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53-697: The Franco-British Exhibition was a large public fair held in London between 14 May and 31 October 1908. It was the first in the series of the White City Exhibitions. The exhibition attracted 8 million visitors and celebrated the Entente Cordiale signed in 1904 by the United Kingdom and France. The chief architect of the buildings was John Belcher . The Exhibition was held in an area of west London near Shepherd's Bush which
106-540: A universal exhibition or an expo , is a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specific site for a period of time, typically between three and six months. The term "world's fair" is commonly used in the United States, while the French term, Exposition universelle ("universal exhibition" )
159-488: A balloon owned by American balloonist Captain Thomas Turpin Lovelace (1873–1964) exploded at the exhibition, killing his 18-year-old secretary and a male employee. Six others were injured, including a 47-year-old employee who died days after the accident. Newspaper reports indicated that the explosion occurred when a lighted match was thrown to the ground during preparations for a flight. Neil Munro gives
212-531: A former Major League Baseball team, was named for the 1967 fair). From World Expo 88 in Brisbane onwards, countries started to use expositions as a platform to improve their national image through their pavilions. Finland, Japan, Canada, France, and Spain are cases in point. A major study by Tjaco Walvis called "Expo 2000 Hanover in Numbers" showed that improving national image was the main goal for 73% of
265-637: A geographical block to share space (i.e. Plaza of the Americas at Seville '92). In the 21st century the BIE has moved to sanction World Expos every five years; following the numerous expos of the 1980s and 1990s, some see this as a means to cut down potential expenditure by participating nations. The move was also seen by some as an attempt to avoid conflicting with the Summer Olympics . World Expos are restricted to every five years, with Specialized Expos in
318-791: A large portion of the White City site was cleared to make way for a housing estate. During the clearance, the Flip Flap, and a number of other White City structures, were sold for scrap to the steel firm George Cohen, Sons and Co Limited—the same company who had dismantled the Great Wheel of the Earl's Court Exhibition , and went on to dismantle the Skylon , dome, and ten other buildings, at the Festival of Britain site in 1952. On 14 August 1908,
371-675: A plaque unveiled by IOC president Jacques Rogge in 2005. A further planned building, the Music Box, designed by Foreign Office Architects was originally scheduled for opening in 2006, but was cancelled in 2008 before construction began. It would have been a concert hall and recording venue for the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus , the BBC Concert Orchestra and the BBC Singers . In 2004, it
424-444: A precise theme—such as "Green Desert, Better Environment" ( International Horticultural Expo 2023 Doha Qatar ), "Growing Green Cities" ( Floriade 2022 ), or "Building a Beautiful Home Featuring Harmonious Coexistence between Man and Nature" ( Expo 2019 ). The purpose of these exhibitions is to foster cooperation and the sharing of knowledge and solutions between countries, horticultural producers and agricultural industries by addressing
477-569: A satirical account of a visit to the Franco-British Exhibition in his Erchie Macpherson story "At the Franco-British Exhibition" first published in the Glasgow Evening News of 4 July 1908. After being used for four more exhibitions up to 1914, the site fell into disrepair and was unused for over twenty years. It was then demolished bit by bit to make way for various developments over the last century. First in
530-613: A so-called "native village" displaying day-to-day life, as well as various artefacts. Press reports commented on the "surprising cleanliness" of the Irish, while readers were reminded that the Senegalese were "cleaner than they looked". Also exhibited was Locomotive No.516 from the South Eastern & Chatham Railway (SE&CR) with a tri-composite railway brake carriage. Limericks were used to advertise this event: In 1937,
583-588: A typical universal exposition: national pavilions and exhibits concerning technology and/or the future, along with more typical amusement park rides. Meanwhile, several of the 1964 attractions that were relocated to Disneyland have been duplicated at the Walt Disney World Resort . Occasionally other mementos of the fairs remain. In the New York City Subway system, signs directing people to Flushing Meadows–Corona Park remain from
