Festival of Britain at 75: Walk
Festival of Britain at 75: Walk
Wednesday 9 September 2026
Start time/place: 6:30pm/South Bank Lion, Westminster Bridge, SE1 7GA
Finish time/place: 8pm/Royal Festival Hall
Join Doug Black in an absorbing walk through the South Bank site of the Festival of Britain, which closed its gates 75 years ago. Famously dismissed as "three-dimensional Socialist propaganda" by Winston Churchill, the Festival was bulldozed and sold for scrap shortly afterwards, with the Royal Festival Hall remaining as one of the few survivors.
Doug will retrace the footprints of long-lost architectural icons, such as the Dome of Discovery and the Skylon, while also exploring the present and future of the site.
As the Team Leader of Conservation & Design at Lambeth Council, Doug has dealt with conservation issues on the South Bank almost daily for two decades. This extensive, behind-the-scenes experience makes him a uniquely informed guide.
Doug Black is a long time friend of C20 Society and Team Leader of Conservation & Design Team at Lambeth Council.
Only 15 tickets available.
Non-members: £25
C20 Members: £20
Young C20 Members: £10*
Students: £15**
*For Young C20 members, please email lukas@c20society.org.uk to secure a place.
**For student pricing please select from the dropdown option next to ‘membership number’ on the booking form below.
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The Twentieth Century Society is an IHBC (Institute of Historic Building conservation) recognised CPD provider and is a registered charity, no 1110244.
Above: Dome of Discovery (Ralph Tubbs, 1951), the largest dome in the world at the time.