The workshop examined a variety of cultural texts (architecture, visual representations, newspaper articles) in order to study the processes of re-fashioning British identity at two historical moments: the Great Exhibition in 1851 and the Millennium celebrations in 2000. It is assumed that societies use monumental architecture to visualise dominant value systems and achieve consensus for preferred social attitudes. As J. Z. Young said, “…the central building of a community, from mound to cathedral, is in fact a means of communication: it both organises and continues to express a common meaning by which its people live.”[1] These central buildings serve as centres for public ritual through which members of a community symbolically show both to themselves and to outsiders what ideas about the world unite them and form the core of their culture. It must be remembered, however, that in the process of exerting ‘hegemonic’ influences, the forces of incorporation struggle against the forces of resistance of subordinate groups. Therefore, the dominant groups are not always able to secure agreement about the ideas they put forward to the populace in such symbolic forms as architecture or ritual.

 

The Crystal Palace was built as the site of the Great Exhibition in 1851, the purpose of which was the celebration of the achievements of Victorian Britain. It is considered to be one of the most important architectural designs of the nineteenth century. Undoubtedly, the Crystal Palace contributed largely to the Exhibition’s success as a political and commercial venture. It should be rewarding to compare and contrast the Great Exhibition Hall with the Millennium Dome, the site of the Millennium celebrations in Britain in 2000.

The Millennium project was intended as a way to provide a refreshed sense of identity to the British after the great transformations of the 1980s and 1990s. The British Prime Minister, Tony Blair said that “…the Dome has been built to re-energise the nation, raise the self-esteem of its people and enhance the nation’s standing.”  The comparison between the Crystal Palace and the Millennium Dome is expected to make it easier for students to discern the ideology which permeates the U.K. celebrations of the year 2000 and draw conclusions about the current state of British culture. It also reveals the dynamic nature of the present-day public debate about British identity and the operations of different ideological forces (the media, political and economic lobbies, the government).

 

The following class outline is intended to be used with students of English at universities and Teacher Training Colleges, but it could be easily adapted for use in secondary schools, with intermediate and upper-intermediate students. The advantage of choosing a current topic like the Millennium celebrations is the possibility of continuous development of the outline and inclusion of new materials as they appear. The media are full of reports and updates about the Millennium project and the Internet remains an easy source for a variety of materials (see Bibliography). The present outline includes activities with sample questions and is followed by Teacher’s Notes. It should be noted that the workshop has an open structure, so the conclusions can (and should) differ enormously from one class taught to another.

THE OUTLINE

Part I: The Crystal Palace v. the Millennium Dome: interpreting architecture

Activity 1

Working in groups,  fill in the gaps in the text:

The Crystal Palace was the central building of the ……………………….. . It opened on May 1, 1851 and closed ……………………….., having accommodated ……………………….. visitors. Designed by ………………………..., who had been a gardener for Duke of Devonshire, the Crystal Palace was the world’s first large ferro-vitreous edifice (i.e. it was  built out of  …………… and …………..). The Crystal Palace was also the first ……………………….. structure: it was built of parts which were standardised, made in quantity and assembled on site. It was built in ………………………... The Palace was ……………………….. feet long and ……………………….. feet wide and 100 feet high (compare to St. Peter’s 600’ long x 450’ wide). Inside, there were more than 13,000 exhibitors, and more than half the area was occupied by British and ……………………….. exhibits, including engines, textiles, glass, cutlery and jewels. The gate money, £365,000, was used to purchase 35 hectares of land in South Kensington on which ……………………….. was built. The Palace was ……………………….. and ……………………… to Sydenham, in Kent. It ……………………….. in 1936.

Activity 2.

Study the pictures of the Crystal Palace and answer the following questions.

Picture 1. The Crystal Palace perspective.

 

Picture 2. Opening ceremonies with Queen Victoria.

 

Picture 3. Exterior showing the steam plant.

Discussion Questions

What does the Crystal Palace remind you of?

If we treat architecture as “text”, what connotations does the building produce?

If we assume that the Crystal Palace was supposed to serve as a visual representation of Britain in 1851, what images of Britain does it demonstrate?

What ‘Victorian values’ did the building symbolise?

