Southbank Centre's Brutalist Buildings Granted Grade II Listed Status After 35-Year Campaign
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Summary
The Southbank Centre in London, a 1960s Brutalist architectural complex, has finally been granted Grade II listed status after a 35-year campaign for heritage protection. Historic England advised the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to list the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room, Hayward Gallery, and terraced walkways. The Twentieth Century Society, which led the campaign, celebrated the decision as a victory against critics who dismissed such concrete buildings as 'monstrosities.' The listing protects the reinforced concrete complex from demolition or significant alteration.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledThe Twentieth Century Society, which launched a bid early last year to secure the long-demanded heritage protection for the centre, hailed the decision as a 'victory over those who derided so-called "concrete monstrosities"'
The campaign group described the reinforced concrete complex as a 'post-war architectural' landmark
Historic England confirmed to the AJ that, on its advice, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) had Grade II listed the centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room, Hayward Gallery and terraced walkways and stairs
The government has finally listed London’s Southbank Centre ending a 35-year battle to secure statutory heritage protection for the 1960s Brutalist landmark
