When the 1951 FESTIVAL OF BRITAIN opened it was labelled “a tonic to the nation”, an uplifting theme coming as it did during a gloomy period for the country following the devastation of WW2 and a decade of austerity with severe rationing and shortages. The festival was a series of national events which attracted over ten million paying visitors during its five months (4th May to September 1951), with its main attractions at the South Bank and Battersea Park in London. The Festival was to be a showcase for promoting the British arts, science, technology, architecture, trade & industry, modern design (so iconic of the 1950’s), craftsmanship and with every aspect planned to promote an optimistic progressive view of Britain’s future both at home and abroad, as well as restoring national confidence. In addition to numerous local events that took place around Britain, there was also the “Land Travelling Show” which was a mobile exhibition that travelled by road and a “Sea Travelling Exhibition” that toured from port to port in a converted aircraft carrier, HMS Campania (launched 1943, decommissioned from Royal Naval service 1945 and scrapped 1955).
It was not since the Great Exhibition of 1851, the 1924 British Empire Exhibition at Wembley or the 1938 Empire Exhibition in Glasgow that such a spectacular display had been seen in the country. Sadly, all the exhibits and buildings at the South Bank site were cleared away soon after. Despite the 1951Festival of Britain being apolitical, when Winston Churchill became Prime Minister in October of 1951 he deemed the exhibition to be “socialist propaganda”, a reminder of the outgoing Labour government and was determined to sweep such reminders out of sight. Other main features at the South Banks Festival that were dismantled during 1952 included the futuristic 300ft tall Skylon sculpture and the Dome of Discovery amongst others.
A myriad of collectible souvenirs and mementos, both official and unofficial, were produced for the 1951 Festival of Britain, just as they were for the 1924 and 1938 exhibitions. This enamelled medallion shows the Festival of Britain Star that was designed by renowned British graphic designer, Abram Games (1914-1996). Abram had won an open competition to design the Festival’s emblem and this proved to be a major boost to his career. His clients included such big names as Guinness Brewery, Penguin Books (book jacket covers), British Airways, Shell, United Nations, London Transport, British GPO (postage stamps), the BBC and more.
DESCRIPTION:
Size: 1" across (25mm).
Material(s): brass metal with 3 vitreous enamels.
Finish: gilt.
Fitting: bale & suspension ring.
Imprint: none
.
There are a great many references to the 1951 Festival of Britain on the internet, here’s just a few:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festival_of_Britain
www.thehistorypress.co.uk/articles/the-festival-of-britai...
www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/The-Festiv...
www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/The-Festiv...
www.abramgames.com/about (Abram Games, designer of the 1951 Festival of Britain Star emblem).
www.jstor.org/stable/4051737?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents (A Tonic to the Nation, Festival of Britain 1951 by F. M. Leventhal, Albion, Vol 27, No.3, Autumn 1995, pp 445-453. This article examines the progress and intentions for the 1951 Festival of Britain from its inception in 1943.)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Campania_(D48) (HMS Campania).
www.flickr.com/photos/adambangor/2795536739 (A postcard image of the HMS Campania decked out in its festival livery).