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#1732764834738636-512: Is now called White City : the area acquired its name from the exhibition buildings which were all painted white. The 1908 Summer Olympics fencing events were held in the district alongside the festivities. The fair was the first international exhibition co-organised and sponsored by two countries. It covered an area of some 140 acres (57 hectares), including an artificial lake, surrounded by an immense network of white buildings in elaborate (often Oriental) styles. The most popular attractions at
689-613: Is the name given to the collection of buildings formerly known as BBC Media Village (more commonly simply as White City or W12 within the BBC). White City Place is a collection of six buildings occupying a 17-acre site off Wood Lane , White City in West London , bordered by South Africa Road, Dorando Close and the A40 Westway. The site is a short distance along Wood Lane from BBC Television Centre . All formerly properties of
742-613: Is used in most of Europe and Asia; other terms include World Expo or Specialised Expo , with the word expo used for various types of exhibitions since at least 1958. Since the adoption of the 1928 Convention Relating to International Exhibitions, the Paris-based Bureau International des Expositions has served as an international sanctioning body for international exhibitions; four types of international exhibition are organised under its auspices: World Expos, Specialised Expos, Horticultural Expos (regulated by
795-656: The 1964 New York World's Fair (which was held over into 1965) were moved to Disneyland after the closing of the Fair. Many of the rides, including " It's a Small World ", and " Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln ", as well as the building that housed the Carousel of Progress are still in operation. The concept of a permanent world's fair came to fruition with the Disney Epcot theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort , near Orlando, Florida . Epcot has many characteristics of
848-514: The BBC , only two buildings – Broadcast Centre and the Lighthouse – are currently occupied by BBC staff. The BBC sold the majority of buildings on the site in 2015 and it was renamed White City Place by new owners Stanhope and Mitsui Fudosan . The first building on the site, BBC White City , was designed by architects Scott Brownrigg & Turner and was opened in 1990. Built on the site of
901-733: The Eiffel Tower , built for the Exposition Universelle (1889) . Although it is now the most recognized symbol of its host city Paris , there were contemporary critics opposed to its construction, and demands for it to be dismantled after the fair's conclusion. Other structures that remain from these fairs: Some world's fair sites became (or reverted to) parks incorporating some of the expo elements, such as: Some pavilions have been transported overseas intact: The Brussels Expo '58 relocated many pavilions within Belgium :
954-727: The International Association of Horticultural Producers ), and the Milan Triennial . Astana , Kazakhstan , held the most recent Specialised Expo in 2017 while Dubai , United Arab Emirates , hosted World Expo 2020 (which was postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic ) and Doha , Qatar hosted Horticultural Expo in 2023 . In 1791, Prague organized the first World's Fair in Bohemia (modern-day Czech Republic ). The first industrial exhibition
1007-576: The Peel P50 ), Watchdog and many others. The BBC vacated the building in March 2013 and sold it to developers. It has sometimes been referred to as White City One to distinguish it from the wider site. Architectural critic Jonathan Glancey wrote in The Guardian in 2002 that by comparison to the "handsome, if timeworn ships of the line" such as Broadcasting House and Bush House , White City
1060-461: The telephone were first presented during this era. This era set the basic character of the world fair. The 1939–1940 New York World's Fair , and those that followed, took a different approach, one less focused on technology and aimed more at cultural themes and social progress. For instance, the theme of the 1939 fair was "Building the World of Tomorrow"; at the 1964–1965 New York World's Fair , it
1113-664: The "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations" was held in the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London , United Kingdom. The Great Exhibition , as it is often called, was an idea of Prince Albert , Queen Victoria 's husband, and is usually considered to be the first international exhibition of manufactured products. It influenced the development of several aspects of society, including art-and-design education, international trade and relations, and tourism. This expo
