The Society publishes a number of books and pamphlets covering local history and architecture, which can be purchased directly from us.
Bedford Park — the first garden suburb
Co-founder of the Bedford Park Society, architect, Tom Greeves was well placed to write what is generally considered the definitive history of Bedford Park from its inception to the present day. This is a completely updated version of his book first published in 1975, edited by the Society’s deputy chairman Peter Murray, who is also an architect.
Tom’s original black and white photos are complemented by local resident Ellen Rooney’s recent colour pictures, which appear alongside a selection of old photos taken shortly after the suburb was built in 1875. Other illustrations include maps, drawings and architectural plans.
There are also profiles of the top Victorian architects who designed houses for the estate, plus notes on some of the celebrities of the day who lived in Bedford Park.
Price: £20
Jonathan Carr’s Bedford Park
Over a decade of research by local historian Dr David Budworth has gone into this book about Jonathan Carr and the development of the first garden suburb. The first part is a very readable narrative, while the second tabulates references – compiled from the Middlesex Deeds Register and local government records – so you can check the history of an individual property.
It is a hardback, illustrated by photographs and two specially-drawn maps, one showing the boundaries of the various pieces of land over which Carr acquired various rights, the other showing the houses which can be attributed to him.
David says: “I have documented the history in more detail and, I hope, with more accuracy, than has been done before.”
Price: £32.50
Bedford Park Pictures from the Past
This is a compilation of photographs, drawings, paintings, maps and postcards dating from the first garden suburb’s earliest days to the mid-20th century. Put together by local historian Dr David Budworth and former committee member Sandra Grant, it includes buildings, street scenes and interiors as well as some of the early residents. Extensive captions explain the history and background to each image.
The earliest are photos taken in 1878 – just three years after Jonathan Carr began his development near Turnham Green station – by Bedford Lemere, an eminent Victorian photographic company. The latest were taken in the 1960s when many houses were divided into flats or bedsits.
Price: £25
To order your books
You can order copies by sending details of your order together with a cheque made out to The Bedford Park Society, to:
Bedford Park Society Books
10 Blenheim Road
Bedford Park
London W4 1UA
Please add £5 for costs of postage and packing per book.
Alternatively, for free local delivery in the Bedford Park area please email: information@bedfordpark.org.uk and we can arrange for you to pay when we deliver.