Festival of Britain in colour 1951 (HQ)

[clowninamicrowave]

Shame they destroyed all the buildings, would have loved to see the Skylon especially.

[wilmeaden]

Thank you very much for posting this! Much appreciated...

[tujags]

Ye gods I was 6 years old when I went there we actually made thing in those days & were proud of what we did! After the Festival everything was scrapped except the Festival Hall, State vandalism or short sightedness? Bit like the country now sadly.

[123barriejohn]

I dislike - who was that then?

[123barriejohn]

I remember this well. I was only five years old at the time, and we stayed in Battersea with a former shipmate of my dad's. (We also stayed with them for the Coronation two years later, although we actually watchedit on their tiny TV set, along with half the street!). There is an excellent BBC2 documentary available on iPlayer for another five days, which captures perfectly the optimism and excitement of those far-off post-war/post-depression days. What has happened to us all?

[merklereenactment]

brilliant Video... but i wonder how hard it would be to make such a wonderful spectacle in todays Britain ???..

[climberboy123456]

great retro stuff,an england when.it needed a boost,from war and dullness,fab footage,wish i had been there to see it/ ian d 6870

[seeformiles]

I've just been reading an account of the festival written by my great aunt who visited en route to a scout jamboree in Austria. Great to actually see the things she described in such high quality! Made my day!

[Spitalhatch]

I must have been 10 years old when I went with my school to see this. Most of it was over our heads, but I do remember the Skylon, the Dome of Discovery and the Shot Tower. The boy who enjoyed the day most of all was 'unfortunate' enough to become separated from the group. He spent the day in the police station drinking lemonade and reading comics. And we were all jealous!

Marvellous bit of film though - thanks.

[mawsonics]

Love the 'stirring' soundtrack, very much in keeping with British Transport films and other short docs of the era. A chap I know (born 1939) says he went to the Festival again and again and again - GRR!

[Wayzgoosey]

Oh, for goodness sake ... the bonkers racisst are here already. The Festival of Britain was an amzing achievement for a country struggling to get back on it's feet after the war. So-called mass immigration has helped this country towards increased prosperity and the major threat to us today is the bizarre fantaies of racists who see the 1940s and before as some kind of "golden age". The lack of "druggies" is probably because they're drinking themsleves blind in some backstreet drinking den

[TheWhitehall]

@Wayzgoosey Come and visit the "Heart" of London today......!

[jenleex]

Before mass immigration destroyed our counrty..but we are fighting back...one day we well reclaim our country

[jenleex]

Before mass immigration destroyed our counrty..by we are fighting back...one day we well reclaim our country

[zrepeels]

I was there as a small boy. Note how well people were dressed. They put on their best clothes to go to London.

[agaichapter25]

not a druggie in sight...this was the age of innocence for the majority of people who tended to believe most of what they were told and chose to abide by the laws of the country without question.Unfortunately with the growing advent of technology and improved communication throughout the world it was not to last ,people started to see events in life for what they were and no longer kept their heads in the sand..fast forward to today and we got what we quested for...was it worth it?

[EduarquiRJ]

What a spectacular documentary! It is a source for researchers of post-second war architeture and design, and we could never forget that this 1951 Festival was the very first one to see the light of sun after 1945. Thank you very much for sharing it with us.

[razzlepuzzle]

really interesting social history. thanks for posting.

[Steeleperfect]

My Dad remembers this as a wonderful childhood experience.