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#17327648347381166-491: The 1908 Franco-British Exhibition , White City was constructed on the location of the former White City Stadium (The Great Stadium) used for the 1908 Summer Olympics . The stadium was demolished in 1985 and parts of the Olympic swimming pool were also discovered when the foundations of the new building were laid. The building was originally intended to be a new home for BBC Radio , replacing Broadcasting House . This plan
1219-648: The 1930s the housing estate in the North of the site, now centred on Commonwealth Avenue, then the Territorial Army (TA) took over a corner on South Africa Road in WW2, The BBC took over much of the remaining site from the 1950s onwards with the BBC Television Centre (now itself being developed into the 'Television Centre' flats, studios and retail), BBC Media Village and BBC Worldwide buildings and in
1272-572: The 1964–1965 event. In the Montreal Metro subway at least one tile artwork of its theme, "Man and His World", remains. Also, a seemingly endless supply of souvenir items from fair visits can be found, and in the United States, at least, often turn up at garage or estate sales. Many fairs and expos produced postage stamps and commemorative coins . BBC White City 51°30′50″N 0°13′36″W / 51.51389°N 0.22667°W / 51.51389; -0.22667 White City Place
1325-547: The Dutch economy. It also identified several key success factors for world-exposition pavilions in general. At present there are two types of international exhibition: World Expos (formally known as International Registered Exhibitions) and Specialised Expos (formally known as International Recognised Exhibitions). World Expos, previously known as universal expositions, are the biggest category events. At World Expos, participants generally build their own pavilions. They are therefore
1378-847: The Garden could be seen inside the main Television Centre site adjacent to the Studio 1 Audience Entrance. The White City Stadium site, in Wood Lane adjacent to the Westway overpass and once part of the Exhibition, is now occupied by the BBC Media Village . 51°30′44″N 0°13′46″W / 51.51222°N 0.22944°W / 51.51222; -0.22944 World%27s fair A world's fair , also known as
1431-463: The building is now leased to ITV following the closure of The London Studios . Red Bee Media broadcasts BBC One , BBC Two , BBC News , Channel 4 , Channel 5 , BT Sport from Broadcast Centre. The Energy Centre provides services to the entire site, and between 2008 and 2018 was the offices for the Top Gear television production team and the Top Gear magazine team. They moved into
1484-633: The countries participating in Expo 2000 . Pavilions became a kind of advertising campaign, and the Expo served as a vehicle for "nation branding". According to branding expert Wally Olins , Spain used Expo '92 and the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona in the same year to underscore its new position as a modern and democratic country and to show itself as a prominent member of the European Union and
1537-703: The early 2000s the last buildings on the East of Wood Lane were demolished to make way for the Westfield London development. Only the internal structure of the TA building on South Africa Road remains from the numerous halls and ornate buildings of the original exhibition. Hammersmith Park, at the north of Frithville Gardens, was once part of the Japanese Garden, and is the only part of the 1908 exhibition site still visible. A small area of tiling preserved from
1590-400: The exhibition were the two so-called "colonial villages"—an " Irish village" and a " Senegalese village", which were designed to communicate the success of imperialism . The Irish village ("Ballymaclinton") was inhabited by 150 "colleens" (Irish girls) who demonstrated various forms of domestic industry, as well as displays of manufacturing and even an art gallery. The "Senegalese village" was
1643-502: The global community. At Expo 2000 Hanover, countries created their own architectural pavilions, investing, on average, €12 million each. Given these costs, governments are sometimes hesitant to participate, because the benefits may not justify the costs. However, while the effects are difficult to measure, an independent study for the Dutch pavilion at Expo 2000 estimated that the pavilion (which cost around €35 million) generated around €350 million of potential revenues for
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1696-417: The headquarters of L'Oréal . Under new owners Stanhope and Mitsui Fudosan, the site has been renamed White City Place and an extensive refurbishment and refitting of the vacated properties on the site has taken place. The former Media Centre was renamed to The MediaWorks and a significant renovation of White City One, renamed to The WestWorks, changed its main entrance and introduced a row of shops facing
