The gradual relinquishing of the Commonwealth, unfashionableness, disinterest, late Grade 2 listing, disuse and years of decay meant that for the sake of preservation, renovation and nowadays reuse, the ebullient spirit of the Festival of Britain had to be quelled.  Architectural preservation comes at a price.  The exterior of the building stills cuts a dash with its jauntily angled  hat of a roof but its limbs and its accessories of spacious gardens together with the long sideways entrance of the abstract black wall, have been cut off, and the magisterial front court encroached by luxury apartment blocks.  These are spoils of the battle for funding to secure its necessary part preservation, restoration and re-use.

Inside there used to be a modernist nod of emulation to the vaulted ceilings of Romanesque cathedrals, the empathy of the sweeping curves of the generously sized walkways, tiered  with the focus down on a central axis and up, mirroring  the curved sections of the state of the art hyperbolic paraboloid roof.

Now, replaced by a blond oak square shaped structure of ground, first and second floor mall-like levels, connected with staircases to ascend and descend like the repetitions in the works of MC Escher.   Aficionados of blond wood, hidden seams and engineered lines will love and identify with this sleek 21^st century interior – current luxury hotel and millionaire’s apartment chic.