Speaker: Dr Geoffrey Mead

Dr Mead will talk about the enormous growth in British suburban housing between the wars, but not all were Tudorbethan semis with clipped lawns and an Austin 7 in the drive. Many were what are now termed ‘plotlands’, but in the past harsher terms applied – hutments, track and shack or simply shanty towns. He casts a spotlight on this largely ignored aspect of our housing history but one with implications for present day and future UK landscapes. Dr Mead was a tutor with the Geography team at the University of Sussex, specialising in the landscapes of SE England, in both urban and rural areas; his PhD was on the suburban growth of the interwar period. He taught adult education for nearly 30 years at Sussex where he worked in the Landscape Studies degree team and was Convenor for Local History.