The Festival of Britain
Film courtesy of FILMSCHÄTZE AUS KÖLN - VOM RHEIN - WELTFILMERBE, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWUoRig2Mbk
The Festival of Britain opened on the 3rd May 1951 and was meant of be a UK wide celebration of Britishness whether this was culture, industry, science or history.[1] ‘a celebration of the ‘British contributions to world civilisation in the arts of peace’.[2] It saw the building of the Royal Festival Hall (seen in this picture from the National Archives http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/fifties-britain/festival-britain/) as well as local fetes and exhibitions.[3]
Yet despite this ‘united’ community portrayal, academics have questioned whether the majority of the population would have been able to relate to images and narratives being told about their communities.[4] This leads us onto museums. Were museum exhibitions as part of the festival really representative of their communities?
[1] The National Archives, The Festival of Britain, <http://media.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php/the-festival-of-britain/> [accessed 21/8/2017].
[2] Paul Hendon, ‘The Festival of Britain and the voice of the people’, Critical Quarterly 41:4, (1999), p. 15.
[3] The National Archives, The Festival of Britain.
[4] Paul Hendon, ‘The Festival of Britain and the voice of the people’, Critical Quarterly 41:4, (1999), p. 16.