In what ways is the structure supposed to demonstrate British industrial supremacy?

What idea of the world order do the Exhibition and the architecture of the Crystal Palace promote?

What kind of vision of the Empire is present here?

How could the significance of ‘light’ be interpreted?

 

Activity 3.

Decide whether these statements are true or false:

(1)     The Millennium Dome is the largest construction of its kind in the world. T      F

(2)     It was built in the Docklands in London. T      F

(3)     It was opened on 1 January 2000 and will be closed on 31 January 2000. T      F

(4)     It is over one kilometre in circumference and could contain the Wembley Stadium.  T      F

(5)     The Dome is 50 times the floor area of that of St. Paul’s Cathedral. T      F

(6)     The idea of the Millennium Dome originated in John Major’s Conservative Cabinet in 1994.  T      F

(7)     The Dome project has already cost more than £700 million.  T      F

(8)     It is financed by the taxpayers. T      F

(9)     The Dome should be visited by at least 6 million people to bring profits to the investors. T      F

(10) It’s very difficult to get tickets for the Millennium Dome. T      F

 

Activity 4.

Study the pictures of the Millennium Dome and answer the following questions.

Picture 4. Source: http://www.greenwichletting.co.uk/dome.html

Picture 5. Source: http://www.greenwichletting.co.uk/dome.html

Picture 6. Source: www.greenwichletting.co.uk/dome.html

 

Discussion Questions

What does the Millennium Dome remind you of?

If we treat architecture as “text”, what connotations does the building produce?

If we assume that the Millennium Dome was supposed to serve as a visual representation of Britain in 2000,

   what images of Britain does it present?

What values does the building stand for?

What is the structure supposed to demonstrate about Britain’s position in the world?

How could the significance of the notion of ‘time’  in the location and structure of the building be interpreted?

 

Activity 4.

Study the picture showing the zones inside the Dome and answer the following questions.

Picture 6. Source: www.greenwich2000.com/millennium/dome/zones/index.htm

Picture 7. Source: http://www.greenwichletting.co.uk/dome.html

 

Picture 8. Source: www.greenwichletting.co.uk/dome.html

 

Discussion Questions

If one assumes that the Dome is intended to represent Britain in the year 2000, what aspects of life are emphasised in the way it is divided into zones? Are any areas of life missing?

For what purposes is technology used in the Dome? How was it used in 1851?

What is the meaning of the ‘British reality’ in the Millennium Dome?

Is there a ‘global’ aspect present here, corresponding to the ‘imperial’ connotations of the Great Exhibition?

How are the audience supposed to celebrate the Millennium through the Dome? How different is this model of participation from the one promoted by the Great Exhibition of 1851?

 

Part II: The Crystal Palace v. the Millennium Dome: interpreting the rituals of public celebrations

 

Activity 5.

Read either the text describing the opening ceremonies in the Crystal Palace or the article about the first night in the Millennium Dome and report it to your partner who has read the other text.

 

Text 1:

London Times 2 May 1851 ‘The Opening of the Great Exhibition’  (selected extracts).

 

(....)  The arteries of the great city, surcharged with life, beat full and strong under the pressure of a great and hitherto unknown excitement. (….) Never before was so vast a multitude collected together within the memory of man. When swarms of people poured from the loins of the north in a fierce migration, or when all the hosts of Asia were spread broadcast over the plains of Europe, their largest masses were not more numerous than the peaceful crowds who congregated around the great Temple of Industry and the avenues which commanded a view of a new royal procession. (….). Numerous as were the people, in the space of the park, and in their own accommodating spirit, they found plenty of room, and with comparative comfort they advanced in wave after wave, and carried on towards Kensington, or halted before Buckingham Palace. Here two lines of police were formed which extended to Hyde Park, along Rotten-tow, to the Exhibition, leaving a broad drive for carriages with a good margin for pedestrians.  (....) a line of carriages swept past, and then came a troop of Life Guards at the trot, and the voices of the people hailed the Queen again and again with hearty cheers, as she came by bowing kindly and graciously. (....) The Queen seemed full of emotion at the greatness of the occasion and at the welcome, but she was soon lost within the walls of the Palace .…    Presently loud cheers came from the interior of the building; then the strains of  “God save the Queen” leaked out through its glass walls, and were repeated by a few of the people; then solemn silence - again a fine burst of voices and again a song of praise, then the roar of cannon from the Serpentine, the murmuring voices of the vast hordes that crowded its shores, the national Anthem again, the cheers repeated, and, after a visit of an hour, the Queen reappeared at the threshold of the Exhibition again with the Prince by her side, full of pride and happiness, and drove off amid the warm demonstrations of her subjects to the palace. (...)

