Unique Festival of Britain file digitised

A unique file relating to the planning of the 1951 Festival of Britain is now accessible online for the first time. One of 77 files in the Design Council Archive relating to this national event, file 14B/27 comprises 285 pages of documentation that offer unprecedented insight into the planning of the Homes and Gardens Pavilion. A key resource for researchers visiting the University Design Archives in person, this rare set of correspondence, memoranda, plans and sketches is now visible to scholars around the world. High resolution files of each page can now be studied on-screen, in the order in which they appear in the original file, simulating to a great extent an authentic research experience.

The digitization work was undertaken as part of the JISC-funded Look-Here! project during 2010 in anticipation of the 60th anniversary of the Festival of Britain this year. 

The files can be accessed via the Archives Hub.

Over 90 images of the Homes and Gardens Pavilion can be accessed from the Visual Arts Data Service

Further information about the project can be found on the Look Here! website.