The Queen Elizabeth Hall was built as part of a larger complex, which also includes the Purcell Room and the Hayward Gallery. The project, designed by a team of young architects from the London County Council (LCC) Architects Department, began in 1963 and was completed in 1968. The team was led by chief architect Hubert Bennett, with key design contributions from Jack Whittle, F.G. West, and Geoffrey Horsefall. The main contractor for the construction was Higgs and Hill Ltd.
The Brutalist aesthetic at Queen Elizabeth Hall, is evident in the exposed concrete surfaces, which still bear the marks of the wooden molds, or formwork, used during construction. The building’s design prioritizes function and structural clarity, with its various parts—the auditorium, foyer, and circulation routes—clearly articulated on the exterior. The architects’ desire was to create a “concrete mountain range” of interconnected platforms and spaces for people to explore.
The Queen Elizabeth Hall was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in March 1967. While it was initially met with mixed reactions—a Daily Mail poll even voted it “the ugliest building in Britain”— surprisingly the Daily Mail got it wrong again as it has since become a cherished landmark! Its powerful forms and austere materials have come to represent a distinct period of architectural innovation.
In recent years, the building underwent a major refurbishment from 2015 to 2018, led by architects Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios. This project aimed to restore and preserve the original Brutalist aesthetic while also upgrading the building’s infrastructure for the 21st century. The refurbishment highlighted the high quality of the original construction and helped cement the building’s status as a significant piece of architectural history.
The Queen Elizabeth Hall is not a listed building. While the adjacent Royal Festival Hall has Grade I listed status, the Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Hayward Gallery have repeatedly been denied listing by the government, despite recommendations from heritage bodies like Historic England and the Twentieth Century Society.
Instead of being listed, the buildings have been issued with a “Certificate of Immunity from Listing,” which prevents them from being listed for a period of five years. This gives the owners certainty for any future development plans without the risk of the building being designated as a protected heritage site.
This video offers a unique, historical look at the building’s construction process through archival photos and footage along with details of the negotiations to get Queen Elizabeth II to agree to open the buildings.
