Bedford Park Suburban Development

Suburbia: The Development of Bedford Park

Ronan O Domhnaill

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Introduction

When examining the framework for any suburban development it is important to understand both the origins and evolution of suburbs. Only through this can we really begin to understand how these suburbs came about and why they were developed in the way they were. Through this essay I will be looking in particular at the development of Bedford Park. By looking in depth at the design strategies that were employed in Bedford Park, I hope to create a clearer picture of why this suburb is considered to have revolutionised the way we think about suburbs. But first we must take a look back to the origins of suburbia and how the development of suburbs eventually led

Carr who had a keen interest in property had made his fortune in the cloth industry. His family had background in the world of art and we will soon see the impact this had on how he designed Bedford park. He had married a girl whose father owned a large portion of land near the station in Turnham Green. This area was ideal because it was only 30 minutes from the city and the site had many fine trees. In 1875 he bought 24 acres of land and set out a scheme. Carr wanted to create a new type of estate where houses would be aesthetically acceptable and be organised in an informal layout and done so in such a way as to preserve as many of the more mature trees as possible. Throughout the development of Bedford Park, Jonathan Carr had employed several different architects at different stages of the development. These included E.W. Godwin, Norman Shaw, E.J. May and Maurice B. Adams But although he was working with plans that had been drawn up by the various architects. Carr would always purchase the designs outright rather than employ the architect to oversee the construction of these houses. This way Carr would ultimately be in control of the layout of the house and their construction with limited input from the original

But Carr did not stop there, he continued to acquire more land and kept building more and more houses. Shaw began to grow tired of Carr's constant demands and his lack of desire to pay Shaw. This ended in the resignation of Shaw as the estate architect, which also meant the end of the projects heyday. It is believed that both Adams and Wilson also parted company with Carr around the same time. Before he left Shaw set his apprentice, Edward J. May, up as his successor. The transition from Shaw to May appear to be almost seamless. The essential style did not change as May worked on Shaw's designs. May who was now set up in his own practice probably still had Shaw looking over his shoulder. In the Priory Gardens there were several houses that date from the period of the handover, and Shaw and Mays were so alike that the designs for these buildings could have come from the hand of either