Over a million houses were built in Britain during the Edwardian period and another four million in the years between the two World Wars. Almost all of them are still in use as homes today. The Edwardian & Inter-war House explains to current owners of such houses why (and by whom) their properties were built, how the original occupants would have decorated, furnished and lived in them, and the development of the distinctive architectural styles of the time.

The leading architects of the Edwardian period were enthusiasts for a return to English vernacular styles, contrasting what they considered the dry rigidities of classicism with the extravaganzas of the Gothic revival. However it wasn’t aesthetics that affected the most radical change to the period’s architecture: Edwardians were also the first to incorporate innovations such as modern sanitation, bathing facilities and the use of electricity.

The first half of the book looks at the styles created for showpiece developments like Letchworth Garden City, and the way in which these designs were adapted for the first council houses. The book’s later chapters are devoted to the various rooms and features of the house – fireplaces, chimneys, doors, staircases, windows and more – as well as the styles, methods and materials used in their construction.

Featuring full colour photography throughout, The Edwardian and Inter-war House is an invaluable architectural resource for anyone living in – or thinking of restoring – a house built between 1900 and 1939.

Richard Russell Lawrence is the co-author, illustrator and designer of The Period House: Style, Detail and Decoration 1774-1914; The Illustrated Guide to Nelson's Navy and The Book of the Edwardian & Interwar House.