Stories of suburbia (Bournville, UK): from planning to people tales

Abstract

In this paper we show that the avoidance or reduction of difference found in the popular history of Bournville was the result of storytellers situated in specific institutional contexts. During the initial development of Bournville a particular (sub)urban future was imagined and mediated by these storytellers, through processes of simplification and choice, which served to reduce the past to an imposed and arbitrary simplicity or organised saga. In this saga the voices of residents are silenced. Our approach is, first, to explore ways of conceptualising the construction of urban history and, second, to construct two different and deliberately conflicting representations of Bournville. The first account provides a critique of the common representation or town planning account of Bournville. In contrast, the second account works through the voices of residents providing an opportunity for them to construct a lived account of Bournville with specific reference to temperance and the consumption of alcohol. Our first story is about the construction of a particular urban space whilst the second is about the ways in which the space was partially ‘colonised’ by residents. By constructing conflicting accounts of the same place we aim to open the dominant discourses associated with Bournville to complexity and heterogeneity.

Dans cet article, nous montrons que le fait d'éviter ou de minimiser la différence dans l'histoire populaire de Bournville est attribuable aux contextes institutionnels spécifiques dans lesquels se retrouvent les conteurs. Au premier stade de développement de Bournville, un avenir (sub)urbain particulier a été imaginé et médiatisé par ces conteurs à partir de processus de simplification et de sélection. Ceux-ci ont permis de réduire le passé à une simplicité imposée et arbitraire ou à une saga organisée. Dans cette saga, les résidents sont réduits au silence. Notre approche est d'abord une exploration des manières de conceptualiser la construction de l'histoire urbaine. Elle permet aussi d'élaborer deux représentations différentes de Bournville qui sont délibérément opposées. Le premier tableau que nous brossons propose une critique de la représentation commune ou de la planification urbaine à Bournville. Inversement, le second tableau est une étude des voix de résidents qui ont pu profiter de l'occasion de construire un récit à partir de leur vécu à Bournville en se rapportant notamment à la tempérance et la consommation d'alcool. Notre première histoire porte sur la construction d'un espace urbain particulier, alors que la seconde expose les façons dont l'espace a été partiellement ‘colonisé’ par les résidents. En élaborant des récits contradictoires ciblant le même espace, nous voulons ouvrir les discours dominants entourant Bournville à la complexité et à l'hétérogénéité.

En este papel mostramos que la evitación o reducción de diferencia que se encuentra en la historia popular de Bournville es el resultado de narradores que se situaban en contextos institucionales específicos. Durante el desarrollo inicial de Bournville, un futuro urbano particular fue imaginado y mediado por estos narradores mediante procesos de simplificación y elección, los cuales servían para reducir el pasado a una simplicidad impuesta y arbitraria, o una saga organizada. En esta saga las voces de los residentes son silenciadas. Nuestro enfoque es, primero, explorar modos de conceptualizar la construcción de la historia urbana y, segundo, construir dos representaciones de Bournville distintas y deliberadamente contradictorias. La primera versión ofrece una crítica de la representación común, o la versión de Bournville elaborada por el urbanismo. En cambio, la segunda versión es expresada por las voces de los residentes, ofreciéndoles la oportunidad de construir una historia vivida de Bournville, con referencia particular a la abstinencia y el consumo de bebidas alcohólicas. Nuestra primera historia se trata de la construcción de un lugar urbano particular, mientras que la segunda se trata de las formas en que el espacio fue parcialmente colonizado por los residentes. Por la construcción de historias contradictorias del mismo lugar, pretendemos ampliar los discursos predominantes asociados con Bournville y con complejidad y heterogeneidad.

Keywords:

• Bournville
• model village
• organised saga
• urban stories
• urban history
• representation
• temperance

Keywords:

• Bournville
• village témoin
• saga organisée
• contes urbains
• histoire urbaine
• représentation
• temperance

Keywords:

• Bournville
• ‘pueblo modelo’
• saga organizada
• historias urbanas
• la historia urbana
• representación
• abstinencia

Notes

 1 The ‘new urbanism’ is a theoretical approach and should not be confused with the New Urbanism Movement adopted by planners seeking to create sustainable communities.

 2 Narratives impose a teleological sequence upon events that do not easily map onto dialectical perspectives that understand the world as an indeterminate totality of possibilities. However, the teleology and stability of narratives can be understood dialectically if we view them as a particular manifestation of change (Merrifield 1993).

 3 The investigation of the voices identified by Bryson and Lowe (2002) formed the basis of a doctoral research programme conducted by Bailey (2003).

 4 Bournville is managed by the Bournville Village Trust and is populated by a mix of affluent white professionals and lower-income groups selected from the City Council's housing list. The housing is distributed between 2,315 secure and assured tenancies, 1,604 leaseholders and 2,254 freeholders, alongside a smaller number of Housing Association tenancies and those provided by private landlords. For more information consult the annual reports of the Bournville Village Trust published online at http://www.bvt.org.uk/.

 5 For example, the archives of Holdings Ltd, which is a private collection of material relating to the history of the family and firm that built many houses in Bournville.

 6 Toc H is an international charity that is committed to building a fairer society by working with communities to promote friendship and service, confront prejudice and practise reconciliation. See http://www.toch.org.uk/.

 7 As a formal doctrine emerging in the early nineteenth century, teetotalism formed the basis of the total abstinence movement. The temperance movement, although uniting with teetotalism on many fronts, was ideologically opposed to total abstinence. Temperance advocates argued that the modest consumption of alcohol was the best approach to reducing drunkenness and poverty amongst the working classes.

 8 The Model Parish Mission, Pamphlet, 010/003250, 1, Cadbury Archive, Bournville.

 9 The Editor (1905) George Cadbury: summary of his speech at the Annual Christmas gathering of Cadbury employees, Bournville Works Magazine 3(2): 10.

10 Bournville Village Trust Archive: BVT Deed of Foundation 14th December 1900, MS 1536, Birmingham Central Library.

11 Selly Oak is dominated by high-density Victorian tunnel-backed terraced housing.

12 A letter to Mr J. W. Bridgeman from H. E. Johnston, 20th May 1895. Sundry of Private Letters 1907–1945: Miscellaneous Items, 023/0032247, Cadbury Archive, Bournville.

13 Chamberlain modelled his Bill upon the Gothenburg system in Sweden. In 1865, Gothenburg set up a single bolag, consisting of members drawn from the urban elite. The managers of the outlet were to have no pecuniary interest in sales and shareholders were to receive a 6 per cent return on capital, with any surplus accruing to municipal coffers (see Greenway 1998).

14 Birmingham City Library. MS 1549 holds archival material relating to Davenports Brewery. None of its delivery records survive.

15 Selly Manor Museum archives. Box 2, loose file 28.