Southbank Centre Archive
For nearly 40 years we have been collecting, cataloguing and sharing our unique history
It’s a history of performance, dance, music and exhibition-making as well as the communities that have found a home on this stretch of London’s South Bank since 1951, and it’s all represented in our archive.
What’s in our archive?
Spanning from 1951 to the present day, our collection fills around one and a half kilometres of shelves, and includes:
- a collection dedicated to the 1951 Festival of Britain
- programmes from 1951 to the present day
- publicity material, including what’s on listings and posters
- records of exhibitions to have taken place in and around our venues
- planning and administrative documents for our artistic programming and the operation of our venues
- architectural plans, photographs and records of our buildings’ 1950s, 1960s and 2000s developments
- records relating to private hires of our concert halls
- personal memories from performers, visitors and staff
- fittings and fixtures, including original artistic commissions
- records of the Undercroft Skate Space
- ephemera, from ballet shoes to conductors’ batons.
Get in touch
Do you have a question for our archive team? Are you looking to visit our archive, or donate archive material?
If you’d like to speak to us about anything to do with our archive, please complete our enquiry form, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Visiting and getting involved
Although we don’t host internships, we do run volunteering opportunities. We also hold events, open days, exhibitions and research visits.
To find out more about these, please submit an archive enquiry.
History of our archive
Past archive projects
Archive projects
Memories of the Festival of Britain
Did you visit the 1951 Festival of Britain celebrations? If so, we want to hear from you.
Related collections
In addition to our own archive, the Southbank Centre is also home to the National Poetry Library, the Hayward Gallery Art Library and the Arts Council Collection.
National Poetry Library
The world’s largest public collection of modern poetry, the National Poetry Library holds around 250,000 items and collects every new poetry book published in the UK.
Hayward Gallery Art Library
Hayward Gallery Art Library is home to material on modern and contemporary art, including books on artists, exhibitions, architecture, photography and critical theory.
Arts Council Collection
The Arts Council Collection contains over 7,500 works of modern and contemporary painted, printed, photographic, drawn, digital and sculptural art.
Stories from our archives
Stravinsky conducts in the Royal Festival Hall
Watch the legendary composer conduct a 1965 performance of The Firebird by the Philharmonia Orchestra.
The evolution of the Royal Festival Hall’s foyer spaces
See how the foyers and lobbies of our Royal Festival Hall have changed from its opening in 1951 to its newest refurbishment in 2024.
Memories of the Royal Festival Hall organ
The Royal Festival Hall organ is celebrated through memories of those who have heard it, and those who have been lucky enough to play it.
Skating history: the story of the Undercroft Skate Space
A brief look at the history of this iconic skateboard space on the South Bank that sits within the concrete of our buildings.
Celebrating 40 years of the South Bank Book Market
The South Bank Book Market turned 40 in 2023 Read a history of the market and an interview with one of its original stall holders, still going strong.
Memories of the Festival of Britain
Enjoy a collection of personal memories from the celebration that gave birth to the Southbank Centre.
Chineke! Orchestra make musical history
Watch the 2015 debut concert of Chineke! Europe’s first professional orchestra made up entirely of Global Ethnic Majority performers.
A potted history of South Asian Music at the Southbank Centre
Look back in bhangra (and sufi and raga and carnartic music…) at South Asian musicians who have performed on our stages from the 1950s to 2025.
8 TS Eliot Prize winning poets to have appeared at the Southbank Centre
How many of these popular poets have you seen appear on our stages?
The Royal Festival Hall organ: a short history
Our Royal Festival Hall organ celebrated 70 years in 2024. The organ’s curator William McVicker’s short history includes the story of its creation.