Royal Festival Hall, South Bank 1950s

This authentic 1950s colour photograph captures the stark transformation of London’s South Bank around 1953, following the dismantling of the Festival of Britain. Looking towards the rear of the Royal Festival Hall, the image shows the vast, cleared areas that previously housed the temporary pavilions and exhibitions of 1951. The modernist concrete architecture of the Hall stands in isolation against a backdrop of Hungerford Railway Bridge and the River Thames. In the foreground, the paved areas of the Riverside Walk lead into a desolate landscape, with a few remaining festival-era lampposts and simple wooden structures visible. The dramatic sky, filled with towering white clouds and grey rain-filled masses, emphasises the scale of this temporary urban void during the early “New Elizabethan” years. The Shell Centre was later built here. This archival print is a significant record for architectural historians and those interested in London’s post-war redevelopment, making it an ideal resource for research or to print for yourself as a unique piece of history.