The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition and celebration held across the United Kingdom in the summer of 1951, intended to promote British achievement in science, technology, industrial design, architecture and the arts after the hardships of the Second World War. It also marked the centenary of the Great Exhibition of 1851.
The main site was on the South Bank of the Thames in London, where modern pavilions included the Dome of Discovery and the futuristic Skylon tower; the Royal Festival Hall was the principal building to remain afterwards. The Festival showcased a fresh, optimistic style of contemporary design, with light, colourful furniture, textiles, wallpapers, ceramics and graphics. Designers associated with the period include Robin and Lucienne Day, whose Calyx fabric was shown at the Festival, and Ernest Race, whose Antelope chair furnished the outdoor terraces. The Festival Pattern Group created textiles and tableware inspired by the crystal structures of molecules. The Festival emblem by Abram Games remains instantly recognisable. Souvenirs, programmes and original furniture and textiles are now widely collected, and the Festival is regarded as a defining moment in the emergence of mid-century British design.
