Loncon

(For other Loncons, see Loncon (Disambiguation).)

The 15th Worldcon and first in the U.K., Loncon (known at the time as The Loncon) was held September 6–9, 1957, in London, UK, at the King's Court Hotel. GoH: John W. Campbell, Jr. Chairman: Ted Carnell.

Committee:

• John Wyndham -- President (an honorary title)
• Roberta Wild -- Secretary
• Charles Duncombe -- Treasurer
• Joy Clarke and Vin¢ Clarke -- British Publicity
• Pamela Bulmer and Ken Bulmer -- Overseas Publicity
• Dave Newman and Norman Shorrock -- Programme Committee
• Peter West -- Film Liaison
• John Brunner -- Publicity Liaison
• Harry Turner -- PRs
• Plus Fred Brown, Dave Cohen, Philip Duerr, Ewan Hedger, Terry Jeeves, Eric Jones, Ethel Lindsay, Nigel Lindsay, John Roles, Arthur Sellings, Ken Slater, Walt Willis.

The original plan seems to have been that Wyndham would be chairman for fan programme, Carnell would handle the Pro part of the programme and a third chairman would be in charge of entertainment at the convention. In the end, this does not seem to have happened.

Early announcements also had the convention being held at the Royal Hotel ($3/night single rooms, shared bathrooms) and the Tavistock Hotel directly next door (catering to Americans at $4.50/night with ensuite baths). The hotel had its shortcomings, according to one con report: "breakfast at the one-pound-a-night convention hotel was set up the night before, the toast in its little metal holders and the cereals already in the bowls for the next day. The breakfast room lay midway between the main staircase and the main party room, and the management urged us not to cut through it on our way to the party, because we would 'get dust in the corn flakes.' It became a watchword of the convention."

This is one of the earliest conventions to have Supporting memberships ($1) and Attending memberships ($2), though they did not call them that yet.

Travel costs from North America were substantial: A charter flight (see Plane Trip) from New York (get to New York on your own) cost $115 each way. That's around sixty times a hotel room night or thirty times a banquet ticket. (If travel costs to Loncon 3 had had the same multiple of room rates, the round trip would have cost around $12,000!)

The London in 1957 bid won over Los Angeles in 1957 at the 1957 Worldcon Site Selection held at the 1956 Worldcon, NyCon II.

The 1957 Hugos and 1958 Worldcon Site Selection took place.

• Loncon I publications and photos on fanac.org

Links

• Video clip of ITN's Lynne Reid Banks interviewing various fans (IDs by Rob Hansen):
  • 0.00 Jean Bogert with gun at start.
  • 0.05 Guy with glasses looks like Sandy Sandfield.
  • 0.06 Norman Shorrock over shoulder of guy in mask.
  • 0.12 Eric Jones interviewed.
  • 0.25 Ron Buckmaster interviewed.
  • 0.50 Frank and Belle Dietz interviewed in alien costumes. Round-faced teenager in the background is Mike Moorcock.
  • 1.18 Guy with moustache, right rear, is Ken McIntyre
• Dave Kyle's Loncon I Reminiscence.
• Fantasy Times 255 (September 1956, p. 5): A long report on the convention planning.
• Rob Hansen's history of Loncon.
• Rob Hansen's ebook 1957: The First UK Worldcon
• Con Report by Wat Willis and Rory Faulkner
• Lonconfidential, Chuck Harris' convention report online at fanac.org.
• Photos at eFanzines.

From Fancyclopedia 2, ca. 1959

from Convention LonCon, London, the first genuinely international con (there was one in Toronto, but Canada can hardly be counted as a separate country), represented an attempt to return trufannishness to the commercialized con, but was disturbed externally by a flap over a proposed plane trip which eventually wrecked the WSFS Inc; the business session was delayed by a gun battle in which the GDA retrieved the Official Gavel, BBC-TV filmed a choice collection of interviews with attendees, worthy fen were inducted into the Knights of St. Fantony, and TAFF winner Bob Madle got a better reception than the later furor might suggest.

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Nycon II	Worldcon - Bidding - Hugos	Solacon
first	British Worldcons	Loncon II
	1957

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