Brentham Garden Suburb

The Brentham Archive is the most comprehensive collection in existence of material relating to the history and architecture of Brentham Garden Suburb. This model housing estate of 680 houses and flats in West London designed largely in the Arts and Crafts style, was built for rent by working people by a co-partnership company, Ealing Tenants Ltd., and has been a Conservation Area since 1969.

Material dates back to the founding of Brentham in 1901 and continues to the present day. Among the considerable riches in the collection are a number of original architects’ plans and drawings, some of which are hand tinted, and several large-format sepia photographs showing Brentham being built between 1901-14. The Archive holds copies of house plans, as well as photographs, slides, videos (including of elderly residents’ memories of the early days of the estate) and publications.

Among the diverse ephemera in the Archive are Ealing Tenants rent books and rule books, committee meeting minutes, postcards, newspaper cuttings and a large collection of programmes and photographs of Brentham May Day – celebrated on the estate every year since 1907. A recent addition is a comprehensive photographic survey of every house and building in the Brentham Garden Suburb Conservation Area.

The Brentham Archive will be of interest to social and architectural historians, architects and planners, and anyone who wants to see how suburban life in London developed during the 20th century.  Visits by appointment only.