Middle-class suburban lifestyles and culture in England, 1919-1939
Between the wars, approximately three million houses were constructed by private builders, the majority for owner-occupation. Many of these houses were located in new suburban estates, catering for an expanding white-collar middle class. Alongside the growth of these new suburbs, there emerged a virulent if composite indictment of inter-war suburbia. Although the critics did not focus exclusively on suburbia, they frequently claimed that suburbia's environment and values exacerbated problems which were more widespread within society. The result, it seemed, was a life that was isolated, philistine, overly materialistic, and obsessed with status. This thesis challenges that picture. It focuses on six areas of suburban life on which the critics were particularly vocal. These areas centre on, or grow out of, suburban domestic life: the suburban environment, house interiors, the life of the housewife, the experience of mothers and children, primary education, and recreation. The main conclusion is that contemporary criticism of suburban life was often unjustified. Although speculative builders may have covered the countryside with ugly and badly-planned estates, the inter-war suburbs satisfied both the desire for
North, David Lawrence
Middle class--England--History--20th century ; Suburban life--England--History--20th century
Middle-class suburban lifestyles and culture in England, 1919-1939. Between the wars, approximately three million houses were constructed by private builders, the majority for owner-occupation. Many of these houses were located in new suburban estates, catering for an expanding white-collar middle class. Alongside the growth of these new suburbs, there emerged a virulent if composite indictment of inter-war suburbia. Although the critics did not focus exclusively on suburbia, they frequently claimed that suburbia's environment and values exacerbated problems which were more widespread within society. The result, it seemed, was a life that was isolated, philistine, overly materialistic, and obsessed with status. This thesis challenges that picture. It focuses on six areas of suburban life on which the critics were particularly vocal. These areas centre on, or grow out of, suburban domestic life: the suburban environment, house interiors, the life of the housewife, the experience of mothers and children, primary education, and recreation. The main conclusion is that contemporary criticism of suburban life was often unjustified. Although speculative builders may have covered the countryside with ugly and badly-planned estates, the inter-war suburbs satisfied both the desire for
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