Burgess Hill woman shares souvenir from Festival of Britain

The handkerchief shows the Battle of Trafalgar, Queen Boadicea, the signing of the Magna Carta and the knighting of Sir Francis Drake.

Brenda Matthews, who was five when she went to the festival, said: “I remember marvelling at the Guinness clock and enjoying the tree walk and the exciting water chute. So my parents and older sister could look round for longer I spent some time in the creche there and recall being given a cardboard snakes and ladders game to bring home.

“I don’t have that now, just the hankies, and also a copy of the guide to the South Bank Exhibition.

“It’s over 100 pages thick and is amazing to look through – so much interesting information and fascinating advertisements. Ten years ago my sister and I visited the Royal Festival Hall on the South Bank to see the special exhibition remembering the 1951 Festival.

“Among the information and memorabilia displayed was a superb quilt called the Patchwork of the Century.

“It consisted of 100 hand-sewn patches commemorating an event for every year from 1851 (when the Great Exhibition was held at the Crystal Palace) up to 1951.”