THE FESTIVAL OF BRITAIN Festival logo (Abram Games)
London's SouthBank Exhibition
Welcome to 1951 An Idea is Born Building the Future The South Bank Pleasure Gardens Lansbury
By Road & Sea Regional Festivals The End Reminders FoB Society Links
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Abram Games Festival logo
as it appeared on the
South Bank guidebook		 {short description of image}
{short description of image} Built on the reclaimed South Bank of the Thames this was the major Festival Exhibition of 1951. This wonderful illustration appeared as the centre-spread in the Illustrated London News and shows the site in all its glory. In the upper part of the picture to the left you can just see Waterloo Bridge and the Shot Tower. The large building this side of the Shot Tower is the Festival Hall, and alongside that is Hungerford Railway Bridge which divided the site into Upstream and Downstream sections. In the Upstream section the Dome of Discovery overwhelms everything except the needle thin Skylon - probably the most amazing vertical feature ever constructed.
skylon at night Dome from the Fairway Homes and Gardens Transport Pavilion
The Exhibition on the South Bank was housed in a futuristic series of pavilions designed by some of the finest designers and architects of the time.

The plan to the right has links to all of the major pavilions. Simply drag your mouse over the grey blocks on the plan - which originally appeared in the South Bank guide. When the little hand appears you have hit one of the links and a brief description of the pavilion will appear. Left click on this link and you will be taken to the page relevant to the pavilion or section you have landed on. At the moment there are only two links, the Dome of Discovery and the Skylon- in the end there will be 23!		 {short description of image} The Skylon Dome of Discovery
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