The English have a love affair with the period house. We find the
intoxicating blend of rustication and detailed styling more appealing
than the plain and synthetic houses of recent years. The house-building
boom of the late 1920s and the 1930s put home ownership within the reach
of many for the first time. These were families with modest means but
with high aspirations. Modern flat roofed Art Deco villas grew up
alongside detached and semidetached mock Tudor styles. Many had both
front and rear gardens. Interiors were required to be fashionable and to
take advantage of new domestic inventions like the wireless and vacuum
cleaner. They were light, clean family homes that were both practical
and sexy, blending into a suburban splendor. Metro land had arrived.
Using his own drawings, diagrams and photographs, author Trevor Yorke
explains in an easy to understand manner, all aspects of the 1930s
house, but particularly its style. The book provides a definitive guide
for those who are renovating, tracing the history of their own house, or
simply interested in this notable and ever popular period. As with other
titles in this series, The 1930s House Explained is profusely
illustrated with drawings of the period details which can help date them
and there is a glossary of the more unfamiliar architectural terms.
Trevor Yorke lives on the edge of the Peak District and is a full-time
artist and designer. His books include Tracing the History of Villages,
The Country House Explained, The Victorian House Explained and The
Edwardian House Explained.