1749-655: The host committee and participants because the architectural fees are lower and they only have to customize pavilion space provided free of charge from the Organiser, usually with the prefabricated structure already completed. Countries then have the option of "adding" their own colours, design etc. to the outside of the prefabricated structure and filling in the inside with their own content. Horticultural Expos (formally known as A1 International Horticultural Exhibitions) are co-regulated by International Association of Horticultural Producers . Like Specialised Expos are organized in
1802-494: The in-between years. Specialized Expos (formally known as International Recognized Exhibitions) are usually united by a precise theme—such as "Future Energy" ( Expo 2017 Astana ), "The Living Ocean and Coast" ( Expo 2012 Yeosu ), or "Leisure in the Age of Technology" ( Brisbane , Expo '88 ). Such themes are more specific than the wider scope of world expositions. Specialized Expos are usually smaller in scale and cheaper to run for
1855-594: The main BBC Studios offices in Broadcast Centre in 2018. The One Show studio was located in the Energy Centre from 2007 to 2013 before moving to the newly built Peel Wing of Broadcasting House . In March 2019, BBC Research & Development moved into the Lighthouse building, having vacated Centre House on Wood Lane. A new building, Gateway Central, was constructed in 2022 and will be
1908-686: The most extravagant and most expensive expos. Their duration may be between six weeks and six months. Since 1995, the interval between two World Expos has been at least five years. World Expo 2015 was held in Milan, Italy, from 1 May to 31 October 2015. Specialised Expos are smaller in scope and investments and generally shorter in duration; between three weeks and three months. Previously, these Expos were called Special Exhibitions or International Specialized Exhibitions but these terms are no longer used officially. Their total surface area must not exceed 25 hectares (62 acres) and organizers must build pavilions for
1961-472: The paramount issues of healthy lifestyles, green economies, sustainable living, education and innovation. List of official world expositions (Universal and International/Specialised/Horticultural) according to the Bureau International des Expositions . Most of the structures are temporary and are dismantled after the fair closes, except for landmark towers. By far the most famous of these is
2014-496: The participating states, free of rent, charges, taxes and expenses. The largest country pavilions may not exceed 1,000 m ( 1 ⁄ 4 acre). Only one Specialised Expo can be held between two World Expos. An additional two types of international exhibition may be recognized by the BIE: horticultural exhibitions, which are joint BIE and AIPH-sanctioned 'garden' fairs in which participants present gardens and garden pavilions; and
2067-480: The pavilion of Jacques Chocolats moved to the town of Diest to house the new town swimming pool. Another pavilion was relocated to Willebroek and has been used as dance hall Carré ever since. One smaller pavilion still stands on the boulevard towards the Atomium : the restaurant "Salon 58" in the pavilion of Comptoir Tuilier. Many exhibitions and rides created by Walt Disney and his WED Enterprises company for
2120-694: The redevelopment of Broadcasting House. Media Centre was used for broadcasts of Watchdog and Rogue Traders as well as a filming location for The Thick of It . Some BBC Television-making departments were located in Media Centre following the vacating of Television Centre in 2013 including Comedy, Entertainment & Events and Factual. The BBC then left Media Centre and Garden House, with staff relocated to Broadcast Centre, Broadcasting House, Grafton House and some to MediaCityUK in Salford. Media Centre and Garden House closed on 10 July 2015 following
2173-575: The sale to Stanhope and Mitsui Fudosan. It was stated that the BBC received £87 million for the sale. At the time of its closure in July 2015, Garden House was mainly occupied by Atos and associated sub-contractors' teams following the sale of BBC Technology to Siemens in 2004. Broadcast Centre continued to house BBC Design & Engineering staff, BBC Global News , BBC Studios production staff and Marketing and Audiences staff until 2020. The majority of
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2226-675: The second phase of the development began in September 2001 and the site was officially opened in May 2004 and was known as the Media Village. It consists of five further buildings in addition to White City One – Media Centre , Broadcast Centre , Energy Centre , Garden House and the Lighthouse . The buildings were designed by Allies and Morrison Architects and Buro Happold and built by Bovis Lend Lease . In addition to BBC offices,
