Post-war bus shelter in Gloucestershire gets Grade II-listed status

An “important” bus shelter thought to be one of four of its kind in England has been given Grade II-listed status.

The shelter in Hillesley, Gloucestershire, was built in 1952 to celebrate the Festival of Britain, which was organised to give the public a sense of recovery and progress following World War Two.

British parishes were encouraged to mark the festival with lasting improvements in their area, and the shelter was designed by modernist architect Berthold Lubetkin.

Rachel Williams, Historic England listing adviser, said the new status meant the shelter would be around “for future generations to enjoy”, calling it “a little piece of post-war history hiding in plain sight.”

The Festival of Britain, which was focused around London’s South Bank, was a government-sponsored event starting in the summer of 1951. It celebrated and promoted Britain’s excellence in design, technology, industry, architecture, science and the arts.

In 1950, the Festival Office ran a competition to design new rural bus shelters, stipulating the proposals should be based “on the use of local materials, so the structures will fit harmoniously into the surrounding landscape”.