New book reveals everyday life in 1930s Kent and Surrey

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 24 Oct, 14:28 · Archive

A new book of 600 previously unseen photographs from the 1930s documenting life in Kent and the South East is published on November 5.

A new book of 600 previously unseen photographs published on November 5 reveals everyday life in 1930s Kent and the South East. Britain in the 1930s, a 616-page volume, draws from the Associated Newspapers archive and includes historical and social commentary by historian Steven Brindle. The photographs document a region on the brink of transformation, showing London and the South East before Nazi bombs and the Second World War changed the landscape forever.

The 1930s was a decade shaped by the Great Depression and mass unemployment, which severely affected many industrial towns. In contrast, rural communities saw traditions that had changed little over centuries. Images from Kent include families of hop pickers who arrived each year for the harvest and children gathering firewood at Paddock Wood in 1936. One photograph shows traditional timbered houses in Yalding, Kent in 1935, captured just before their demolition.

The decade saw dramatic increases in motor traffic and urban development. A Surrey photograph captures a queue of Gypsy caravans sharing Dorking Road with bicycles, buses and cars. London was expanding rapidly, with new suburbs developing around the capital's outer edges. In central London, the population fell in areas combining Victorian streets with Art Deco buildings and the expanding Underground network. Despite economic uncertainty, cinemas, West End theatres and jazz clubs attracted crowds seeking escape from unemployment.

How it is being reported

• New book of unseen photographs reveals bygone life in Kent in the 1930sA new book of 1930s photographs out on November 5 reveals bygone life in Epsom and Kent.Croydon Guardian · 24 Oct, 14:00
• New book of unseen photographs reveals bygone life in Kent in the 1930sA new book of 1930s photographs out on November 5 reveals bygone life in Epsom and Kent.News Shopper · 24 Oct, 14:00
• New book of unseen photographs reveals bygone life in Kent in the 1930sA new book of 1930s photographs out on November 5 reveals bygone life in Epsom and Kent.This Is Local London · 24 Oct, 14:00

In this story: Kent · Surrey · London · Steven Brindle · Associated Newspapers · Atlantic · Epsom · Yalding

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