Designed for Play: Children’s Playgrounds and the Politics of Urban Space, 1840–2010

Author: Jon Winder Series: New Historical Perspectives

Hardcover

An original and accessible history of the modern playground in Britain and beyond. Charting its journey from marginal obscurity to popular ubiquity, this title demonstrates how a diverse set of actors across the philanthropic, voluntary, state and commercial sectors all sought to reimagine and reshape the urban landscape to improve childhood outcomes.

New

$397.01

Or pay later with

Free 30 day returns Secure transaction

Check delivery options

Hardcover

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Summary

Description

Children’s playgrounds are commonly understood as the obvious place for children to play: safe, natural and out of the way. But these expectations hide a convoluted and overlooked history of children’s place in public space – one shaped by implicit social, political and environmental values, and by government intervention in spaces and lives across the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This book is the first empirically grounded historical account of the modern playground, drawing on the archival materials of social reformers, park superintendents, equipment manufacturers and architects in Britain and beyond to chart the playground’s journey from marginal obscurity to popular ubiquity. In exploring the evolution of play space design, the book shows that the ideal playground has long represented a space where changing conceptions of nature, health, childhood, commerce and technology have all been played out. It covers the development of garden gymnasiums in the 1890s, the influence of Charles Wicksteed, increasing standardisation in the interwar period, the impact of progressive education, pioneering female designers and the adventure playground movement in the twentieth century, and more recent challenges to the playground’s status as a site of health, nature and safety.

Designed for Play is an original and accessible contribution to modern British history, urban and environmental history, and histories and geographies of childhood.

Critic Reviews

‘Jon Winder’s Designed for Play shows us how our playgrounds are the product of the vying interests of educationalists, manufacturers, local governments, philanthropists, even, very occasionally, children. It is a beautifully told and compelling tale that treats the playground as a major element of urban life. This is an important book that deserves a very wide audience.’

— Ben Highmore, Professor of Cultural Studies, University of Sussex, UK

About the Author

Jon Winder is a historian of modern Britain and freelance heritage consultant. His academic research explores the social, environmental and oral histories of attempts to create more liveable and inclusive urban environments.