recovery.

In just 22 months, with a budget of £12m – mostly funded by the government – an area on London’s South Bank was transformed into a huge exhibition space, crammed with examples of British innovation. Nearly 8.5 million people – of which half were from outside London - visited the exhibition.