South Bank Centre

South Bank Centre, arts complex on the south bank of the Thames, between Westminster Bridge and Waterloo Bridge, in central London. It comprises the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room, and Hayward Gallery, and the National Theatre complex, which houses the Olivier, Cottesloe, and Lyttelton theatres, and the National Film Theatre. Constructed largely of undecorated blocks of grey reinforced concrete, the complex is a definitive example of British Brutalist architecture of the 1960s and 1970s.

Redevelopment of the area began in 1947. The Royal Festival Hall, the first public building in Britain to be designed in a contemporary architectural style, opened in 1951 for the centenary of the Great Exhibition. The architects were Sir Robert Matthew and Sir Leslie Martin. The glazed façade overlooks the river and the whole structure stands on retracted pillars.

The National Film Theatre (which presents classic films of all countries), the Hayward Gallery (used for large temporary exhibitions), and the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room (two smaller concert halls) were built between 1956 and 1968. They were designed by the former Greater London Council Architect’s Department under Sir Leslie Martin. Last to be built was the National Theatre, designed by Sir Denys Lasdun and opened in 1976.

In 2000 a draft masterplan by Rick Mather Architects was published, detailing plans for the phased redevelopment of the South Bank, beginning with the refurbishment of the Royal Festival Hall, and including the creation of a six-acre elevated park between County Hall and Hungerford Bridge, a new concert hall, an enhanced Hayward Gallery, the upgrading of the National Film Theatre to become a new BFI Film Centre, the redevelopment of the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room, and improved pedestrian access and retail facilities. In 2002 Elliott Bernerd was succeeded as chairman of the South Bank Centre by Lord Hollick. In June 2007 the Royal Festival Hall reopened after a two-year, £91 million refit.