Contemporary 1950 - Present

The Suburban House

The suburbs of towns had become popular for building houses in the Victorian era. Better transport links had allowed people to work in the centre of towns, travelling in from developments of new houses on the outskirts of town. During the 1920s and 30s this trend continued and, following the Second World War, large numbers of semi-detached and detached houses and flats were constructed beyond the earlier housing to cope with demand. In many areas good quality materials were scarce and there was minimal decoration. A garden area was provided and sometimes a garage, a basic kitchen with built-in larder, three bedrooms and an internal bathroom were standard but there was little variation in design.

Councils provided social housing. These were mainly in estates with shops, schools and a communal play area for children. While suburban housing was still being erected in a traditional street pattern, these new estates formed courtyards and cul-de-sacs with high rise blocks built on open space.

As the economy recovered, housing developments were designed using historic styles – Neo Georgian and Mock Tudor were especially popular. The one common factor was the use of modern materials. Natural slate was replaced with cement tile or artificial slate, cement brick used instead of clay, lime render changed to cement. Plastic was considered maintenance free and was used liberally.

The real cost to the environment of manufacturing uPVC is gradually being recognised and there is a move back to more traditional materials and building methods. Click for Framing the View from EHS