After the Festival Finished

It is the 30^th September 2015, and 64 years ago to the day, the Festival of Britain closed.  Everything was destined to be broken up and dispersed. It seems so melancholy that the party had to end, but I suppose that if it had continued on indefinitely then it would have lost its charm.  Perhaps it is better that the Festival remains a fading memory, and that those of us who find relics feel that we possess a piece of lost magic.

Just a few weeks ago, I took my children on a visit to the London Eye.  There was a method in my madness…I wanted to set foot on the Festival site.  I have walked from Waterloo to Charing Cross before, and have seen the Festival Hall and glimpsed the site from Hungerford Bridge.  But this was before I got really interested in this bit of history, and I never made the detour to stand where the Skylon hovered.  Until now.   I stood on the circle marking the spot and looked up.  Then from the Eye, I looked down on the site that I have seen so many times depicted in black and white.

It seems so small!  In my imagination, the Festival stretched on forever.  But using the markers of Waterloo, the bridge and the Hall, I could see a site that was more compact then I would have ever thought.  When you see a list of what was packed into the main site, I have admiration for the planners for getting it all in!

I feel glad that the South Bank is still given over to pleasure.  The London Eye is superbly situated and whoever decided to put it there deserves some praise. The gardens were packed full and entertainers on the river side helped to bring a carnival atmosphere…I could almost close my eyes and be back there.

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