The buildings of the Southbank Centre have now been Grade II listed by the Department for Culture Media and Sport.
The Hayward Gallery, Purcell Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall and skatepark undercroft are included in the listing, which is the result of a lengthy joint campaign Twentieth Century Society and Historic England (formerly English Heritage). They have recommended the Southbank Centre for listing on six separate occasions since 1991, but it has been rejected each time — until now.
A statement by Twentieth Century Society said:
The decision brings to an end an unprecedented 35 year-long impasse, one of the longest running battles in British architectural heritage.
2026 is the Southbank Centre’s 75th anniversary: the Royal Festival Hall was built as part of the Festival of Britain, and opened in May 1951. That building has been listed since 1988. The Hayward Gallery, Purcell Room and Queen Elizabeth Hall were opened later, in 1967-8, and are listed as of February 2026.
The latter additions, led by architect Norman Engleback, consist of board-marked concrete surfaces, with sculptural concrete air conditioning ducts and pyramidal glazing, designed as a deliberate contrast to the smooth, Scandinavian-style Modernism of the Royal Festival Hall. This led to the Hayward Gallery being voted “Britain’s ugliest building” by readers of the Daily Mail in October 1967, and its Brutalist appearances continues to divide opinions today.
