James Boswell, the famous Scottish man of letters and biographer of Samuel Johnson, claimed to have made love on London's Westminster Bridge.
The Royal Festival Hall, London
London's Royal Festival Hall
Britain suffered terribly during World War II and London was worst hit with many important buildings sustaining heavy damage during the blitz. In an attempt to revitalise the nation the Labour government planned to commemorate the centenary of the Great Exhibition of 1851. The celebration was the Festival of Britain which was set on 27 acres of, heavily bombed, land on the south bank of the River Thames. The Festival was to be in a modern style contrasting the dim and grim sights of London's blackened and damaged Victorian buildings and it was hoped that it would regenerate the city.
Fifty young architects (below the age of 45) were chosen to work on the project in a further attempt to create something extremely modern. The designs showed hints of the style of Bauhaus but more relaxed with decorative elements such as indoor houseplants, canted legs, flying staircases, picture windows and numerous other typically 1950's design features. Together with the numerous displays and exhibitions, the Festival of Britain proved a great success.
The Royal Festival Hall was the first major new public building to be built in Britain after the Second World War. It was built to replace the, bomb damaged, Queens Hall. The new hall had been designed in 1948 by Leslie Martin and Robert Mathew who worked in the Architects' Department of the London County Council.
The nearby Hungerford railway bridge necessitated a level of soundproofing which was incorporated into the central auditorium which took the form of an egg suspended within a box. The seating arrangements in the auditorium had been designed to eliminate any appearance of class differences with even the private boxes toned down so that they did not imply a sense of privileged status.
Following the close of the Festival and a change of government (to Conservative) the site was cleared and many of the architectural elements demolished. The Royal Festival Hall was kept and it now stands amongst many other modern buildings such as the National Theatre.
The image to the right (click to enlarge) shows a sketch of the new design for the interior of the Royal Festival Hall which has recently been refurbished. The designers, Conran & Partners, tried to keep to the style of the original 1950's. On the third floor is 'Skylon' a restaurant offeringa formal 90-seat dining area, a 120-cover grill area and a 60-cover bar area.