Historic Buildings

The Festival of Britain: Poplar 2026

Our Festival of Britain 75th Anniversary celebrations will make local and national audiences aware of the largely-forgotten fact that Poplar, East London, was the location of the 1951 Festival’s Live Architecture Exhibition. Through a varied programme, co-designed to engage community members who face barriers to participation in heritage activities, we will explore the impact of the Festival’s purpose-built neighbourhood on people’s lives from 1951 onwards, providing opportunities for underrepresented voices to contribute their lived experiences. Mirroring the Festival’s original aspirations, we will use heritage learning to imagine a positive future. Skills and knowledge gained throughout the project, particularly relating to neighbourhood design and community building, will empower our community to realise those goals. Embedding heritage knowledge and skills within our organisation will enable us to deliver better services and sustain heritage engagement. New archive material and creative interpretations of our heritage will be created to reflect upon in the future.