Festival of Britain Trivia Quiz

Answer: 1951

The Festival of Britain was both a celebration of the anniversary of the Great Exhibition of 1851, and a way to give the country a boost after Wotld War II. The main exhibition site was the South Bank in London, but various events were also held around the country from Glasgow to Bournemouth.

Herbert Morrison, deputy leader of the Labour Party, was one of the prime instigators of the festival. It ran from May to September and over eight million people visited the main site during that time, and another two million visited either the travelling exhibition or one of the smaller sites around the country.

Answer: The Skylon

Everyone who attended the festival, or who saw pictures in cinema newsreels, remembers the Skylon. A stylised version of it became the symbol of the festival appearing on many souvenirs such as headscarves, tea towels and the Exhibition Guide. Clad in aluminium louvres it was lit from within at night.

The name was suggested by the wife of the chief architect of Crawley Development Corporation. She said it was a combination of skyhook and nylon, although others have suggested that both the name and design come from the Trylon, a feature of the 1939 World's Fair.

Answer: Hugh Casson

The idea of the Festival of Britain was conceived in 1948 and site clearance started. Construction meant that an area of riverside London that had previously been just warehouses was opened up to the public. The Festival site was intended to show Britain the urban design that would be used to regenerate war torn London, as well as in building new towns. Architect Hugh Casson was appointed architectural director and he, in turn, appointed many other young architects to design the buildings.

In 1952 he was knighted for his efforts in relation to the Festival.

Answer: Royal Festival Theatre

The Royal Festival Hall was built on the former site of Lion Brewery. The foundation stone was laid by Clement Attlee in 1949. Three young architects from London County Council designed the building, which was officially opened on 3 May 1951. Arturo Toscanini was supposed to conduct the inaugural concert, but he was unwell so the first concerts were conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent and Sir Adrian Boult.

The building was given a Grade 1 Listing in April 1988, making it the first post-war building to be given this status.

Answer: King George VI

King George VI performed the opening ceremony on 3 May 1951. Strangely, this was not done at the festival site, but from the steps of St Paul's Cathedral. The King and Queen then visited the festival, driving there in a horse drawn open carriage despite the drizzle.

The King had visited the site to inspect progress during the construction phase and was a great supporter of the festival. The Queen visited again in August 1951, an informal, unannounced visit where she stopped to chat to many members of the public.

Answer: The Telekinema

The Telekinema was situated between Waterloo Station and the Royal Festival Hall. It was a 400 seat cinema which screened 3D films and large screen television, as well as ordinary films. It was one of the most popular attractions of the whole festival.

After the festival closed it re-opened in October 1952 as the National Film Theatre. The building was demolished in 1957 and the National Film Theatre moved to a site under Waterloo Bridge, where it has remained.

Answer: Cut up and dumped in the Thames

October 1951 saw a change of government, and despite the fact that the festival made a profit they ordered the whole site to be dismantled. The Skylon was cut up and most of it dumped into the Thames, with a small piece being retained and made into souvenir ashtrays.

The profits were retained by London County Council and went towards the development of the South Bank and converting Royal Festival Hall into a pure concert hall.

Answer: Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth

Battersea Park housed the Festival Gardens, which incorporated walks, a lake, the Guinness Festival Clock and an exhibition of sculpture organised by the Arts Council. This featured works by both Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth, both of whom were largely unknown outside of the arts world at that time.

Modern sculpture was not something that the British public had been generally familiar with during and immediately after the war years. The Festival of Britain brought them both much more public attention than they had previously enjoyed.

Answer: Steelpan

The Trinidad All Steel Percussion Orchestra were formed especially to play at the Festival of Britain. They were the first steel band to have instruments made entirely out of oil drums and also the first steel band to be heard in Britain. The British public were captivated by this unusual music and it enjoyed a brief popularity.

Answer: Winston Churchill

One of the first acts of Winston Churchill's new Government in October 1951 was to order the South Bank site cleared. Churchill himself gave the order. The Festival of Britain, which Churchill was opposed to from the beginning on cost grounds, had been the idea of the previous Labour Government, and many of its ideals were just too 'socialist' for the new one, and it is also possible that he resented its success The iconic buildings were dismantled and either dumped or sold for scrap, and the site developed as the South Bank and Jubilee Gardens. Whatever Churchill and his government thought, the festival was a great public success, and it is remembered with much affection by those who were fortunate enough to attend it.