It’s been five decades since the space beneath Southbank’s Queen Elizabeth Hall was claimed by skateboarders all over London and beyond.
Now known as the undercroft, this concrete playground is one of the UK’s most iconic outdoor skate spots and has served as a second home to skateboarders since the 1970s.
Talking about the Southbank community, one skater said: “I’m from Japan and when I moved here I came to Southbank because it’s famous. I’ve got all my friends here, it’s like my second home.”
Another said: “If it weren’t for Southbank I never would have gotten my skating career started. Here I got my first board, my first set of wheels, everything.”
The skate park, which originally seemed like dead space, was transformed into a hub of creativity, community and art by generations of skate enthusiasts and it now remains a significant and well-known cultural landmark.
The undercroft’s journey to becoming one of London’s most celebrated spaces was not smooth sailing and over the years, it has been the subject of dispute.
In 2013, the Southbank announced plans to redevelop the site which would have meant eradicating the beloved skate park but a group of activists called ‘Long Live Southbank’ were successful in securing the future of the undercroft.
Now that the relationship between the Southbank Centre and the skaters has settled, the undercroft is being celebrated in an exhibition, Skate 50, curated by Cedar Lewisohn and contributed to by many talented artists, including Winstan Whitter.
Whitter said: “I’m really excited about this exhibition and I’m happy to be a part of it.
“I’ve been on board helping out for about three years so it’s great to finally see it come into fruition.”
Through photos, video clips, timelines and skateboards, the exhibition honours the generations of skaters who kept it alive.
Watch the video below for more.
Featured image credit: Riana McConochie
Join the discussion