Southbank Skate Space

The concrete space beneath the Queen Elizabeth Hall was never intended for skaters. When architects designed the Southbank Centre in the late nineteen sixties, they created a series of mushroom shaped columns and open alcoves that were simply left as dead space. By nineteen seventy-three, local enthusiasts discovered that this sprawling, roofed area offered a rare, dry sanctuary from London's frequent rain. It quickly became the site where the first generation of British skaters adapted surf-inspired moves to the unique geometry of the building's banks and stairs.