An Appraisal of the 1950 Festival Hall Heat Pump

In 1950 the largest heat pump yet constructed in the United Kingdom was installed to serve the new Festival Hall in London. Many misconceptions have been published about this iconic and innovative installation over the last forty years, to the extent that the myths and half-truths in general circulation about the project outweigh the facts. This paper draws on contemporary reports and seeks to set the record straight as the 75th anniversary of the Festival of Britain approaches. The performance and suitability of the arrangement are analysed and put into historical perspective. Prospects for the future application of this technology are appraised and suggestions of future development projects are proposed.