UPSTREAM CIRCUIT - "THE LAND" : Transport (SB11)
British pioneering, and contemporary achievement, in design for Communications and transport by Road, Rail, Air and Sea.
"This pavilion displays British contributions to transport by rail, road, air and sea. Because an essential to the operation of all of these services nowadays is communications, British achievements in this field also are contained within the building." (see below for Rail, Road, Air, Sea, Communications.)
RAIL. "British engineers gave railways to the world- not only by originating them in this country, but by being the first to build them for many nations overseas. Our indusries concerned with the supply of railway equipment locomotives, rolling stock, signalling apparatus and many items required for operation-were also the forst in the field. To-day they continue to maintain their position, in spite of increasingly heavy opposition from foreign countries. In many instances this opposition, is exerted by the very industries that were founded overseas by British enterprise.
The Railways section illustrates this British contribution to world transport, and shows clearly that our industry is still abreast of the times."
ROAD. "The first display in this section-a freight vehicle in the loading bay of a railway station-stresses the interdependence of road and rail haulage in this country. The story of British contributions in this field of transport then develops through the following sequences:- commercial and public service vehicles, the cycle and the motorcycle, the modern private car, roads and bridges, automobile design and engineering, racing cars, the internal combustion engine and, finally, street furniture."
AIR. "Britain has always been a leader in aeronautics, and the displays in this section centre around the most notable of our recent advances- the gas turbine engine. The story of contemporary achievement is told in the following sequences: - the development of the aero-engine, alloys tailormade for the needs of aircraft, test equipment, rotating wing aircraft, standards for the industry, comfort and safety, the aircraft we are building now and Britain's part in the conquest of the air."
SEA. "The 'Sea and Ships' Pavilion draws its theme from the great story of British shipbuilding. This section of the "Transport" Pavilion is concerned with the equally great story of ship operating. The background to the displays is a summary of the achievement of the British ship owners and the enterprises associated with them which have developed our mercantile fleet.
All the navigational instruments and equipment that would be installed on the bridge of a modern ship are to be found on a raised platform made to simulate such a bridge.
From here the narrative takes the visitor through charts, radio and radar, accommodation, the provisions now made for safety at sea, lights, buoys, the vessels that keep the seaways clear, and finally a model of one of our principal and most up-to-date ports- Southampton."
COMMUNICATIONS. "The communications story is developed on four floors of the "Transport" Pavilion, one above the other. This forms a spinal column linking all the preceding sections together-as ,indeed they should, for communications are the lifeline of modern transport. The scientific discoveries which made many of these services possible are displayed in the Dome of Discovery. Here we are concerned with their applications and developments in the following spheres:- mails, communication, radio, sound broadcasting and recording, television and radio aids to navigation by air and sea."
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