Between 1939 and 1946 the University of London's Senate House, designed by Charles Holden, was occupied by the Ministry of Information (MOI). The MOI was tasked with justifying Britain's case during the Second World War to a global audience. It also had the job of sustaining the morale of the British people.
By necessity the MOI had to find a host of new ways of communicating to a wide range of peoples. It produced popular paperbacks and magazines, printed millions of posters, created comics and button badges, generated broadcasts, produced nearly 2,000 films, and sent travelling exhibitions all over the country - and beyond.
In this year's Charles Holden Lecture, Professor Simon Eliot will explore Senate House and the work of the MOI, starting with a discussion of Holden's early work for the London Underground, which combined new typography and new mapping with architecture. In this context, Holden's masterpiece, and the Ministry of Information which occupied it, can be seen as making new forms of communication concrete.
Professor Simon Eliot is professor of English Studies at the Institute of English Studies at the School of Advanced Study, University of London. Read more about Professor Eliot on the Institute of English Studies website.
The lecture will be followed by a reception in Senate House.
This event is organised by the Friends of Senate House Library and is free and open to all.
Event details
Thursday 2 February 2017
18:00 - 20:00
Chancellor's Hall, Senate House
Online registration for this event is now closed. If you would like to attend this event or have any questions please contact friendsofshl@london.ac.uk.