With a big thank you to the Design Archives in Brighton, here’s a collection of photographs, posters and drawings from The Festival of Britain to celebrate the publication of Harriet Atkinson’s new book.

Harriet Atkinson’s new book The Festival of Britain: A Land and Its People explores how the Festival of Britain in 1951 united a war-ravaged nation after WWII. Drawing on previously unseen sketches and plans, photographs and interviews, The Festival of Britain is unique in that it travels beyond the Festival’s spectacular centrepiece at London’s South Bank and shows how the Festival made the whole country an exhibition ground, to which hundreds of the country’s greatest architects, artists and designers contributed.

Click a thumbnail to begin the slideshow.

A ‘constellation of events’ across the nation. Map drawn by Eric Fraser showing nationwide Festival events, including exhibitions and arts festivals.

Model of site from ‘South Bank Exhibition Guide’.

‘A PROJECT FOR THE UNIVERSAL INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION OF 1951′, IMAGINED BY MISHA BLACK, DRAWN BY HILTON WRIGHT. Black explained, ‘the great spiral ramp forms a framework on which the buildings rise in terraces to the the sky platform fifteen hundred feet above London. Here the exhibition is shown sited on the South Bank of the Thames, but it could be positioned equally well in Hyde Park or Regent’s Park.’

‘The Way to Go Round the Dome’ (from the South Bank Exhibition Guide). Exhibition design by Design Research Unit inside Ralph Tubbs’ Dome of Discovery

Plan of Lansbury ‘Live Architecture’ Exhibition, Poplar

Plan of Exhibition of Industrial Power, Kelvin Hall, Glasgow

Plan of Sea Travelling Exhibition aboard HMS Campania

Plan of Land Travelling Exhibition touring to Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham and Nottingham

Plan of Exhibition of Science, South Kensington

‘The Way to Go Round the Natural Scene’ (from the ‘South Bank Exhibition Guide’). Exhibition design by F.H.K.Henrion inside Brian O’Rourke’s building.

LIVE ARCHITECTURE EXHIBITION, LANSBURY ESTATE, POPLAR. (Above) Model of shopping centre and Market Place, with clock tower in foreground, seen from Chrisp Street; (below) Model showing double arcade of shops and paved Market Place. Architect Frederick Gibberd.

Dome of Discovery is to the left, Transport to the right. (© Design Archives, Brighton)

New modelfactory built at Castlereagh for the Farm and Factory Exhibition, designed by R. Ferguson and S. Mcllveen. (© Design Archives, Brighton)

Drawing of site from Ulster Farm and Factory Guide (© Design Archives, Brighton)

The Far Tottering and Oyster Creek Railway booking office. (© Design Archives, Brighton)

The Country with farmer’s wind-pump as a rotating model of sun and moon. (© Design Archives, Brighton)

Display about The New Forest in The Natural Scene with introductory text, geological cross-section, samples of flora and fauna and a plant tank, with a photographic background framed on battens. Display design: F.H.K. Henrion. (© Design Archives, Brighton)

Interior of the Country with agricultural machinery; architect: Brian O’Rourke, display design: F.H.K. Henrion. (© Design Archives, Brighton)

Magnified version of Michael Ayrton’s painting, ‘The Four Elements’, fitted into the bow of a ship, Shipbuilding section. Enlarged 600 times, Festival literature claimed it was the ‘world’s largest photograph’. (© Design Archives, Brighton)

Page from ‘A Specimen of Display Letters designed for the Festival of Briain 1951′, designed for the Typographical Panel of the Festival of Britain 1951 for distribution to architects and designers, particularly for the titing of buildings and laid out in Egyptian type cut by Figgins, Thorne and Austin, 1815-25. (© Design Archives, Brighton)

Page from ‘Festival of Britain: The Use of Standardized Lettering in Street and Transport Signs; laid out in Gill Bold Condensed. (© Design Archives, Brighton)

Festival Guide-Catalogue covers designed by Abram Games and published by HMSO.

Page from a family album recording a visit to the South Bank Exhibition and Battersea, September 1951.

Inside cover of ‘About Britain Guide No. 4: East Anglia with details of Editorial Board and frontispiece by Barbara Jones depicting an East Anglian farm cart.

Remnants of Festival displays found in a Lewisham junkyard in 1952, including displays about leprosy from the Dome of Discovery. (© Clifford Hatts)

The Festival emblem. (© Clifford Hatts)

More information about The Festival of Britain: A Land and Its People can be found on our website.