1930s Architecture

The early 1930s were the years of The Depression and the later years a period of uncertainty as developments in Germany unfolded. Many of the trends clear in the 1920s continued; most homes were servant-less. The motorcar played an ever increasing role. Houses were small and children part of the life of the family.

The 1930s saw more house-building activity. In 1919, there were eight million homes; by 1939 there were 12 million.

Most of the 1930s houses were in suburban developments in the countryside around existing towns and cities. Most houses were built by speculative builders, who funded each project from the profits from the previous buildings. Houses tended to be in semi-detached pairs, and owned rather than rented.

The architects working on council housing produced designs which stressed uniformity whereas it was the desire of private owner-occupiers to show their individuality. Their semi-detached houses were usually identical but with slight variations perhaps in the half-timbering or treatment of the gables.

The 1930s saw a number of different styles in domestic architecture.

The most popular style, taking its influences from the Arts and Crafts movement, continued to be the mock-Tudor, cottage, 'Tudorbethan' or 'Jacobethan' style. Houses were often half timbered with a mix of red brick and some pebbledash. Pebbledash was less common than it had been in the 1920s. Other features were areas of herringbone brickwork, tile-hung walls and weather-boarding. Windows had wooden frames with iron casements and diamond-shaped leaded panes. The roof had red clay tiles rather than slates, and chimneystacks were often elaborate. The porch was either a simple hood with console brackets or else gabled. The door was oak with iron nails and fittings. Most houses had a two-storey bay with angled or half-round sides. Inside there was often oak panelling, false beams and in larger houses an inglenook fireplace.

There was also a Georgian revival in town houses, particularly those built as social housing. One example is the new town of Welwyn Garden City.

A more distinctive style was called 'Moderne', 'sun-trap' or 'International Style'. Modernism saw the home as a 'machine' where the priority was fitness for purpose. The style avoided decoration and decorative objects, instead stressing the use of chrome and glass. Most house-owners wanted the traditional values of the Tudorbethan, 'olde worlde' houses, rejecting Modernism but they were derided by the cognoscenti. Usually, you can see a few such houses in a cluster among Tudorbethan homes. In their purist form they are stark and functional, with flat roofs, concrete walls painted white, and large plain windows with galvanised iron frames. There was a complete absence of decoration. Inside the house was open plan. As with other architect-driven styles, the style was bastardised by ordinary builders with brick with painted render and a pitched roof. In the late 1930s the 'Hollywood Moderne' style appeared with coloured pantiles in green or blue.

As well as these architectural styles, there was the Art Deco decorative style. The name 'Art Deco' had appeared in 1925. Initially it featured rounded motifs, such as foliage and flowers, but later these became more abstract and geometric, such as a sunburst. Some designs indicated speed with strong lateral lines, often tapered. House-owners decorated their houses with fireplaces and furniture, wallpapers and fabrics in Art Deco designs.

The typical house of the 1930s was generally smaller than those before 1914. It had a front room off a hall, a second living room at the rear and a kitchen. Upstairs there were two large bedrooms, a third much smaller room, and a bathroom and toilet. An addition to the typical house was the garage. A new pattern was the bungalow with all its rooms on a single level, or the chalet-style bungalow with one or two bedrooms in the roof.

The 1930s saw a significant increase in the number of flats or apartments built.

Colours in paints, wallpapers and fabrics were often bright.