Britain in 1950

Roland Quinault looks at the state of the islands immediately following the Second World War.

Audience wearing special glasses watch a 3D ‘stereoscopic film’ at the Telekinema on the South Bank in London during the Festival of Britain.

Britain in 1950 was different, in many ways, from Britain today. The most obvious difference was in the physical fabric of the country. In 1950 the legacy of the Second World War was still everywhere to be seen. In the major cities, and particularly in London, there were vacant bomb-sites, unrepaired houses, temporary prefabs and gardens turned into allotments. The countryside was peppered with wartime military bases, many now abandoned, others reactivated in response to the Cold War.

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