Festival of Britain Guide

Over the weekend I spent a little time wondering around the Southbank with my Mum and at one point I turned to look back up towards the Royal Festival Hall and tried hard to imagine what the view would have looked like on the opening day of the Festival of Britain back in 1951. A difficult task on an merciless January afternoon. Then I suddenly remembered my girlfriend had bought me an original guide from the festival as a gift some time ago. A blog-post omen if ever there was one methinks.

Printed on good stock with the classic Abram Games logo, the cover puts a white litho technique (rare in the 1950s) to good use. Inside, the guide is broken down in society focus areas. Examples such as power, health and transport tell a story of much needed progression in a rapidly changing Britain faced with a long period of post-war austerity. The adverts are incredible too and although insipid in their own way, they seem a world away from today’s slick vanity. Mostly though, I adore the slab-serif typography treatment; a splendid legacy that the Royal Festival Hall still bears to this day.

The guide isn’t exactly rare, but the copy I have is in great nick and to me it’s a special piece of ephemera as it represents a time in this country of nourished hope. As a London resident I often pine for the ghostly Skylon tower, but not just for it’s structure, more for the buoyancy it represented. I think this city could with a little bit of that sometimes.

Have a peek at the Museum of London’s online festival area and make sure you read some of the public memories.