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FESTIVAL OF BRITAIN WALL HANGING

Michael O'Connell’s textile art produced for the Festival of Britain inspires Susan Moxley's Stained Glass window at MERL

The Festival of Britain - May to September 1951

The Great Exhibition of 1851, held during the reign of Queen Victoria was a huge success and lifted the spirits of the nation and so at the end of WW2 it seemed a good idea to stage another exhibition, a Festival of Britain, to raise morale and to show the strengths and greatness of the country. It was intended to be a Tonic to the Nation.

There were two main festival sites, the South Bank, of the river Thames and the Festival Gardens, near Battersea Power station on the bank of the Thames. A boat took visitors between these sites. There were other Festival sites in London, and in other parts of the nation, where exhibitions showed other aspects of British life. A travelling land and travelling sea exhibition meant the whole of the country was involved.

The exhibitions used objects and displays to tell the story of Britain. The storylines started in the past, continued with the present and showed what the future might hold thanks to the nation’s greatest assets: the people and the land. One half of the South Bank exhibition site was devoted to the land.

Country Pavilion Introductory panel from the hanging made by Michael O'Connell

The Country Pavilion, part of the ‘upstream visitor circuit’ called ‘The Land', was set between the halls of Natural Scene and Minerals of Britain. It showed visitors that farming was just as important to the country as mining and steel production. The display linked the farming year to everyday country life. It showed the importance of the work done by the many village craftsmen. Its intention was to: “bridge the divide between countryman and townsman”.

The ground floor of the pavilion showed dairying and livestock. Agricultural machinery was displayed by perching it on top of tall posts The gallery featured aspects of the country year and rural crafts. Along the first floor balcony, Michael O'Connell's wall hanging showed scenes of farming life from around the British Isles.

Sources

Mary Banham and Bevis Hillier 1976. A Tonic to the Nation – Festival of Britain 1951. London: Thames and Hudson

Jill Betts. 1998. Michael O'Connell and his Festival of Britain Wall Hanging Folk Life, vol. 36

Various contributors. 1977. Michael O'Connell 1898-1976. London: Crafts Advisory Council

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