Introducing our latest member, the Southbank Centre

Celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, the Southbank Centre is the UK's largest arts centre, encompassing the Royal Festival Hall, the Hayward Gallery, the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Purcell Room and the National Poetry Library. Located on London's South Bank, the complex welcomed 11.6 million visitors last year.

Learn a little more about our latest member in our interview with Elaine Bedell OBE, CEO of the Southbank Centre.

Walpole: Tell us about the history of your brand… 

Elaine Bedell: At its heart, the Southbank Centre is the living legacy of the 1951 Festival of Britain. It was conceived right in the aftermath of World War Two as a much-needed tonic for the nation: a bold, beautifully optimistic undertaking designed to prove that art, technology and design could help heal a fractured society. Back then, the festival site stretched all across the riverbank, but today, the Royal Festival Hall stands as the only permanent building left from that era – a brilliant testament to that original, world-class ambition. 

Over the decades, we’ve grown from that single concert hall into the UK’s largest arts centre, encompassing the Hayward Gallery, the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Purcell Room and the National Poetry Library. We’re an 11-acre cultural hub that welcomes millions of visitors every year, which makes this particular moment so poignant for us as we celebrate our 75th anniversary. We’re returning to those founding values of hope and forward-looking innovation to make sure this remains a global stage for artistic excellence. 

What is your brand best known for? 

I think we occupy a completely unique position in British culture because we simply refuse to stay in one lane. Honestly, where else could you find Stravinsky, Dua Lipa and Kamala Harris all under the same roof? We’re just as much a home for the world’s greatest resident orchestras as we are for the skateboarders who have made our undercroft an international street culture icon. Crucially, we believe that artistic excellence shouldn’t be exclusive, which is why 55% of events last year were completely free to the public. 

Beyond what's happening on stage, we’re defined by that iconic location right on the River Thames. We are the site the world looks to for major national moments – you’ll constantly see our venues on global broadcasts acting as the backdrop for the BAFTAs or the BFI London Film Festival. But the real magic is being here in person. Whether you’re catching a performance, coming along to a star-studded premiere or sharing a drink at the Seventy5th Balcony Bar with those incredible views across the city, there’s a vibrant, restless energy here that you simply won't find anywhere else. 

What has been a significant achievement in your company’s timeline? 

Steering the Southbank Centre through the pandemic was a defining “not on my watch” moment for me. Seeing grass literally growing through the concrete while our venues were completely silent was heartbreaking, but it forced us to look under the bonnet of our business model and rebuild. Our recovery has been extraordinary (we welcomed 11.6 million visitors on-site last year), but what I am most proud of right now is the sheer scale of our 75th anniversary programme. 

This isn’t just about looking back at the triumphs of the past; it’s a deliberate look to the future. We’ve launched a truly national programme that extends beyond London. Our cultural ecosystem across the country is deeply interconnected, and this year we’re aiming to reach one million people – such as taking our National Poetry Library to coastal ports and bringing our legendary Meltdown festival to grassroots music venues nationwide. We’re proving that a major capital institution can be a meaningful partner to the rest of the country. 

Why do you love the brand? 

This place is deeply personal to me. My father was an engineer from the East End who left school at 14, but he was a wonderful pianist and deeply knowledgeable about classical music. He used to bring us to the Southbank Centre for piano recitals because he had a very real, very firm sense that the Royal Festival Hall was for people like him; that arts and culture should be available and accessible to absolutely everyone. That belief that this place belongs to us has stayed with me ever since. 

What I love most today is the unpredictable energy of the site. On any given morning, I can walk through our foyers and see a tea dance for local seniors, while hearing the unmistakable, soaring sound of a world-class orchestra rehearsing just behind the doors. I’ve always believed that everyone has a creative spark inside them, and there is nothing more rewarding than seeing people from all walks of life find their own way to express it alongside the very best artists in the world. 

What are you proud of that Southbank Centre uniquely contributes to the British cultural landscape? 

I’m incredibly proud that we act as a massive, open-access engine for creativity. We aren't just a London venue; we are a global launchpad. Whether it’s nurturing the next generation of creative pioneers through our resident organisations or platforming world-class contemporary art for the Hayward Gallery, we’re often the first place the world looks to see what’s next. 

 Uniquely, we provide a space where the experimental and the established sit right side-by-side. You can see a legendary international orchestra one night and a grassroots youth collective the next. Our sole purpose is to bring people together through shared experiences and to show there is more that unites us than divides us. By providing that stage, we ensure British culture remains outward-looking, ambitious and entirely open to everyone. 

What attracted you to becoming a Walpole member? 

Walpole represents the absolute pinnacle of British distinction. Like everyone in this community, we believe that British creativity is a genuine global superpower. Joining Walpole allows us to collaborate with other legacy brands that value true craftsmanship, innovation and responsible leadership. We speak the exact same language of quality and international ambition. 

If you could collaborate with another Walpole member, which one would you choose (and what would you like to do)? 

The beauty of the Southbank Centre is our scale and the incredible diversity of our partners. We are already lucky enough to collaborate deeply with fellow Walpole member, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, who are one of our six world-class Resident Orchestras and a vital part of our musical identity. Beyond the concert hall, we are always open to exploring new collaborations with members based on their brief. The spirit of the 1951 Festival was always about the intersection of different industries, art meeting science, technology, and design, and we believe those partnerships are where the most brilliant innovations happen. 

Tell us about an exciting development or new launch for your brand in the coming months? 

We are right in the midst of an extraordinary 75th anniversary year. We’ve just wrapped up Harry Styles’ Meltdown this June, which was an absolute triumph and a huge achievement for the team. Harry brought his signature creative curiosity to our stages, culminating in an unforgettable, intimate orchestral fundraiser with the Jules Buckley Orchestra right here in the Royal Festival Hall. It perfectly captured what we’re all about; bringing people together through a shared love of music and erasing whatever divides them. 

Alongside that, we recently marked our anniversary weekend with You Are Here, a massive site-wide takeover co-created with Danny Boyle, Carson McColl, Gareth Pugh and Paulette Randall, with Sabrina Mahfouz and Natasha Chivers. It was a spectacular exploration of British youth culture, turning our buildings inside out with explosive performances. 

And the momentum doesn't stop. Looking ahead, we have a very special edition of the London Literature Festival curated by Dua Lipa. We recently opened our landmark exhibition from Anish Kapoor at the Hayward Gallery, and I am delighted to welcome Sally Tallant as our new Director of the Hayward Gallery and Visual Arts to lead us into a new era of civic impact.  

We are also launching The Rest is Fest, bringing Goalhanger’s chart-topping podcasts to our halls, and Creative Intelligence, a weekend exploring the new ideas, art and technologies shaping our future. 

Great art needs great infrastructure, and we have recently welcomed the Government's intervention with meaningful support through the Arts Everywhere Fund to help look after our bricks and mortar. The coming months are a potent statement of how the arts can celebrate homegrown creative excellence loudly and proudly, and help us imagine a different, better world. And we’re only just getting started!

southbankcentre.co.uk

Lead image by Edmund Sumner