Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SOUTH BANK FROM HUNGERFORD BRIDGE
SOUTHBANK CENTRE
Waterloo.
MAP
The Southbank Centre is home to a whole variety of artistic institutions, the most attractive
of which is the
Royal Festival Hall
, built in 1951 for the Festival of Britain and one of Lon-
don's chief concert venues. Even the centre's most architecturally depressing parts are
softened by their riverside location, the avenue of trees, fluttering banners, buskers and
skateboarders, and the weekend food stalls and secondhand bookstalls outside the nearby
BFI Southbank
, the city's chief arts cinema. It also runs
Mediathèque
(Tues-Sun
noon-8pm; free), where you can settle into one of the viewing stations and choose from a
selective archive of British films, TV programmes and documentaries. For more on the ven-
