Festival of Britain construction site in Waterloo Road, Waterloo, on the corner with Tenison Way. In the foreground, the construction of an underpass is underway, with workmen on site, also a lorry, steamroller and bulldozer. To the right, the Festival of Britain buildings for the Homes and Gardens Pavilion and the Telecinema are under construction; the Telecinema was specially designed by Wells Coates to show both films and television, and was one of the most popular attractions. It was handed over to the British Film Institute after the Festival of Britain, and remained as the National Film Theatre until 1957 when the NFT was relocated under Waterloo Bridge. The site now forms part the White House Apartments, formerly the Shell Centre. The remaining buildings to the left are numbers 6-16 York Road. In the background the railway viaduct carries trains from Waterloo East (formerly Waterloo Junction Station) across. Hungerford Bridge to Charing Cross. The Festival of Britain was a nationwide event that took place in the summer of 1951. Originally intended to mark the centenary of the Great Exhibition of 1851, it became a way to celebrate Britain and its achievements rather than including international themes. The construction of the Festival on its flagship South Bank site required the demolition of the industrial and residential buildings between Waterloo Bridge and County Hall. After the Festival, the South Bank site was cleared of all festival infrastructure except the Royal Festival Hall on the orders of Winston Churchill, who saw the Festival as a beacon for socialist ideas.
