Brentham Garden Suburb, Ealing: early implementation of Unwinesque principles

This development in Ealing is one of the first suburban housing estates that combines cooperative financing with the typical Unwinesque design aesthetic that came to typify projects inspired by the Garden City Movement. Brentham Garden Suburb was featured in the seminal book Townplanning in Practice that introduced German planning methodology and artistic urban design in the Anglo-Saxon world.  

The first building phase comprised of some 5 streets with long rows of identical Victorian terraced houses in red brick with repeated details. This is how the garden suburb started life: as a standard development on cooperative principles.

Everything would change with the decision to contract the expansion of the suburb out to Parker and Unwin. With their Arts and Crafts inspired architecture this firm moved the development out of the Victorian Era into the 20th century. The layout of the streets and the placement of the rows of terraced houses are still an extension of Victorian practices.

This changes when Unwin comes into contact with German urban planning (a new occupation at that time). Muthesius was probably helpful in this!  Now we see the appearance of urban planning on artistic principles with shorter blocks and special attention paid to the corners, junctions and the building line along streets. Here a typically Unwinesque angled corner where Woodfield Crescent and Winscombe Crescent meet.

Another feature of Unwinesque and informal planning is the use of so-called closes, cul-de-sacs with houses around it as an ensemble. Here the close-like corner of Fowler's Walk. This housing from the last building phase (1912-15) is rather simple in character with little ornamental use of structural details or varying materials.

Fowler's Walk was built on the last section added to the garden suburb, that was never completed as planned. This downhill street is rather uninspired with few Uwinesque principles used by the project architect.

Brentham Way is a long straight street, which is against the doctrine of informal planning. The gardens with the prescribed privet hedges and the trees lining the street create an altogether different feel than in the Victorian streets. Also the varying building line with set-back sections create visual interest and subdivide the streets along its length.

Again an angled block on a corner. This winged angled block with several dwellings emphasises the junction of Brunner Road, Neville Road and Brunswick Road. Such blocks are always a clear indication of a development inspired by the Garden City Movement and designed on Unwinesque principles.  

More angled blocks on corners on Rusking Gardens. A combination of short terraces and semidetached dwellings is what Unwin advocated as perfectly suited for a garden suburb. The result is informal and visually pleasing; yet the layout is almost formal when looking at the plan.

Ludlow Road has a slight curve and the building line the street in long terraces with protruding sections at the ends (another Unwinesque device). The small gardens and hedges create a pleasant semi-rural feel. This housing is very much Arts and Crafts inspired.

More of the same type of architecture lines the straight street along the northern edge of the garden suburb of Brentham. Behind these houses the playing field are still located as originally planned. The brick building with the tower isn't a church, but Brentham Club.

Holyoake Way is again a curved residential street lined with trees. When this suburban housing estate was first designed cars were not so abundant and the intended rural feel of pleasant greens streets is somewhat lost with all the metal in file.

This 1912 complex was built specifically as a residential block with apartments for single people. This was quite forward thinking at the time, as living as part of a family unit was the norm back then. The architecture is in contrast inspired by ages of old and almost castle -like.

North View is the name of this curved street. So there is actually no clear line of sight but at the end of this street a narrow footpath takes you to the river Brent. Again cars dominate, whilst the abundance of greenery -from trees and gardens- make up for this slightly.