29-523: The South Bank is an area of Central London, England. South Bank or Southbank may also refer to: South Bank The South Bank is an entertainment and commercial area on the south bank of the River Thames , in the London Borough of Lambeth , central London , England. The South Bank is not formally defined, but is generally understood to be situated between County Hall in
58-575: A billboard for opposition slogans which could be seen from the Palace of Westminster. When the government of Margaret Thatcher abolished the GLC in 1986, County Hall lost its role as the seat of London's government. Talk soon became of what was to happen to the building, and there were plans to relocate the London School of Economics to the site which did not proceed. The building remained in use by
87-510: A bridge and a tunnel both from the SE County Hall building, and it had orange sunshades, designed to be lowered and raised together automatically when the sun shone, rather than by local control which would look less pleasing on the outside. The controls quickly malfunctioned, leaving the unwanted "random" effect while also causing excess heat and glare inside the building which the occupants could not control. Disliked by many Londoners, it
116-623: A hundred years of wharfs, domestic industry and manufacturing being its dominant use. During the Middle Ages this area developed as a place of entertainment outside the formal regulation of the City of London on the north bank; this included theatres, prostitution and bear-baiting . By the 18th century the more genteel entertainment of the pleasure gardens had developed. The shallow bank and mud flats were ideal locations for industry and docks and went on to develop as an industrial location in
145-580: A hundred years of wharfs, domestic industry and manufacturing being its dominant use. Change came in 1917 with the construction of County Hall at Lambeth replacing the Lion Brewery. The name South Bank was first widely used in 1951 during the Festival of Britain . The festival redefined the area as a place for arts and entertainment. The area's attractions includes the County Hall complex,
174-732: A local community activist who was part of the Coin Street Action Group. The South Bank is a significant arts and entertainment district. The Southbank Centre comprises the Royal Festival Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall and The Hayward Gallery . The Royal National Theatre, the London IMAX super cinema and BFI Southbank adjoin to the east, but are not strictly part of the centre. Polish-British visual chronicler and artist Feliks Topolski
203-500: A patchwork of private ownership. The Queen's Walk pedestrianised embankment is part of the Albert Embankment, built not only for public drainage but also to raise the whole tract of land to prevent flooding. Change began in 1917 with the construction of County Hall, near North Lambeth 's Lower Marsh. which replaced the Lion Brewery. Its Coade stone symbol was retained and placed on a pedestal at Westminster Bridge and
232-728: A £3,000,000 conservation and renovation program, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund , private donations and several other grant bodies, and raised by the artist's son, Daniel Topolski . Reopened by the Duke of Edinburgh in 2009, the Memoir only ran for a year due to commercial pressures and was converted into the Bar Topolski, where some of Topolski's work can still be seen. County Hall was converted into The London Marriott Hotel County Hall , Sea Life London Aquarium and
261-543: Is known as the South Bank Lion . The construction of County Hall returned the first section of river frontage to public use. This was extended eastwards in 1951 when a considerable area was redeveloped for the Festival of Britain . It was renamed 'South Bank' as part of promoting the Festival. The legacy of the festival was mixed, with buildings and exhibits demolished to make way for Jubilee Gardens , while
290-735: The City of Westminster and adjoins the Albert Embankment to the west and Bankside in the London Borough of Southwark to the east. As such, the South Bank may be regarded as akin to the riverside part of an area known previously as Lambeth Marsh and North Lambeth. There are public open space along the riverside, including Bernie Spain Gardens between the London Studios and the Oxo Tower. The gardens were named after Bernadette Spain,
319-585: The Greater London Council (GLC). The building is on the South Bank of the River Thames , with Westminster Bridge being next to it, to the south. It faces west toward the City of Westminster and is close to the Palace of Westminster . The nearest London Underground stations are Waterloo and Westminster . It is a Grade II* listed building . The building was commissioned to replace
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#1732765062221348-718: The London Dungeon . The OXO Tower Wharf at the eastern end of South Bank, houses Gallery@Oxo, shops and boutiques, and the OXO Tower Restaurant run by Harvey Nichols . Gabriel's Wharf is a redeveloped wharf on the South Bank, which has been converted into a shopping area. The London Studios , the former home of ITV faces the Thames and Rambert Dance Company have their new studios on Upper Ground. The Old Vic and Young Vic theatres are nearby. The Florence Nightingale Museum to nursing, medicine and
377-780: The Royal Festival Hall and The Queen's Walk were retained as part of the Southbank Centre . During the years following the festival the arts and entertainment complex grew with additional facilities, including the Queen Elizabeth Hall , and other arts venues opened along the river such as the Royal National Theatre . The recent developments, particularly the South Bank Place project by Canary Wharf Homes, underscore
406-563: The Sea Life London Aquarium , the London Dungeon , Jubilee Gardens and the London Eye , the Southbank Centre , Royal Festival Hall , National Theatre , and BFI Southbank . Before the Thames was embanked, this area of Lambeth was often flooded, so the area was slower to develop than the north bank of the Thames. Throughout its history, it has twice functioned as an entertainment district, interspersed by around
435-530: The Westminster , Golden Jubilee , Waterloo and Blackfriars bridges. The river is utilised as a means of transport with piers along the South Bank at the London Eye, Royal Festival Hall and Bankside. County Hall, London County Hall (sometimes called London County Hall ) is a building in the district of Lambeth , London that was the headquarters of London County Council (LCC) and later
