No Time For The Present
The Festival of Britain brought a touch of modernity to the
country; but there was also a deep archaeological connection and a celebration
of the past. As the South Bank site was cleared, archaeological investigation
deliberately took place. Finds were made- including a skeleton – from periods
throughout London ’s
history. When the Festival was up and
running there was much reference to the past from within the futuristic
architecture. Many of the themes explored were put into context using
historical artefacts. One of the themes
was entitled “The People of Britain ” and this
was convened by an archaeologist (Jacquetta Hawkes).
The Festival was rooted in a celebration of the past – of Britain ’s
historical landscape. This tied in with
a general heightened fascination with this subject at this time. Just three years later, the discovery of the Temple of Mithras on the
other side of the Thames would
give archaeology a massive boost. People
would queue for hours to see the remains of the temple and there would be
unprecedented newspaper coverage.
Meanwhile, the work of poets and artists who gloried in British
landscapes seem to have had a golden age (viewed from this end of the 20th
Century anyway.) As an example, I would
cite the work of John Betjeman. His
poetry has a heightened sense of place and what it means to the inhabitants.
The icons of the Festival are however futuristic. The Festival Hall, the Dome of Discovery and
the Skylon all celebrate modern design and look forward. So it seems that the only thing that wasn’t
welcome was the present. Another Festival icon, the multicoloured abacus
screen, was erected to block out the views of the dirty and dogeared
streets around Waterloo Station. A film made after the Festival
had closed, where we take a tour with architect Sir Hugh Casson specifically tells us this.
As soon as the Festival was over the South Bank attractions
were dismantled – with the exception of the Festival Hall. The dome and the Skylon were sent for
scrap. Churchill, who had just returned
as Prime Minister, sanctioned this without sentiment. There was no sense that anything should be
reprieved for posterity.
The people of 1951 did not want to stand still, they wanted
to forget their immediate history, showing just how much the war was still a
part of the British people. They wanted
to take the best of their long term, idealised history into a future of clean
lines, bright colours and technology.
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