        The pageant of the State opening within the Crystal Palace is over, and it remains for us to describe it as best we can. That imposing ceremony was witnessed by some 25,000 spectators, who will each have his own account to give, his own tale to tell of its wonders. (....)  At a very early hour they had bestirred themselves, determined to be in time, and the consequence was that long before 9 o’clock all the doors of the Exhibition were besieged by a mob of ladies and gentlemen, who of course rushed in with immense eagerness when at last allowed to do so. (....) Her Majesty and the State procession were left to make their progress between living walls of loyal subjects and admiring foreigners, extending in long lines from one end of the building to the other. (....)  On her appearance the vast assemblage rose to welcome her, a burst of enthusiastic cheering broke forth from every side - ladies waved their handkerchiefs, gentlemen their hats, and the whole scene presented was one of unusual splendour. The sun, too, for a moment emerged from the envious clouds that for some time previously had dimmed his lustre, and a flood of light pouring in through the glittering dome of the transept illuminated this imposing spectacle of loyalty. When Her Majesty ascended the throne, attended by the Royal family and the distinguished visitors of her Court, the organ of Messrs. Gray and Davison pealed forth the notes of the National Anthem, and the immense choir collected for the occasion accompanied the strain. This produced a grand effect, and not a heart present could remain unmoved at a scene so touching and so sublime. His Royal Highness Prince Albert, when the music had ceased, joined the Royal commissioners, who drew near to the throne and read to Her Majesty the  ....  report of the proceedings of the Commission (....)   His Royal Highness handed to Her Majesty a copy of the report, accompanied by a catalogue of the articles exhibited.
       Her Majesty returned the following gracious answer:  - “(....) I cordially concur with you in the prayer, that by God's blessing this undertaking may conduce to the welfare of my people and to the common interests of the human race, by encouraging the arts of peace and industry, strengthening the bonds of union among the nations of the earth, and promoting a friendly and honourable rivalry in the useful exercise of those faculties which have been conferred by a beneficent Providence for the good and the happiness of mankind.”

His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury then approached the throne, and with great fervency of manner offered up the .... prayer, invoking God's blessing on the undertaking (….).  At the close of this prayer the choir joined in singing the Hallelujah Chorus and the effect of this performance may be estimated from the fact that the chapel royal, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, and St. George's chapel, Windsor, contributed their entire vocal strength, while there were also present pupils of the Royal Academy of Music, part of the band of the Sacred Harmonic Society, and many other performers, both foreign and English. (....)  The procession then formed .…. .

        Turning to the right the procession moved to the west end of the nave on the north side, and as it passed the glazed roof of the building vibrated with enthusiastic cheers. ( .... ) The foreign commissioners ….  gazed with wonder at the development of British industry by which they found themselves surrounded.  The Indian and Colonial collections were left behind, the Fine Arts’ Court passed, and the procession, cheered incessantly in its progress, moved into the area devoted to our many-featured manufacturing products. Glimpses were caught over the heads of the spectators on the right of the Furniture Court, and the massive forms of the fixed machinery beyond it.  (....)  Past the furs of bears and other wild animals suspended from many a girder, and carpets lending their brilliant colours to complete the decorations and clothe the narrow lines of the interior, the pageant swept on its way. (….) Then, wheeling round the model of the Liverpool Docks, it was returning on the south side of the nave, when the gigantic organ by Willis suddenly hurled forth its immense volume of sound. (....) Displays of textile fabrics, of hardware, of cutlery and of furniture, vistas of colours and alleys filled with the richest materials (...)  hardly claimed a moment's attention in that remarkable progress. Still upon the mind the grand impression left was the magnificence of the general spectacle, the loyalty of the great assemblage, the cordial understanding between the Sovereign and the flower of her people - above all, the hearty union of all classes in celebrating with becoming pomp this inauguration of a temple dedicated to industry and peace.  (….)   The cheering and the waving of hats and handkerchiefs went on continuously around the building, and at last .... the Queen returned once more to the position in the transept where her throne was placed. She looked exceedingly well, and bore the excitement of the occasion with a firmness worthy of herself and of the people she governs. The applause of the assemblage was acknowledged both by herself and the Prince in the most gracious manner.
       And now the last act of the ceremonial remains to be recorded. The Marquis of Breadalbane, in a loud tone of voice, announced that the Queen declared “the Exhibition open”. A flourish of trumpets proclaimed the fact to the assembled multitudes. The royal family, attended by the Court, withdrew from the building, the choir once more took up the strain of the National Anthem, the barriers, which had hitherto restrained the spectators within certain limits, were withdrawn, and the long-pent-up masses poured over every part of the building, unrestrained by policemen, and eager to gratify their curiosity.

