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I made do with a sandwich
Many years ago, as a young man starting up in London, I had
the good fortune to be working temporarily not far from a large
derelict site on the south bank of the River Thames, across from
the railway station at Charing Cross. As bomb sites went, I
thought this one was huge, and wondered what would be done
with it? Soon it was made known that here would be the site of
a second Great Exhibition, to commemorate the earlier one of 1851, an attraction that would cheer us all up in those difficult
days after the war, even though there was as yet still an element
of rationing, still on more than six years after the fighting had
stopped.
I was working in Covent Garden at the time, and it seemed to
me that the quantities of fruit and vegetables on display there
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did not seem to speak of any great shortages, but of course it
did not tell the true state of affairs. Money was tight, and
although films for my camera were available, they were
relatively expensive for my limited budget. I therefore hoarded
what I could get, and having heard that the derelict site I spoke
of was about to be built up for the forthcoming Festival in 1951,
I made it my business to cross Hungerford Bridge in my
lunchtime as often as possible, to take pictures of the site being
developed.
Gradually the scene was changing. From acres of damaged,derelict buildings, with rubble everywhere, and the river bank a
shattered mess, the foundations of Pavilions became clearer as
the months went by, pilings in rows everywhere, with solid
concrete forming bases, whilst at the same time the river bank
was given a proper river wall. A large Shot Tower of 1826
loomed over the river bank area, and was kept as a distinctive
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landmark in the shape of a modern, fully functioning
lighthouse. Soon we had the mix of Pavilions taking actual
shape, intended to showcase much of what Britain could make
and what the future might hold.
It was all very exciting, and on May 4th 1951 King George VI
opened the Festival and what a marvellous thing it was. There
was just so much to see. A huge structure called a Skylon,
hanging effortlessly up into the sky, appeared to be a
counterpart to the old shot tower, though I never did quite see
the point of it. We all came to gape, admire, and of course to
eat ice cream. No shortage there for a change, and I would
wander round, licking my way from one Pavilion to another,
part of a crowd of fellow enthusiasts, happy to get away from
economic distress, post-war blues, empty bomb sites, general
austerity and the tail end of rationing. It seems funny too,
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comparing the clothes we wore then to what we wear now. It
was still rather formal, with very many of the men walking
around in jackets and ties as a matter of course, whilst smokers
too, were not yet banned.
There were of course a number of souvenirs on sale, and I still
lament having bought so little, but my small salary simply did
not allow for that. Little did I know how expensive these
brochures, for instance, would become in later years. For the
inner man there were no lack of restaurants, some thirteen I
believe, but of necessity I made do with a sandwich which really
was perfectly adequate.
As a transport enthusiast I loved the huge diesel electric
locomotive intended for the Tasmanian Government and the
several large size mock-ups of steam boats sticking out from
their Sea and Ships pavilion, not their front part for some
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reason, but their stern. Well, at least we could read their
names, and what a relief to see that Britain could indeed ‘Make
It.’
I did not see as much of the inside of the Pavilions as I would
have liked, as they were comparatively dark inside, and my
camera could not cope under such poor lighting conditions.
Nowadays of course digital cameras wouldn’t have missed a
trick. In any case, it was really not possible to see everything in
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one day, and several trips were made, not just to the South
Bank site, but also to the Festival Pleasure Gardens in
Battersea, a short distance away, providing another treat.
This all about having fun rather than admiring exhibits, with
multiple attractions, including a Roland Emett’s fantasy creation, the Far Tottering and Oystercreek Railway, mostly
open coaches hauled by Nellie, an extraordinary-looking steam
engine that looked as though it had been made out of a model
makers ‘bits and pieces’ box, together with possibly pots and
pans from the kitchen and bells and whistles from a toy
cupboard. At least it worked, steaming back and forth a few
hundred yards from one side of the Garden to another, then
back again, into a station that actually had a proper platform,
no doubt for safety reasons. There were children in plenty, and
no lack of adults either, enjoying the short ride. This was but
one of the many things to sample. Others included a fun fair, a
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puppet theatre, and a boating pond where small boats went
round and round a small island with a mock lighthouse.
Luckily the weather held whenever I was there but if your shoes
got dusty help was at hand. A man was there to clean you up
and make you feel good again.
The Festival of Britain, it must be remembered, was not just
celebrated in London, but in other parts of the country as well,
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but as I did not visit these places I cannot speak about them.
One thing however I do know; my friends and I felt we could
hold our heads up again as Britain celebrated, and that I was
very privileged to have seen so much.
Alec Hasenson