Southbank Centre is a complex of arts buildings located in London, England on the South Bank of the River Thames between Hungerford Bridge and Waterloo Bridge. It comprises the Royal Festival Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Purcell Room, The Hayward and the Poetry Library, and is Europe’s largest venue for the arts. This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... The National Theatre is one of the collection of arts buildings that make up the South Bank Centre. ... The Thames (pronounced //) is a river flowing through southern England, in its lower reaches flowing through London into the sea. ... Hungerford Bridge and Golden Jubilee Bridges, seen from the north The Hungerford Bridge runs over the River Thames in London, between Waterloo Bridge and Westminster Bridge. ... View of the old Waterloo Bridge from Whitehall stairs, John Constable, 18 June 1817 Waterloo Bridge. ... The Royal Festival Hall is a concert, dance and talks venue within the South Bank Centre in London, England. ... The Queen Elizabeth Hall (QEH) is a music venue on the South Bank in London, which hosts daily classical, jazz, and avant-garde music and dance performances. ... The Purcell Room is a concert and performance venue which forms part of the South Bank Centre, one of central Londons leading cultural complexes. ...

Nearby, but not part of Southbank Centre, are the National Theatre and 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, Southbank Centre, the Tate Modern and the new Shakespeare Globe Theatre to the east. The Royal National Theatre from Waterloo Bridge The Royal National Theatre is a building complex and theatre company located on the South Bank in London, England immediately east of the southern end of Waterloo Bridge. ... The used book sale in front of the National Film Theatre The National Film Theatre is located on the South Bank of the river Thames in London. ... Westminster Bridge and the Palace of Westminster, with a glimpse of Westminster Abbey behind the tower of Big Ben. ... The London Eye is, as of December 2003, the largest observation wheel in the world (though often erroneously called a Ferris wheel). ... Tate Modern from the Millennium Bridge Tate Modern from St Pauls Cathedral. ... This article is about the Globe Theatre of Shakespeare, both the original and its modern reconstruction. ...

In all, Southbank Centre manages a 21 acre (85,000 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 Southbank Centre each year, as well as over 300 free foyer events and an education programme, in and around the performing arts venues. In addition, three to six major art exhibitions per annum are presented at The Hayward, whilst National Touring Exhibitions reach over 100 venues across the UK. County Hall County Hall is a building in Lambeth, London, that was the headquarters of London County Council and later the Greater London Council (GLC). ... View of the old Waterloo Bridge from Whitehall stairs, John Constable, 18 June 1817 Waterloo Bridge. ... Jubilee Gardens was created in 1977 to mark the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II and sits at the heart of London’s cultural centre, South Bank. ... The Queens Walk is a promenade located on the South Bank of the River Thames in London, between Lambeth Bridge and Tower Bridge. ...

In February 2002, Lord Hollick was appointed Chairman of the South Bank Board Ltd, the parent company of Southbank Centre. In May of the same year, Michael Lynch, former Chief Executive of Sydney Opera House, was appointed Chief Executive. For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Clive Hollick (Lord Hollick of Notting Hill) (born 19 May 1945) is a British businessman with media interests. ... starting goalie for the Glen Rock Varsity Ice Hockey team Eligible for NHL Draft in 2006 Expected to be a top 5 pick in the 2006 draft Ranked by The Hockey News as the 29th best prospect in 2004 Ranked by The Hockey News as the 4th best prospect in... Internationally, the Sydney Opera House is one of the most recognised symbols of Sydney Sydney Opera House at Night The Sydney Opera House is located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ...

The closest Underground stations are Waterloo and Embankment. The London Underground is an all-electric railway system that covers much of the conurbation of Greater London and some neighbouring areas. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Embankment station, April 2002 Embankment tube station is a London Underground station in the City of Westminster. ...

History and Development

Southbank Centre 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. Southbank Centre came under the authority of the Greater London Council in 1965. London County Council emblem is still seen today on buildings, especially housing, from that era London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London from 1889 until 1965, when it was replaced by the Greater London Council. ... The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition which opened in May 1951 in London. ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... The Royal Festival Hall is a concert, dance and talks venue within the South Bank Centre in London, England. ... The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition which opened in May 1951 in London. ... Arms of the Greater London Council The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. ...

Southbank Centre facilities were expanded in a major building programme in 1965-68 comprising The Hayward, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room on the site previously occupied by a lead works and shot tower. The RFH was also extended towards the river and Waterloo Station at this time. The new buildings had their main entrances at first floor level and were linked by an extensive elevated concrete walkway system to the Royal Festival Hall (RFH) and the Shell Centre. This vertical separation of pedestrian and vehicle traffic proved unpopular due to the difficulty pedestrians had in navigating through the complex, and the dark and under-used spaces at ground level below the walkways. The Queen Elizabeth Hall (QEH) is a music venue on the South Bank in London, which hosts daily classical, jazz, and avant-garde music and dance performances. ... The Purcell Room is a concert and performance venue which forms part of the South Bank Centre, one of central Londons leading cultural complexes. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Royal Festival Hall is a concert, dance and talks venue within the South Bank Centre in London, England. ... The Shell Centre as seen from the London Eye. ...

