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John Dunn
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John Dunn original writing
Houses at Shortstown
The model villages of Bedfordshire
Shortstown owes its existence to Short Brothers. In 1916 the Admiralty selected the site near Cardington for an airship works. Shorts was awarded the contract and began constructing facilities in 1917, including a large airship shed (No. 1 Shed), a factory, hydrogen plant, foundry, and rolling mill. To house the workforce, Shorts built a planned housing estate in the emerging Garden City style opposite the works.
In the 1920s, the Stewart family led the London Brick Company. Construction of a planned Garden City-style model village for employees began in 1926. It featured houses, schools, a village hall, sports grounds, and community facilities—similar to Bournville but on more modern Garden City principles. The village was named Stewartby in honour of the Stewart family.
Old Warden has deep medieval roots. However, in the early 19th century, the 3rd Lord Ongley began to develop Old Warden as a model estate village in the “picturesque” style. Many of the attractive thatched cottages date from or were enhanced during this period, reflecting benevolent landlordism and a desire to create an idyllic landscape.
© John Dunn.
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From the archive:
Thinking:
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Flowering Rifle
An on-going passsage-by-passage reading of Roy Campbell’s epic poem of the Spanish Civil War. He is an exultant nationalist and celebrates not only feats of arms but achievements of organisation, making live poetry out of the economics and agriculture of Franco's Spain.
John Dunn
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Just a thought:
With the Treaty of Westphalia, the Guelphic alliance had to face up to the fact that Europe was on course to be a continent of nation states - with borders. In response, the Guelphs had recourse to rule by lending, which meant that borders would never pose barriers again. The sword of the Renaissance king could protect against foreign invasion; it could never protect against the serfdom of usury. John Dunn (Renaissance: Counter-Renaissance)
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The Oxford to Cambridge Arch 6
Further additions to the project, starting with Herman Moll's alternative to the Buckingham and Bedford route.
John Dunn
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