When

Read about how and when the British Council was founded, and how we developed through each period of our history.   

1930s and 1940s

Lord Lloyd, Chairman 1937-41     From our foundation in 1934, through the Second World War and into the post-War period   

1950s and 1960s

Ethiopian crownprince visiting British Council Book Exhibition     Regular Government reviews of our work, political pressures overseas, and a growth in development work.   

1970s and 1980s

English Language Teaching Book Exhibition Lahore 1978     Growth in educational projects and English teaching - and the report which threatened to close us down   

1990s and 2000s

Children attending Britain in Russia Exhibition, Moscow, 1994     New contacts in Central and Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union, and responding to the information revolution