| Summary : The Country Pavilion was a temporary exhibition pavilion built on London's Southbank as part of the Festival of Britain which took place from May to September 1951. It was designed by Brian O'Rorke who was assisted by Gordon Lie and Colin Laird. Others involved in the building's construction were the structural engineers R.T. James and Partners, Peter Youngman who worked on the landscape features and F.H.K. Henrion who designed the displays.The building was divided into two sections: 'The Natural Scene' and 'Countryside'. The main focus of the former was a huge plaster tree while the latter was full of animals among which included cows, horses, sheep, goats, chickens, ducks, fish, butterflies and bees. On the ground floor was a Dairy Bar selling milk. Some of the logistical aspects required for the functioning of this pavilion's displays were quite complex. The horses had to be transported to Hyde Park for daily exercise while deliveries of plankton from the Lake District were required daily for the live fish exhibits. Boy Scouts around the country were involved in digging up certain wild flowers on a weekly basis which would be used to feed a particular specie of butterfly delivered in the same week. None of the animals were shown for more than a few weeks at a time, however this involved further logistical issues. |
More information : The Country Pavilion at the Festival of Britain was designed by Brian O'Rorke who was assisted by Gordon Lie and Colin Laird. Others involved in the building's construction were the structural engineers R.T. James and Partners, Peter Youngman who worked on the landscape features and F.H.K. Henrion who designed the displays.
The building was divided into two sections: 'The Natural Scene' and 'Countryside'. The main focus of the former was a huge plaster tree while the latter was full of animals among which included cows, horses, sheep, goats, chickens, ducks, fish, butterflies and bees. On the ground floor was a Dairy Bar selling milk.
Some of the logistical aspects required for the functioning of this pavilion¿s displays were quite complex. The horses had to be transported to Hyde Park for daily exercise while deliveries of plankton from the Lake District were required daily for the live fish exhibits. Boy Scouts around the country were involved in digging up certain wild flowers on a weekly basis which would be required to feed a particular specie of butterfly delivered in the same week. None of the animals were shown for more than a few weeks at a time however, this involved further logistical issues. (1)
The article, written by the exhibition designer, discusses further aspects of the displays. It outlines how special grasses were grown for the exhibits in Aberystwyth and fruits, grains and hops were produced by universities and plant research stations. As well as a range of prize animals, the exhibition included wild life exhibits, some of which were shown in acrylic plastic, a new process for the time. Some of the wild animals to be shown this way were five adders brought over from France. This was done so with the intention that they would be passed off as the British variety. The snakes were killed in a laboratory and covered in plastic for the purposes of the display. In the high July temperatures, however, the snakes' bodies swelled in such a way that the plastic burst and the display was ruined.
See the article for photographs of the pavilion's interior and plans of the displays. (2)
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