Published: May 1, 2021 at 7:59 am In 1949, with much of Britain still showing the visible scars of the Second World War, and a decade of rationing and austerity, the Labour government, under Prime Minister Clement Attlee, decided that British spirits needed a boost. Their solution to the gloom of postwar Britain was a Festival of Britain – a national exhibition that would focus on the nation’s achievements in design, technology, industry, science and the arts, and promote a feeling of recovery. Advertisement In just 22 months, with a budget of £12m – mostly funded by the gove...