C20 Society has renewed its call to nationally list the Southbank Centre, which includes the Hayward Gallery, Purcell Rooms and Queen Elizabeth Hall. This visionary combination of performance spaces and art gallery is a post-war architectural masterpiece, and is perhaps the most totemic – and controversial – example of British Brutalism, currently in the spotlight thanks to the Oscar nominated film of the same name.

Historic England (formerly English Heritage) has recommended listing the Southbank Centre on 5 separate occasions since 1991, yet this advice has been consistently rejected by the Secretary of State of the day ever since. The unprecedented near 35 year-long impasse represents one of the longest running sagas in British architecture and heritage.

The latest call comes as a Certificate of Immunity from listing (COI) on the complex expires on Feb 5th 2025. A COI prevents a building from being listed for a period of 5 years, with the current certificate on the Southbank Centre having been issued in Feb 2020. The Southbank Centre themselves are known to be opposed to listing the complex.

‘Britain’s ugliest building’

The Hayward Gallery, Purcell Rooms and Queen Elizabeth Hall were designed by the London County Council Architects Department and were opened by Her Majesty the Queen in 1968 and 1967 respectively. These were adventurous architectural compositions, designed by a young team under the leadership of architect Norman Engleback, with board-marked concrete surfaces inside and out, connected to walkways, staircases, rooftop terraces, and with sculptural concrete air conditioning ducts and pyramidal glazing. This was in deliberate contrast to the smooth, almost ‘Classical’ Modernism of the neighbouring Royal Festival Hall, and quickly attracted controversy, being voted ‘Britain’s ugliest building’ by readers of the Daily Mail in October 1967.

The abolition of the Greater London Council in 1986 led to the creation of the South Bank Board, which sought to generate more income from the site. The then unpopular 1960s buildings presented an attractive target for redevelopment and new revenue-earning spaces, with the subsequent four decades bringing numerous damaging plans and proposals for the complex.

A scheme by Terry Farrell was launched in 1989, which would have wrapped the buildings in a postmodern shell, yet this was abandoned in 1993. ‘The Wave’, a £70 million Richard Rogers plan in 1994 proposed a glass roof cloaking the buildings and semi-enclosing the outdoor spaces. Criticised for a lack of practicality and high cost, this was also axed after it failed to receive National Lottery funding. A masterplan for the entirety of the South Bank by Rick Mather in 1999 promised Mather’s trademark rational, cool, modern approach as ‘the perfect antidote to the centre’s drab squalor’ (Edwin Heathcote), but again remained unexecuted.

In 2012, C20 Society nominated the Southbank Centre for the World Monument Fund ‘Watch List’ of the 25 most endangered heritage sites worldwide. In 2013, architects Feilden Clegg Bradley’ launched a £120 million vision for the ‘Festival Wing’, including a 60-metre-long glazed pavilion looming over the Hayward Gallery, and 5,000 sq metres of commercial space in containers. Vigorously opposed by C20 Society, this plan was dropped in 2014 thanks largely to the protests of skateboarders in the undercroft space of the QEH, whose ‘Long Live the Southbank’ campaign attracted over 80,000 supporters and the backing of the Mayor of London.

Ironically, the same architects (FCBS) went on to lead an exemplary programme of restoration and conservation on the Hayward Gallery, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Rooms in 2018, following a £16.7 million grant from Arts Council England.

What is Brutalism?

The term Brutalism is derived from the French ‘betón brut’, meaning ‘raw concrete’, and refers to a style of late modernist architecture that emerged during the second half of the twentieth century. Brutalist architecture, characterized by bold geometries, the exposure of structural materials, and functional spatial design, was an expression of social progressivism and became a favoured style for public architecture of the time. While most readily associated with the use of concrete, many brutalist buildings are constructed from brick, timber and glass, with a ‘reverence for materials’ (Peter and Alison Smithson) being the guiding principle.

Often beset with poor maintenance and unfairly associated with anti-social behaviour, brutalist buildings fell out of fashion by the late 1970s and increasingly came under threat of demolition and development. The listing of high-profile examples like Trellick Tower in Kensington, Preston Bus Station, and Park Hill in Sheffield in the 1990s and 00s began a process of wider critical and public reassessment, which continues to this day.

Modern heritage of the South Bank

The unique modern heritage of London’s South Bank is composed of a series of outstanding post-war buildings, bridges and public artworks that stretch along the most prominent bend in the River Thames. The fact that the Hayward Gallery, Purcell Rooms and Queen Elizabeth Hall complex remain unlisted and without protection is now an utter anomaly.

The South Bank entries on the national register are:

• Royal Festival Hall
  London County Council Architect’s Department, 1949-51 – Grade I listed in 1988
• Royal National Theatre
  Sir Denys Lasdun, 1969-76 – Grade II* listed in 1994
• Waterloo Bridge
  Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, 1939-45 – Grade II* listed in 1981
• IBM Building
  Sir Denys Lasdun, 1979-84 – Grade II listed in 2020
• Bust of Nelson Mandela, Royal Festival Hall
  Ian Walters, 1988 – Grade II listed in 2016
• Zemran sculpture, River terrace of Queen Elizabeth Hall
  William Pye, 1972 – Grade II listed in 2016
• London Pride sculpture, Queens Walk
  Frank Dobson, 1987 – Grade II listed in 2016

C20 Society Director, Catherine Croft, commented:

“This is the building which often prompts the response: ‘I can’t believe it’s not listed’

It is an internationally recognised brutalist masterpiece, long loved by aficionados and now increasingly understood and respected by the wider public.

The recent restoration has revitalised the inspirational interiors, and we’re confident listing would not impede any future programming or maintenance. Moreover, the complex unquestionably meets all the relevant criteria for a designation. The prestige and recognition of listing would send out a positive message about our brutalist heritage more generally, and encourage the appreciation and sustainable reuse of other outstanding examples across the country.

Our message for DCMS and the Heritage Minister, Chris Bryant MP, is: do the right thing.”

Previous

Next