From Ration Books to Resurrection: How northern cities reached out to the people during the 1951 Festival of Britain.

Every community was encouraged to play their part in celebrating the 1951 Festival of Britain. Corporations in Yorkshire and Lancashire seized this opportunity to improve the quality of life of their inhabitants, though restoration projects, new build housing and access to leisure.

Reflecting on their strengths, these cities wished to encourage and bolster their appeal not only to occupants but tourists too.

This paper identifies which types of restoration or new build projects the cities of York, Liverpool, Hull and Leeds undertook and whether these structures were seen to bolster civic pride or were for an outside audience.