1-192-264 - © Henry Grant Collection/London Museum/Heritage Images

Winston Churchill at the opening of the Festival of Britain, London, 1951. Sitting down in the very centre of the photograph, wearing a top hat and numerous medals, orders and decorations. Standing to the right of him is the Prime Minister Clement Atlee. Between May and September 1951 a grand exhibition was held throughout Great Britain. A Festival Council brought together a team of designers, architects and builders to mastermind this exhibition, whose intention was to demonstrate all that was best about Britain at the time. The central focus was a purpose built exhibition constructed on the South Bank of the Thames in London.