back to search results

Festival of Britain

1951 , Greater London (County)

Cat no. 8217

A visit to the Festival of Britain at London's South Bank and Battersea Park.

Amateur filmmaker Harold William Jones visits London to capture the sights of the Festival of Britain, a national exhibition designed to bolster national pride and encourage quality in the rebuilding of towns and cities following World War II. After brief views of a Changing of the Guards ceremony, Jones introduces the South Bank site with a view of the Skylon tower floating in front of the main pavilion, the Dome of Discovery. On a busy South Bank, large crowds wander the festival grounds, looking at exhibits and pavilions, and taking in the sights, which mix futuristic design and technology with old British charm. As well as highlighting many of the sculptures and murals around the site, Jones shows festival structures such as the old Lambeth shot tower and Royal Festival Hall. Hopping on a Thames boat bound for the festival's Pleasure Gardens at Battersea Park, Jones presents views of the Houses of Parliament and Battersea Power Station, before exploring the gardens, which feature fountains, fairground rides, fantastical sculptures, parades and costumed performers. The day concludes with the bright colours of the fairground at night, and the burst of light from a fireworks display.

Featured Buildings

Battersea Power Station, London; Dome of Discovery, London; Lambeth shot tower, London; Royal Festival Hall; Houses of Parliament (Palace of Westminster), London; Royal Festival Hall, London; Skylon Tower, London

Featured Events

Festival of Britain, 1951

Keywords

Architecture; Design; Exhibitions; Festival of Britain; Innovation; Postwar

Other Places

Battersea, Greater London; South Bank, Greater London

  • Maker : Harold William Jones

Manifestations

Festival of Britain

  • Barcode
    INV390092
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    MP4 H264 digital
    Dimension
    Duration
    0:13:34
    Modification Date
    16/10/2011
    Parts
    Reference
    731989
  • Barcode
    INV338367
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    MP4 H264 digital
    Dimension
    Duration
    0:13:34
    Modification Date
    16/10/2011
    Parts
    Reference
    731984
  • Barcode
    INV331590
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    MP4 H264 digital
    Dimension
    Duration
    0:13:34
    Modification Date
    16/10/2011
    Parts
    Reference
    731982
  • Activities
    Barcode
    INV342235
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    DV digital
    Dimension
    Duration
    0:08:41
    Modification Date
    26/05/2011
    Parts
    Reference
    713150
  • Activities
    Barcode
    INV473727
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    master digital
    Dimension
    Duration
    0:08:45
    Modification Date
    25/05/2011
    Parts
    Reference
    713031
  • Activities
    Barcode
    INV425388
    Canonical Identifier
    2002/32
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Details
    Carrier Type
    16mm film
    Colour System
    Kodachrome
    Colour Type
    colour
    Dimension
    Duration
    0:09:43
    Has Image
    Y
    Has Sound
    N
    Identifier
    Image Polarity
    pos
    Modification Date
    27/01/2011
    Parts
    Reference
    701002
    Sound
    silent

Copyright restrictions apply.

Please see our terms of use. Films on this website are provided for personal viewing. Should you wish to use the films in any other way please contact eafa@uea.ac.uk

terms of use
The data for this page was generated on 29/04/2024 15:28:48+00:00. Click to regenerate this page .