The 1930s Home

In the 1930s Britain underwent the most profound economic crisis of the twentieth century, with high unemployment, wage cuts, benefit cuts and a deterioration in living standards. It was a decade remembered for its austerity, yet out of the recession loomed many positives. Industrial output saw remarkable growth between 1935 and 1938 and a housing boom brought smart new houses to replace slums. Communities benefited from cheaper commodities and improved social services, and more diverse leisure activities were possible due to new technology, transport improvements and the provision of paid holidays. 1930s Britain will provide a realistic portrait of a very diverse, and always fascinating, decade in British social history.

“"Lavishly illustrated with photographs, ephemera and wonderful period advertisements, all three of these books take one through a good overview of British architectural design, house construction, furnishings and decor, and gardens." -- Kitchen Retro, kitchenretro.blogspot.com (October 2009) on 1930s Home, 1940s Home and 1950s Home”

"Lavishly illustrated with photographs, ephemera and wonderful period advertisements, all three of these books take one through a good overview of British architectural design, house construction, furnishings and decor, and gardens." --Kitchen Retro, kitchenretro.blogspot.com (October 2009) on 1930s Home, 1940s Home and 1950s Home

Dr Greg Stevenson is an architectural heritage consultant and lectures at the University of Wales, Lampeter.

The 1930s home presented an exciting new way of living for the generation that moved out to the suburbs. Young couples who had previously rented accommodation in urban centres found themselves able to afford new-build homes with hot running water, a bathroom indoors and even aerials for the wireless already installed. Some four million houses were erected, mostly in cosy semi-detached styles that harked back to traditional cottage architecture. The design elite rejected this 'Stockbroker Tudor' look and opted instead for brave, flat-roofed modernist villas. But whether the house drew on historical references or futuristic ones, interest in interior decoration boomed. This book introduces the homes that people fell in love with in the 1930s, and the fixtures and fittings that went in them. With nearly hundred illustrations and informative chapters on architectural styles, gardens, furnishings and technology in the home, this book is the most popular introductory guide to the houses of the period. It is not only a practical and valuable companion for people who own or wish to renovate an inter-war house but also will appeal to all those interested in period design.

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