The Cambridge Urban History of Britain: Volume III 1840-1950 - Review

Contemporary Review, July, 2001

The Cambridge Urban History of Britain: Volume III 1840-1950. Martin Daunton, editor. Cambridge University Press. [pound]90.00. 944 pages. ISBN 0-521-41707-4. This volume brings to a conclusion Cambridge's impressive study of British urban history. This final volume deals with a period which saw the most massive developments in urban history, a period in which England, if not Britain, became the world's first urban society.

Towns began to regenerate themselves (as opposed to depending on rural migration) while railways allowed towns to expand and suburbs to develop. The problem of the 'inner city' came into being as the home of those who could not move outwards into the suburbs. This volume tackles all these issues in its five parts. The first, 'Circulation', shows how London, small towns and port cities developed, the role of migration, transport and pollution. The second part, 'Governance', traces the development of self-government for urban areas, the provision of social services, and the culture and soci ety to be found in towns and cities. The third part, 'Construction', deals with the appearance of urban areas: the use of space, the type of building and the role of the 'planners'. The fourth part, 'Getting and Spending', concerns itself with economic issues, the labour market, fertility and mortality, the role of the middle class, religion and sport. The final part, 'Images', discusses how cities are represented in the visual arts. It has a conclusion by the editor in which he argues that the period under discussion has many parallels with the present and that politicians and planners could do well to learn from the past to see how to cope with the present problems facing Britain's cities.