Bedford Park 150th Anniversary Exhibition Now Open to All
Free display is in St. Michael and All Angels Church
The Train at Bedford Park , painted by Camille Pissarro in 1897 when he stayed in the house of his son Lucien at 62 Bath Road (Original held in a private collection)
May 16, 2025
After a sold-out launch event last Wednesday (7 May) the free exhibition organised by The Bedford Park Society is now open to all.
It has been organised as part of the celebrations to mark the 150th anniversary of the garden suburb and is being held at St Michael & All Angels Church, Bath Road, Chiswick. It can be seen there until Monday 19 May.
The exhibition reveals newly researched details, many rarely seen images and illustrations, plus some recently discovered early photos of the suburb.
In 1875 Jonathan Thomas Carr (1845-1915) purchased the first part of the 113 acres he would eventually acquire near Turnham Green railway station. He went on to build about 400 houses on this estate, which he called Bedford Park.
A team of volunteer researchers from The Bedford Park Society has been working for some months on the exhibition titled: The Community at Bedford Park 1875-2025 "Ahead of the World in Everything?” The exhibition focuses on the community and communities of Bedford Park from its earliest days in 1875 through the decades to modern times. It reveals the early community’s enthusiasm for ideas and behaviours which challenged contemporary norms.
The younger, radical and liberal residents of this period included professionals and artists. In their sociability, social campaigning and interior décor they sought to be “ahead of the world” in breaking with the earlier Victorians' social and aesthetic convictions.
Chiswick School of Arts and Crafts, Bookbinders from The Art Journal of 1898. Picture: Dave Marshall
Stories and images in the exhibition seek to paint a vivid picture of the many different groups attracted to the garden suburb — whether political, social, professional or recreational. The exhibition reflects on the interactions of the groups with Bedford Park’s architecture and village atmosphere and how these moulded the community.
The exhibition will be presented in various Chiswick locations during the year. It will be hosted by Chiswick Auctions in their showroom at Barley Mow Centre W4 4PH from Tuesday 10 June to Friday 20 June (inclusive).
The displays at the exhibition in St. Michael and All Angels
The Society is extremely grateful to Whitman & Co, Knight Frank, Savills, and Hounslow Thriving Communities Fund for support in its anniversary projects and to Chiswick Auctions and St Michael & All Angels for providing venues for the exhibition.
The logo for the Bedford Park 150th anniversary
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