Following abolition of the Greater London Council in 1985, Southbank Centre became responsible to Arts Council England as an independent arts institution (after transitional arrangements). Arms of the Greater London Council The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Arts Council England was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three separate bodies for England, Scotland and Wales. ...

The walkway on the east side of the RFH, running along Belvedere Road towards the Shell Centre was removed circa 1990, to restore ground level circulation. The Shell Centre as seen from the London Eye. ...

Southbank Centre's Waterloo Site (the late 1960s buildings) has been the subject of various plans for modification or reconstruction, in particular a scheme developed by Richard Rogers in the mid 1990s 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. Richard George Rogers, Baron Rogers of Riverside (born 23 July 1933) is a British architect noted for his modernist and functionalist designs. ...

In 2000, a masterplan for the entire Southbank Centre site was produced by Rick Mather Architects. The main features of the masterplan are: a new administration building, now completed and occupied; the removal of access for delivery vehicles to the south of the Hungerford Bridge approach viaduct and east of The Hayward (by Waterloo Bridge); the creation of three new public spaces around the RFH (Festival Riverside, Festival Square and Festival River Link); modification of the Queen Elizabeth Hall undercroft and the lower two levels of The Hayward to provide a frontage onto Festival Square; and a new British Film Institute building partly underground on the Hungerford Car Park site. The developments at Southbank Centre since 2000 have been undertaken in line with the Rick Mather Masterplan. Hungerford Bridge and Golden Jubilee Bridges, seen from the north The Hungerford Bridge runs over the River Thames in London, between Waterloo Bridge and Westminster Bridge. ... View of the old Waterloo Bridge from Whitehall stairs, John Constable, 18 June 1817 Waterloo Bridge. ... The Queen Elizabeth Hall (QEH) is a music venue on the South Bank in London, which hosts daily classical, jazz, and avant-garde music and dance performances. ... The British Film Institute (BFI) is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to encourage the development of the arts of film, television and the moving image throughout the United Kingdom, to promote their use as a record of contemporary life and manners, to promote education about film, television and...

Refurbishment of the Royal Festival Hall site began in 2004. A slim new glass-fronted building, which provides office space for Southbank Centre staff, was inserted between the RFH and the approach viaduct to Hungerford Bridge. This new building was designed by Allies and Morrison, with detail design by Building Design Partnership who were commissioned by the contractor, Taylor Woodrow. The Royal Festival Hall is a concert, dance and talks venue within the South Bank Centre in London, England. ... Hungerford Bridge and Golden Jubilee Bridges, seen from the north The Hungerford Bridge runs over the River Thames in London, between Waterloo Bridge and Westminster Bridge. ... Allies and Morrison are a London-based architecture practice. ... Taylor Woodrow plc is one of the largest British based housebuilding and general construction companies. ...

Also begun at this time and completed in July 2005 was the insertion of new retail units to the low level Thames elevation of the RFH, using the space below the walkway added in the mid 1960s. This development was designed by Allies and Morrison and the main contractors were ISG 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 RFH. Allies and Morrison are a London-based architecture practice. ...

In the RFH 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 facilities and public areas, particularly WCs. Festival Square is to have patterned paving, informal seating and public art.

The Hungerford Car Park site lies south of the RFH and the Hungerford Bridge approach viaduct. However, the Hungerford Car Park site was designated as Metropolitan Open Land by London Borough of Lambeth Council in 2006. Hungerford Bridge and Golden Jubilee Bridges, seen from the north The Hungerford Bridge runs over the River Thames in London, between Waterloo Bridge and Westminster Bridge. ... The London Borough of Lambeth is a London borough in South London, England and forms part of Inner London. ...

One of the more notable temporary art works to appear at the Southbank Centre 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. 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. David Mach (born 18 March 1956) is a Scottish sculptor and installation artist. ... The Royal Festival Hall is a concert, dance and talks venue within the South Bank Centre in London, England. ...

External links

• Southbank Centre (Bookings and general information)
• Richard Rogers Partnership (Masterplan section contains models and drawings of Rogers ambitious mid 1990s scheme to overhaul the Southbank Centre'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)
• Live Design website (Article on new exterior lighting for the South Bank Centre)
• Flickr.com website (Night photographs of new external lighting scheme, installed 2006)
• Explore-London.co.uk (Photographs)
• Freefoto.com (Photographs)
• Getty Images (Archive photographs from Festival of Britain and more recent events)