London Photo Gallery - Bedford Park

Stepping out of Turnham Green station, I emerged in Bedford Park, the "first garden suburb", which was developed from the 1870s. Developer Jonathan Carr built aesthetically acceptable houses in the Queen Anne style at affordable prices to those who can't afford Chelsea. Amidst a society swept up by industrialization and materialism, there was a desire to build a community that could appreciate beauty and live amidst gardens and fields. In 1875, Carr bought 24 acres of land and development began. Designed by Norman Shaw, who also designed New Scotland Yard and Royal Geographical Society, as well as some of the houses in the new neighbourhood, St. Michael and All Angels Church's foundation stone was laid in 1879 and it was consecrated a year later.