 

Text 2:

Alan Hamilton, “Here’s to the new millennium“, The Times 1 January 2000.

LIKE the shadow of the summer eclipse, midnight rolls across the face of the earth at 775 mph. By the time Big Ben tolled the magic hour in our little grapefruit segment of the globe, the islanders of Kiribati in the Pacific had been partying for 14 hours.

When it came at last to the headquarters of measured time at Greenwich we welcomed it, like our distant ancestors, with goblins and fire. That the celebrations were essentially pagan was appropriate enough; we were marking, not a religious milestone, but a round number.

     Eighteen seconds after passing the meridian line, the notional midnight hour was deemed to have reached Tower Bridge, when the Thames blazed to a curtain of fire that followed midnight for a further 10.8 seconds upriver to Big Ben. With 39 tonnes of explosives involved, it formed part of the biggest fireworks display in British history, although the music written by Handel for a previous one has proved more enduring than some of last night’s offerings are likely to.

     Fire figured last time, too. The sermon in the Vercelli manuscript of 1000 predicting the first millennium warned of resounding flames burning up the blood-mingled earth, destroying all those engaged in great boasting and in the useless sight of gold and silver, fine cloth and ill-gotten property. That preacher would not have liked the £758 million Millennium Dome, which is where the goblins danced last night.

     In a 90-minute entertainment to which the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Princess Royal were welcomed by Tony and Cherie Blair, the only overtly religious element was a two-minute slot allotted to the Archbishop of Canterbury and three Barnardo’s children to say prayers.

     The Queen wore an apricot coat, Cherie a long purple dress, while between them in the royal box, the Prime Minister sported his usual dark suit, glistening white shirt and red tie. As they took their seats the last stragglers from the chaos of Stratford station were still struggling to their places.

     At a quarter to midnight the Queen unhooked a rope on the royal box and released a group of children from the Meridian Primary School in Greenwich who raced across the arena and grabbed eight ribbons, causing a ring of curtains to fall away in a spectacular waterfall effect, exposing the inside of the structure’s saucer roof. Martians who gazed down on it from their planet appeared to be right; it will never fly.

     The organisers were particularly proud of an elaborate stunt shortly before midnight. As the young choristers began to sing the anthem Sir John Tavener’s New Beginning, they approached centre stage where the world's third largest diamond had been positioned to be targeted by laser beams, creating the effect once produced by a rotating glass ball in dance halls. As the delicate first notes sounded, they placed their hands over the diamond to reduce the arena to darkness.

     Finally, as the quarter chimes of Big Ben sounded, tradition returned. The entire audience rose to its feet cheering. On the midnight stroke the Queen and Mr Blair toasted each other with champagne and within moments the monarch and her first minister had linked hands with the entire front row of the royal box for Auld Lang Syne. The Queen then gave her husband a rare public kiss.

     And then, the goblins. Five hundred dancers performed a carnival entitled Blueprints for Paradise; some hung on bungee ropes from the roof. The dancers on the ground were costumed fantastically, from Tolkien out of Notting Hill Carnival, gyrating through the three movements of Wisdom, Essence and Passion. What it was all about was open to the widest speculation, but then the Dome itself is the very essence of virtual reality rather than any philosophy, in this secular age of Blairism, that you could actually get your teeth into.

