Garden Cities and Suburbs

Garden Cities: the phrase is redolent of Arts and Crafts values and nineteenth-century utopianism. But despite being the culmination of a range of influential movements, and having global influence themselves, in fact there were only ever two true, self-contained Garden Cities in England – far more numerous were Garden Suburbs and Villages. Crystallised in England by planning visionary Ebenezer Howard and executed largely by Barry Parker and Raymond Unwin, the movement arose from nineteenth-century settlements like Port Sunlight (and, earlier, Saltaire and Akroyden), and also from the City Beautiful movement in the US; the settlements were designed to promote healthy individual and community life, as well as commerce and industry, and were – and are – instantly recognizable. This book is a beautifully illustrated guide to the movement as a whole, from its earliest influences through practical difficulties in implementation to the continuing vitality of the conurbations which are its legacy.

Sarah Rutherford has an MA in the conservation of historic parks and gardens and a PhD. She was Head of the English Heritage Historic Parks and Gardens Register and is now a freelance consultant, creating conservation plans.