Building    From 3/5/1951 

Royal Festival Hall

Categories: Dance, Music / songs

A 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre. The first post-war building to be protected with a Grade 1 Listing, in 1981.

The project was led by London County Council's then chief architect, Robert Matthew, with a young team of talented designers including Leslie Martin, who was eventually to lead the project.

Built on the site of the former Lion Brewery, the foundation stone was laid in 1949 and the building was officially opened on 3 May 1951.

A London Inheritance has a splendid post about the construction of the RFH, with lots of historic photos.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Royal Festival Hall

Commemorated ati

Clement Attlee - Royal Festival Hall

This film shows what looks like a time capsule being buried, and Attlee layin...

Read More

Other Subjects

Ballet Rambert

Ballet Rambert

Britain's oldest dance company. Founded by Dame Marie Rambert initially as Rambert Dancers, and then, at the Mercury Theatre, in 1931, as the Ballet Club and then, until the 1980s, as Ballet Ramber...

Group, Dance

2 memorials
Tamara Karsavina

Tamara Karsavina

Ballerina. Born in St Petersburg, Russia. Leading ballerina with Sergey Diaghilev's Ballets Russes from its beginning in 1909 until 1922, often paired with Nijinsky. Married British diplomat  Henry...

Person, Dance, Russia

1 memorial
Princess Seraphine Astafieva

Princess Seraphine Astafieva

Ballerina. Danced for Diaghilev, and opened a ballet school in 1916 in London. The title of ‘Princess’ may be spurious. In the picture the Princess is on the right. Alicia Markova is the dancer on ...

Person, Dance, Russia

1 memorial
Marie Taglioni

Marie Taglioni

Ballet dancer. Born Stockholm to an Italian father and Swedish mother, both in the dancing world. From an early age she lived around Europe. First appeared in London in 1829. She was aclaimed in he...

Person, Dance, France, Italy, Sweden

1 memorial
Jack Buchanan

Jack Buchanan

Actor-manager, song-and-dance entertainer. Born Helensburgh near Glasgow. Died in the Middlesex Hospital. His ashes were scattered from the deck of a Cunard Liner in recognition of his 50+ trans...

Person, Cinema, Dance, Music / songs, Theatre, Scotland

1 memorial