This book, first published in 1975, was written by the architect Tom Greeves, co-founder of the Bedford Park Society, and the man whose research and writing did so much to make Bedford Park better known and appreciated. It has been out of print for many years so it is good to be able to welcome it back in a new, improved edition.

The Introduction charts the history of Bedford Park from Jonathan Carr’s dream of an ‘aesthetic suburb’ through its decline and eventual revival in the second half of the 20th century. The main part of the book consists of a pictorial survey of both the architecture and the social life of the area in well-reproduced photographs, drawings, and house plans, all with informative captions.

The list of house types and the select bibliography have been revised and the new edition has been made much more ‘user-friendly’ by the addition of indexes of people, roads and buildings. The endpapers have very useful maps of house types and numbers, and of listed buildings. Altogether a worthy tribute to the man who did so much to ensure that Bedford Park would survive into the 21st century, and receive the recognition it deserves as the first garden suburb.