Stunning Photographs Capturing the Splendor of the 1951 Festival of Britain

The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition held throughout the United Kingdom in the summer of 1951. It was organised by the government to give the British a feeling of recovery in the aftermath of war and to promote the British contribution to science, technology, industrial design, architecture and the arts. The Festival’s centrepiece was in London on the South Bank of the Thames.

18th July 1950: The Dome Of Discovery in construction for the Festival of Britain on the South Bank of the Thames. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)

The construction of the Festival of Britain site on London’s South Bank, October 1950. Waterloo Station is on the left, with County Hall behind it, and the Houses of Parliament behind that. The festival buildings are (from left to right) the Dome of Discovery, the Transport Pavilion, the Royal Festival Hall and the Shot Tower. The image was taken from the Festival Church (St John’s Church) on Waterloo Road. (Photo by Warburton/Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Queen meeting men working on South Bank.

3rd April 1951: Workmen finishing the framework of the ‘Skylon’ a 200 ft tall steel and aluminium tower designed by Powell and Moya for the Festival of Britain on the South Bank. (Photo by William Vanderson/Fox Photos/Getty Images)

Exhibition site along Waterloo Road, April 1951.

19th May 1951: Families watching the Royal procession as King George VI goes to St Paul’s to declare the Festival of Britain open. (Photo by Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

12th May 1951: The River Thames curving past the Dome of Discovery, Festival Hall and Skylon during the 1951 Festival of Britain. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)

Festival Of Britain 1951. A View Of The South Bank Exhibition Showing The Skylon

The Dome of Discovery for the festival of Britain by architect Ralph Tubbs used in Tubbs obit also used in Sir Ralph Freemans obituary.

Dome interior.

23rd June 1951: The Transport Pavilion at the South Bank in London, venue for the Festival of Britain exhibition. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

May 1951: A view of the Transport Pavillion at the Festival of Britain with suspended gliders and Schneider Trophy winning. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)

28th May 1951: Crowds sitting at an outdoor cafe during the Festival of Britain. (Photo by Monty Fresco/Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

Architects of The Festival Of Britain at farewell dinner in the Royal Festival Hall restaurant (now Fittingly Called ‘skylon’). L-r: Geoffrey Gilbert, Richard Miles, Hugh Casson, Howard Lobb. Foreground: (L) Misha Black, (R) J C Ratcli (Photo by Henry Bush / Daily Mail / Rex Features)

14th May 1951: Bank Holiday crowds queuing to enter the Dome of Discovery at the Festival of Britain Exhibition on London’s South Bank. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)

14th June 1951: London Windmill Theatre girls Wanda Altar and Rae Berry play a game called ‘Nim’ on the Ferranti Nimrod Digital Computer on show at the Science Museum Festival of Britain Exhibition. (Photo by John Pratt/Keystone/Getty Images)

Cinema-goers wearing 3D glasses at a special Festival of Britain three dimensional film screening. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

7th September 1951: An amateur radio station G3ACC/A at Camberwell Council’s Festival of Britain exhibition attracts young visitors. Malcolm Thayer is the duty officer encouraging a young enthusiast to send a message across the world. (Photo by Fred Morley/Fox Photos/Getty Images)

28th May 1951: Visitors to the Festival of Britain exhibition on London’s South Bank inspect the giant statue of ‘The Islanders’ by Siegfried Charoux. The Skylon is in the background. (Photo by Monty Fresco/Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

13th May 1952: A half dismantled Skylon surrounded by scaffolding at the Festival Of Britain site on the South Bank. (Photo by Edward G. Malindine/Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)