     It may, in its strange way, have been perfectly appropriate. The holy men of the first millennium regarded humanity as a race of hobbits inhabiting a Middle Earth between heaven and hell, wiser than cattle but lower than angels.

     Since then, of course, we have had a thousand years of progress, which means there are far more opportunities for things to go wrong. The Millennium Wheel on the Thames was deemed unsafe on Thursday, and 250 guests who had been looking forward to an inaugural ride had to be content with a ground-based party and free British Airways tickets to a destination of their choice. Tony Blair stopped by and opened it anyway.

     The dampening threat of rain did little to deter a tidal wave of revellers from pouring into Central London. As midnight approached, numbers were estimated at more than two million spite of the real millennium bug, the epidemic of colds and flu which has laid half the nation low.

     At least the Queen followed tradition, particularly her new one of paying more attention to the disadvantaged. She and Prince Philip began their Millennium Eve with a visit to a Crisis hostel for the homeless in Southwark Street, before making a brief appearance at an all-night vigil in Southwark Cathedral and lighting the first millennium candle.

          Embarking on the Thames cruiser Millennium of Peace at Bankside Pier and joined by the Princess Royal and her husband Commodore Tim Laurence, the Queen sailed downriver like her ancestor George II enjoying his celebratory fireworks. At Tower Bridge she paused to light a fuse to fire a laser to ignite the Thames millennium beacon. But it took almost a minute to light the torch which, in the wind and drizzle, was as reluctant as a sodden log fire. Finally lit, it seemed to flicker and go out again before completing its task. “I thought it had blown out,” the Queen said. Further downriver, as her launch crossed the meridian line near Greenwich, the destroyer HMS Westminster was waiting to fire a 21-gun salute.

          By 12.30, having heard the Dome concert with a jazzed-up National Anthem, the Queen was on her way back to the peace of Sandringham by car. And the shadow of midnight was racing across the Atlantic at 775 mph to an expectant New York.

 

Discussion Questions

What was the order of the Great Exhibition’s opening ceremony?

Were there any similar elements in the Millennium Dome celebrations?

What was strikingly different?

In what ways did “common people” participate in both events? Is the notion of the social class significant?

Why was the Queen present on both occasions? How different was her role in 2000?

 

Activity 6.

Text 3:

The Sunday Mirror, January 2, 2000, p. 3

 

Study the page from Sunday Mirror. How is the Queen presented here? What do you think is meant by the phrase “simple message of humanity”?

TEACHER’S NOTES

Part I: The Crystal Palace v. the Millennium Dome: interpreting architecture

The aim of this part of the class is to study architecture as meaningful texts. Architecture has its own systems for coding meaning and it is the task of the students to get access to them before they actually interpret the two buildings as texts. The questions provided serve only to direct the students to certain areas of interest. The materials offer many more opportunities for further analysis.

 

Activity 1

The purpose of this activity is to mobilise the students’ previous knowledge about the Great Exhibition and/or provide them with the fundamental historical context for the discussion.

 

Working in groups, fill in the gaps in the text:

Model Answers:

The Crystal Palace was the central building of the Great Exhibition. It opened on May 1, 1851 and closed five months later, having accommodated about six million visitors. Designed by John Paxton who had been a gardener for Duke of Devonshire, the Crystal Palace was the world’s first large ferro-vitreous edifice (i.e. it was  built out of metal and glass). The Crystal Palace was also the first prefabricated structure: it was built of parts which were standardised, made in quantity and assembled on site. It was built in less than nine months. The Palace was 1848 feet long and 408 feet wide and 100 feet high (compare to St. Peter’s 600’ long x 450’wide). Inside, there were more than 13,000 exhibitors, and more than half the area was occupied by British and colonial exhibits, including engines, textiles, glass, cutlery and jewels. The gate money, £365,000, was used to purchase 35 hectares of land in South Kensington on which a museum and college complex (the Science Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, the Imperial College of Science and Technology) was built. The Palace was dismantled and moved

to Sydenham, in Kent. It was destroyed by fire in 1936.

