Skylon was the beacon on the South Bank for the Festival of Britain. A bold statement of modernity and British engineering triumph that helped the Festival be a ‘tonic to the nation’ after WWII. (See footage here or this article about an exhibition themed on the Festival)

There’s plans afoot to rebuild it – but should we?

The campaign says:

The Skylon became an icon for a new era in British history, and is the first example of high-tech architecture in the UK. Its innovative form has inspired some of the greatest of our UK architects over the past 60 years. We are approaching the 60th anniversary of the Festival of Britain and the creation of the Skylon. The re-creation of its most innovative structure would be a fitting way to commemorate this unique and exciting time in British history.

But London already has its fair share of impressive engineering and architectural icons, post-Skylon – the London Eye, the Dome (which even has Skylonesque struts) and the engineering marvel that is the (once-wobbly) Millennium Bridge.

Skylon is an iconic structure, but surely it would be better to try and build a new innovative experimental structure, rather than rebuild one that is 60 years old? Encouraging new engineering challenges in the heart of London, rather than recreating the old?