The South Bank Centre is a complex of arts buildings located on the South Bank of the River Thames beside the Hungerford Bridge. It comprises the Royal Festival Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Purcell Room, the Hayward Gallery and the Poetry Library, and is Europe’s largest venue for the arts. Nearby, but not included in the Centre, are the National Theatre and the National Film Theatre. This is one of the most popular public spaces in London, part of a very pedestrian-friendly stretch of the river extending eastwards from Westminster Bridge, past The London Eye, the South Bank Centre, the Tate Modern and the new Shakespeare Globe Theatre to the east.

In all, the South Bank Centre (SBC) manages a 27 acre (109,000 m²) site from County Hall to Waterloo Bridge, including Jubilee Gardens and The Queen’s Walk, attracting more than three million visitors annually. Nearly a thousand paid performances of music, dance and literature are staged at the South Bank Centre each year, as well as over 300 free foyer events and an education programme, in and around the performing arts venues. In addition, up to six major art exhibitions per annum are presented at the Hayward Gallery, whilst National Touring Exhibitions reach over 100 venues across the UK.

In February 2002, Lord Hollick was appointed Chairman of the South Bank Board. In May of the same year, Michael Lynch, former Chief Executive of Sydney Opera House, was appointed Chief Executive.

The closest Underground (metro system) stations are Waterloo and Embankment.

History and Development

The SBC was developed as the South Bank Arts Centre by London County Council on former industrial land, which had been used for the Festival of Britain in 1951. The Royal Festival Hall is the only surviving building from the Festival of Britain. The SBC came under the authority of the Greater London Council in 1965 and the facilities were expanded in a major building programme comprising the Hayward Gallery, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room, and an extensive elevated walkway system linking them to the Royal Festival Hall (RFH) and the Shell Centre. Following abolition of the Greater London Council in 1985, the SBC became responsible to Arts Council England as an independent arts institution (after transitional arrangements).

The SBC's Waterloo Site (the late 1960's buildings) has been the subject of various plans for modification or reconstruction, in particular a scheme developed by Richard Rogers in the mid 1990's which would have involved a great glass roof over the existing three buildings. This did not proceed due to the high degree of National Lottery funding required and likely high cost.

In 2000, a masterplan for the entire SBC site was produced by Rick Mather Architects. This included a major proposal for a partly underground development on the Hungerford Car Park site which lies south of the RFH and the Hungerford Bridge approach viaduct. Reports indicate that this scheme is unable to proceed due to planning objections and the site being designated as Metropolitan Open Land by London Borough of Lambeth Council in 2005.

Refurbishment of the Royal Festival Hall site began in 2004. A slim new glass-fronted building, which is to provide office space for staff and technical facilities, was inserted between the RFH and the approach viaduct to Hungerford Bridge. This new building was originally designed by Allies and Morrison, but taken to site by BDP who were commissioned by the contractor of the office building Taylor Woodrow. Also begun at this time and completed in July 2005 was the instertion of new retail units to the low level Thames elevation of the hall that prooved instantly popular. This development was designed by Allies and Morrison and the main contractors were Interior Exterior. Gross Max are the landscape architects for the new public squares and Queen's Walk as well as future work to the areas to the rear of the hall.

A renovation of the RFH began in summer 2005. In the auditorium, the natural acoustic is to be enhanced to meet classical music requirements, while being flexible enough to suit the demands of amplified sound. Other features include reconfigured seating and upgrades to production facilites and public areas, particularly WCs. Festival Square is to have patterned paving, informal seating and public art.

One of the more notable temporary art works to appear at the SBC was Polaris by David Mach, exhibited in 1983 on the now-removed walkway outside the eastern facade of the Royal Festival Hall, near the Hayward Gallery. This consisted of 6,000 car tyres arranged as a lifesize replica of a Polaris nuclear submarine, a controversial political subject of the time. An arsonist tried to burn it down, suffering fatal burns in the process.

External links

• South Bank Centre (Bookings and general information)
• South Bank Centre (Governance, management and future plans)
• Richard Rogers Partnership (Masterplan section contains models and drawings of Rogers ambitious mid 1990s scheme to overhaul the SBC's Waterloo site)
• Rick Mather Architects (Masterplan section contains impressions and description of the masterplan approach of 2000)
• Allies and Morrison architects (Architects of 2003-5 works)
• Gross Max landscape architects (Landscape works 2003/4)
• Explore-London.co.uk (Photographs)
• Freefoto.com (Photographs)
• Getty Images (Archive photographs from Festival of Britain and more recent events)

Music venues in London | Lambeth | Visitor attractions in London | Cultural and educational buildings in London | Arts in England | River Thames