 

Activity 2

Sample conclusions:

The Crystal Palace served to demonstrate British industrial supremacy, and as a running commentary on the gospel of free trade and peace, and the virtues of democracy and the British constitution. It promoted the vision of the civilising role of Britain in the world. It was also a symbolic expression of the new emphasis on practicality and functionality. It served to express the enlargement of potential human powers, fulfilling the dream of bringing the tropics from the colonies to Britain. The Great Exhibition served as an example of Britain’s superior organisational capabilities. It was a widely acclaimed success, also in financial terms.

 

Activity 3

The purpose of this activity is to mobilise the knowledge the students might have about the Millennium Dome and/or provide them with the fundamental historical context for the discussion.

 

Decide whether these statements are true or false:

Model Answers:

1. The Millennium Dome is the largest construction of its kind in the world. T     
2. It was built in the Docklands in London.  T     
3. It was opened on 1 January 2000 and will be closed on 31 January 2000. T      
4. It is over one kilometre in circumference and could contain the Wembley Stadium inside. T , F
5. The Dome is 50 times the floor area of that of St. Paul’s Cathedral.     F

(The Dome is only 10 times the floor area of that of St. Paul’s Cathedral .)

6. The idea of the Millennium Dome originated in John Major’s Conservative Cabinet in 1994. T     
7. The Dome project has already cost more than £ 700 million. T     
8. It is financed by the taxpayers.T (?)

(The Dome has been financed by money from the National Lottery profits.)

9. The Dome should be visited by at least 6 million people to bring profits to the investors.                            F

(The initial estimate was about 12 million visitors)

10. It’s very difficult to get tickets for the Millennium Dome.      F

(At first it was not possible to buy tickets at the gates. The policy was changed due to the disappointingly low attendance rates)

 

Activity 4

The objective here is to make the students talk freely about the feelings that the building inspires in them. They should be able to discover the ‘language’ by means of which architecture expresses meanings and then to connect these meanings with social and political reality in Britain today.

 

Activity 5

Both texts are rather demanding. It would be a good idea to assign them for home reading and begin with general reading comprehension questions and vocabulary explanation before proceeding to the discussion. With students who are less proficient in English, it will be difficult to discover all the various nuances present in both texts, so it might be advisable to focus on the visual material only.

 

Activity 6

The study of the Sunday Mirror pictures should lead to further conclusions about the changing cultural role of the monarch and the use of the monarchy and the Royal Family for endorsement of current social values.

 

Sample Conclusions:

1. Both buildings serve symbolically to express a sense of Britishness (what Britain is) at key formative stages.

    There is a striking emphasis on technology, virtual reality, futurity and globalisation in the Millennium

    Dome. Even more importantly, there is an emphasis on equality, especially equality in consumption, and the

    principal model of  social participation is entertainment.

2. The structures and processes described above could be treated as elements in the hegemonic process by

    which the dominant class attempts to impose a certain world view on other groups in society. The vision

    advanced through the Millennium Celebrations has to be negotiated with the people to whom it is offered.

    The idea that the British Millennium should be celebrated by means of a huge indoor theme park on which

    almost £1 billion is spent does not appeal to everyone. Right form the outset, there was a great deal of

    criticism of the Millennium celebrations in the British media. The belief in the British ability to “blaze a new

    trail” has been threatened by the recurrent technical problems (The Millennium Wheel, the queues on the

    opening night, falling attendance rates). It is at least ironic that the management of the NMEC was handed

    over to a 34-year old Frenchman, a former Disneyland executive.

 

Selected bibliography (including Internet resources):

A. The Crystal Palace and the Great Exhibition

Mitchell S. (Ed) 1988. Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia. Chicago: St. James Press

Yarwood D. 1987. A Chronology of Western Architecture. New York: Facts on File Publications

http://soa.syr.edu/faculty/bcoleman/523/523.CrystalPalace.html

http://www.mcgill.ca/mchg/cp/vicdia.htm

B. The Millennium Dome

www.greenwich2000.com/millennium/dome/zones/index.htm

www.greenwichletting.co.uk/dome.html