Beacon for Change: How the 1951 Festival of Britain Helped to Shape a New Age

The 1951 Festival of Britain brought both excitement and optimism to the drab post-war years of rationing and austerity. This book explores the intentions of its creators, recounts the effect of its satellite festivals all over Britain, and records how it transformed London's South Bank with buildings such as the Royal Festival Hall and the futuristic Skylon, spawned the Miss World contest, introduced Britons to Scandinavian design and even offered them their first experience of soft lavatory paper.