2279-564: The semi-regular Milan Triennial (not always held every third year) art and design exhibition, held in Milan, Italy , with the BIE granting official international exhibition status to 14 editions of the Triennale between 1996 and 2016. World Expos (formally known as International Registered Exhibitions) encompass universal themes that affect the full gamut of human experience, and international and corporate participants are required to adhere to
2332-439: The site included a post office, a Tesco Express , a Starbucks , a Davy's wine bar and several other retail outlets, many of which have now been replaced. To pay for construction costs, the BBC signed a 30-year deal with Land Securities Trillium , Britain's largest property developer. The rear of Media Centre included gardens designed by Christopher Bradley-Hole. A poem Voices of White City by Poet Laureate Andrew Motion
2385-432: The theme in their representations. Registered expositions are held every 5 years because they are more expensive as they require total design of pavilion buildings from the ground up. As a result, nations compete for the most outstanding or memorable structure—for example Japan, France, Morocco, and Spain at Expo '92 . Sometimes prefabricated structures are used to minimize costs for developing countries, or for countries from
2438-560: The years from 1850 to 1938. In these years, world expositions were largely focused on trade and displayed technological advances and inventions. World expositions were platforms for state-of-the-art science and technology from around the world. The world expositions of 1851 London , 1853 New York , 1862 London , 1876 Philadelphia , Paris 1878 , 1888 Barcelona , 1889 Paris , 1891 Prague , 1893 Chicago , 1897 Brussels , 1900 Paris , 1904 St. Louis , 1915 San Francisco , and 1933–1934 Chicago were notable in this respect. Inventions such as
2491-550: Was "Peace Through Understanding"; at the 1967 International and Universal Exposition in Montreal, it was "Man and His World". These fairs encouraged effective intercultural communication along with sharing of technological innovation. The 1967 International and Universal Exposition in Montreal was promoted under the name Expo 67 . Event organizers retired the term world's fair in favor of Expo (the Montreal Expos ,
2544-470: Was "a tin-pot freighter, inefficient, ugly, and old before its time." Rachid Errtibi, a facilities coordinator at the BBC reflected that "most staff disliked the White City building for one reason or another [but] the building did have a unique character, and was flexible enough to accommodate any new departments at short notice – achieved simply and quickly by putting up a few glass partition panels and rearranging furniture, at minimum cost." Construction of
2597-486: Was inlaid into the paving in the piazza. The site featured artworks such as Simon Patterson 's art wall in Broadcast Centre which is based on First World War dazzle camouflage and Yuko Shiraishi's mural in Media Centre reception. She was also responsible for the overall colour scheme in both buildings. Energy Centre features the Olympic Rings as a marker of the finishing line of the 1908 Olympic marathon , with
2650-506: Was intended that the Garden House and Lighthouse would be leased by independent production companies working with the BBC. The Media Centre was the global headquarters for the BBC's for-profit publishing subsidiary BBC Worldwide from 2008 until 2015, when it moved into the former BBC News annex of Television Centre. Media Centre also housed non-broadcast divisions of the BBC which had been moved from central London to make way for
2703-744: Was on the occasion of the coronation of Leopold II as king of Bohemia . The exhibition was held in the Clementinum , and celebrated the considerable sophistication of manufacturing methods in the Czech lands during that time period. France had a tradition of national exhibitions , which culminated with the French Industrial Exposition of 1844 held in Paris . This fair was followed by other national exhibitions in Europe. In 1851,
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#17327648347382756-415: Was scrapped and the building instead became office space with fifty edit suites, various Television production teams, the Digital Switchover team, BBC Academy , the Children in Need charity and parts of Operations and HR, as well as a large restaurant. It housed most of the BBC's current affairs and factual and learning programmes, such as Panorama , Top Gear (where it featured in a segment about
2809-418: Was the precedent for the many international exhibitions, later called World Expos , that have continued to be held to the present time. The character of world fairs, or expositions, has evolved since the first one in 1851. Three eras can be distinguished: the era of industrialization, the era of cultural exchange, and the era of nation branding. The first era, the era of "industrialization", roughly covered
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