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 only remaining building from the Festival of Britain and 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.

We've chosen this image to illustrate the page because it puzzles us and perhaps someone out there can explain it to us. It show the ground floor north-east elevation of the RFH.  Between the 3 pillars are entrance doors. Behind the temporary stack of metal barriers etc. (bad timing on our part) is the feature which we cannot explain. The slanted projecting frame surrounds air vents at the top and a projecting rectangular space with some surprisingly domestic-looking windows.  And it is nicely finished with blue and grey tiles. The tiles are surely original while the air vents may not be.  The whole arrangement is so different from the rest of the building that we feel there must be a story behind it.  Something to do with the Architectural strand in the Festival of Britain?  Got any ideas?

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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...

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Chisenhale Gallery

Chisenhale Gallery

A non-profit contemporary art gallery. It focuses on a programme of commissioned exhibitions, offsite projects and events, film screenings and talks. Our photograph shows a performance at the gallery.

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1 memorial
Sammy Davis Jnr

Sammy Davis Jnr

Born Harlem in New York City into a show-biz family.  Hit the big-time in 1951.  Lost his left eye in a car crash in 1954.  Member of Sinatra's Rat Pack.  In 1967 on TV he greeted Frank's daughter,...

Person, Cinema, Dance, Music / songs, Seriously Famous, Theatre, USA

1 memorial
Nicolai Legat

Nicolai Legat

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Person, Dance, France, Russia

1 memorial
Trinity Laban

Trinity Laban

Music and dance conservatoire based in Greenwich. It was formed with the amalgamation of the Trinity College of Music and the Laban Dance Centre.

Place, Dance, Music / songs

1 memorial
Darcey Bussell

Darcey Bussell

Ballerina. Dame Darcey Andrea Bussell, DBE was born Marnie Mercedes Darcey Pemberton Crittle in London. Spent some time in Australia as a child. Aged 20 became a principle dancer at the Royal Balle...

Person, Dance, Seriously Famous, Australia

2 memorials