A view of the Skylon at the Festival of Britain’s South Bank Exhibition, London, England, UK in 1951. The Skylon was a futuristic, slender steel structure. It gave the illusion of 'floating' above the ground and became a symbol of the festival. It was designed by Hidalgo Moya, Philip Powell and Felix Samuely and was fabricated by Painter Brothers of Hereford, England. The Skylon consisted of a steel latticework frame and supported by cables and steel beams. The frame was clad in aluminium louvres lit from within at night. The Skylon was removed in 1952 when the site was cleared.
A view of the Skylon at the Festival of Britain’s South Bank Exhibition, London, England, UK in 1951. The Skylon was a futuristic, slender, cigar-shaped steel structure located by the River Thames. It gave the illusion of 'floating' above the ground and became a symbol of the festival. It was designed by Hidalgo Moya, Philip Powell and Felix Samuely and was fabricated by Painter Brothers of Hereford, England. The Skylon consisted of a steel latticework frame, pointed at both ends and supported on cables slung between three steel beams. Partially constructed it was rigged vertically, then grew taller in situ. The base was nearly 15 metres (50 feet) from the ground, with the top nearly 90 metres (300 feet) high. The frame was clad in aluminium louvres lit from within at night. Skylon was removed in 1952 when the rest of the exhibition was dismantled. The Skylon and the roof of the Dome of Discovery were sold to George Cohen, Sons and Company, scrap metal dealers, and dismantled on the banks of the River Lea. Some of the metal fragments were then made into a series of commemorative artefacts. This image is from an old amateur photographer’s negative. It will look soft if reproduced at too large a size – a vintage 1950s photograph.
Size: 3248px × 3353px
Location: South Bank, London, England, UK
Photo credit: © M&N / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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