The suburbs get a bad press. Think Desperate Housewives, American Beauty and Stepford Wives. But is this purely a case of metropolitan snobbery? The fact that living in the ’burbs is so popular – some 60 per cent of London’s population are residents – is surely proof of the lifestyle benefits. The 19th century saw suburbia take root as the railway sent satellite settlements snaking out around the Capital, and by the early decades of the last century Art Deco posters depicted open green spaces dotted with desirable Arts and Crafts-inspired houses. By the mid 20th century, however, intellectuals were dismissive: ‘Prison cells all in a row… semi-detached torture chambers,’ sneered George Orwell in 1939. But it seems suburbia is now in favour once more. Sean Griffiths, co-founder of hip London architect FAT, is inspired by the suburban semi: ‘It’s an unsung design classic, arguably the most successful house type of the 20th century. It’s proved adaptable to change, from the 1930s when the front room was only used on a Sunday, through to the 1970s when walls were knocked down to create open-plan living and now to the idea of the visible, sociable kitchen.’
And as Bill Barker, sales manager, KFH Hayes, points out, suburbanites have the best of both worlds: ‘In Bromley, for example, you can be surrounded by green fields in five minutes and in central London in 16 minutes by train. Viewed like this, moving out is the new moving up.
Properties for sale and to rent in London’s suburbs:
Is that a fact? The rise of suburbia during the 19th century reduced the Square Mile’s population from 129,000 in 1801 to 27,000 in 1901.