The experience of suburban modernity : how private transport changed interwar London / Michael John Law.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Law, Michael John, author.

Series:

Studies in popular culture (Manchester, England)

Studies in popular culture

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Suburbs--England--London--History--20th century.

Suburbs.

Suburban life--England--London--History--20th century.

Suburban life.

Urban transportation--England--London--History--20th century.

Urban transportation.

History.

London (England)--Social conditions--20th century.

London (England).

London (England)--Social life and customs--20th century.

England--London.

Physical Description:

xii, 238 pages : illustrations, map ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Manchester, UK : Manchester University Press, 2014.

Summary:

The experience of suburban modernity explores how the adoption of new forms of private transport transformed interwar suburban London. It shows how London's suburban middle classes used their newly found disposable income to enjoy driving, motorcycling and flying. This book demonstrates that these new practices were welcomed by many, but met resistance to change from those who were dismayed by the accidents that resulted from increased mobility and the aesthetic and cultural changes that were the consequence of Americanisation and suburban development. The book is divided into three sections. In the first, Law considers each of the private transport technologies in turn - the car the bicycle and motorcycle, and the aeroplane - and shows how they contributed to a sense of suburban modernity. Secondly, he examines the infrastructure that supported these technologies and shows how they were interpreted in contested visions of the meaning of Englishness. Finally, Law describes a set of journeys that demonstrate a condition of suburban modernity. These include the roadhouse, a site of Americanisation and transgression; new mobile practices of consumption; the embodied experiences of driving in a modern way; and the disastrous consequences of air and car accidents. This book will be welcomed by academics and students working in suburban studies, historical geography and interwar British history and can also be enjoyed by anyone interested in the history of London. Book jacket.

Contents:

Part I introduction

1 Driving on the Kingston Bypass 3

Part II Technologies

2 The car indispensable 19

3 'In the joyous rush'- Bicycles and motorcycles 37

4 Suburban air-mindedness 57

Part III Roads

5 New mobilities in construction 79

6 Negotiating modernity - Beautification and contestation 97

Part IV Journeys

7 Pleasure and peril at the suburban roadhouse 119

8 Modern motoring and the enclosed body 142

9 Accidents and suburban modernity 162

10 Everyday driving - Mobile consumerism and commuting 187

Part V Conclusion

11 Modern marvels 207.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 216-234) and index.

ISBN:

0719089190

9780719089190

OCLC:

881859150