The National Theatre, London, England - Philatelic Photographs on Waymarking.com

Given Britain’s rich history in the performing arts and stage productions, many have felt that a publicly-funded national theatre company would be appropriate. (One was proposed as early as 1848.) The National Theatre of Great Britain was finally founded in 1963 and performed at the Royal Victorian Theatre (Old Vic) until its new home, seen on the postage stamp, was opened in 1976.

In an attempt to kill two birds with one stone, this stamp was meant to celebrate the long-anticipated opening of the new National Theatre building in 1975 as well as represent the “modern” architectural period for the European Architectural Heritage Year set to be issued in 1975. But, in actuality, it accomplished neither. The National Theatre building, which had been beset with delays postponing its opening several times, encountered additional problems and didn’t open until 1976. Moreover, few would use anything described as “modern” in reference to “heritage,” and indeed, of the eighty or so stamps issued across Europe for the EAHY, this was the only one depicting a modern structure (let alone one that wasn’t finished yet).

The building was designed by architect Denys Lasdun and has met with mixed reviews. The extensive use of unfinished concrete doesn’t appeal to everyone: Prince Charles famously described it as "a clever way of building a nuclear power station in the middle of London.” On the positive side, former UK Poet Laureate, Sir John Betjeman, described it as “a lovely work and so good from so many angles.” It has the distinction of appearing on lists of London’s most popular buildings and London’s most hated buildings at once.

Since the building wasn’t finished at the time this stamp was being considered, the stamp’s design was based primarily on an architectural model. And although the building is located on the south bank of the Thames, the view from the other side of the river more closely resembles the image on the stamp.

Stamp Issuing Country: Great Britain Date of Issue: 23-Apr-1975 Denomination: 12p Color: multicolored Stamp Type: Single Stamp Relevant Web Site: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   03/09/2019 Master Mariner visited it