464-542: The World Trade Union Conference took place at the hall. The Island Block was built on what was then a roundabout (now a peninsula) between County Hall, St Thomas' Hospital and Waterloo Station . It was notable to the passing public for three main reasons: it was of a completely different architectural character to any of the other nearby buildings, it had no entrances at ground level (though there were emergency exits), being accessible only by
493-614: The Crimean War adjoins the 'district'. The undercroft of the Queen Elizabeth Hall has been used by skateboarders since the early 1970s. Originally an architectural dead-spot, it became a landmark of British skateboarding culture, but later was under threat, though supported by the Long Live Southbank campaign. Part of the Southbank Centre was turned into shops looking out over the river. The South Bank
522-717: The Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) until its abolition in 1990 when the building was transferred to the London Residuary Body and eventually sold to Shirayama Shokusan, a Japanese investor. On 21 October 2005, the High Court of England and Wales upheld a bid by the owners of the building, Shirayama Shokusan, to have the Saatchi Gallery evicted on grounds of violating its contract, particularly using space outside of
551-496: The South Bank, from west to east, at Westminster , Waterloo , Embankment , Blackfriars and Southwark . The development of the Thameslink Blackfriars railway station in the early 2010s, which has access from both the southern and northern side of the river, prompted the additional named signage "for Bankside and South Bank". Accessibility to the north bank is high, with connections made, from west to east, over
580-546: The artist's legacy. Topolski was provided with three further arches in 1975 by the Greater London Council (GLC) , where he painted his epic 600ft long, 12-20ft high 'Memoir of the Century'. Telling his broad-ranging experience of the 20th century, Topolski painted the work from 1975 until his death, writing that he hoped to die working on it, with a brush in his hand. It remained open until 2006 in its original state, working with students, but, due to its poor condition, underwent
609-554: The mid 19th-century Spring Gardens headquarters inherited from the Metropolitan Board of Works . The site selected by civic leaders was previously occupied by four properties: Float Mead (occupied by Simmond's flour mills), Pedlar's Acre (occupied by wharves and houses), Bishop's Acre (occupied by Crosse & Blackwell 's factory) and the Four Acres (occupied by workshops and stables). The main six storey building
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#1732765062221638-483: The ongoing transformation of the South Bank into a vibrant residential and cultural hub, a trend that is set to continue with more riverside projects on the horizon. The South Bank is not formally defined, but is generally understood to be situated between County Hall in the west to the Oxo Tower on the borough boundary with Southwark , to the east. South Bank consists of a narrow strip of riverside land opposite
667-531: The rented area for exhibits. The Island Block was demolished in 2006 to make way for a hotel, the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge . The building, also known as No 1 Westminster Bridge Road , had been disused since 1986 and had been described as an eyesore. A blue plaque commemorates the LCC, GLC and the Inner London Education Authority at County Hall. Today, County Hall is the site of
696-526: The west to the Oxo Tower on the borough boundary with Southwark , to the east. South Bank consists of a narrow strip of riverside land opposite the City of Westminster and adjoins the Albert Embankment to the west and Bankside in the London Borough of Southwark to the east. As such, the South Bank may be regarded as akin to the riverside part of an area known previously as Lambeth Marsh and North Lambeth. Throughout its history, it has twice functioned as an entertainment district, interspersed by around
725-467: The windows from the dismantled annex to Westminster Abbey were repurposed to fit Topolski's studio. Over the years the studio became a central feature of the South Bank, hosting countless people at his 'Open Studio' Fridays from 3pm, with an open door to whosever wished to pop their head in. Now the Studio functions as an archive and exhibition space operated by Topolski Memoir, the charity set up to preserve
754-460: Was designed by Ralph Knott . It is faced in Portland stone in an Edwardian Baroque style. The construction, which was undertaken by Holland, Hannen & Cubitts , started in 1911 and the building was opened by King George V in 1922. The North and South blocks, which were built by Higgs and Hill , were added between 1936 and 1939. The Island block was not completed until 1974. In 1945,
783-543: Was nonetheless considered "distinguished" by its architect and some other experts, and noted as an early example of open-plan office interior, which should have been listed. For 64 years County Hall served as the headquarters of local government for London. During the 1980s the then powerful Labour -controlled GLC led by Ken Livingstone was locked in conflict with the Conservative national government of Margaret Thatcher . The façade of County Hall frequently served as
812-421: Was provided a studio under one of the arches of Hungerford Bridge in 1951, where he worked consistently until his death in 1989. Topolski was commissioned to produce a 60ft by 20ft mural under the arch over Belvedere Road for the Festival of Britain , unknowingly painting only two arches up from his eventual studio.[6] Offered to him by David Eccles , it wasn't until 1953 and Queen Elizabeth II's coronation , when
841-430: Was the main scene of the 1952 comedy film The Happy Family , set around the Festival of Britain. Part of the success of the area as a visitor attraction is attributed to the high levels of public transport access. Several major railway terminals are within walking distance of the South Bank, on both sides of the river, including Waterloo , Charing Cross and Blackfriars . The London Underground has stations on or near
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