ABSTRACT
Many felt that a house in the suburbs constituted at least one step upwards in the social ladder and indeed this was one of the several factors motivating the centrifugal migration. Most of these new suburbans originated in the Victorian and Edwardian suburbs, making place as they moved outwards for regional immigrants and less fortunate Londoners coming from even older and more crowded property nearer the centre. Only a small part of the new suburban development was on the high chalk, a subsoil not without disadvantages. Golders Green had the first of London's talkie-equipped suburban supercinemas, the Lido, designed by W. J. King, and opened on 1 October 1928. They chose instead to sink into the comfortable anonymity which remains a strong feature of London suburban life, rarely extending their acquaintance beyond immediate neighbours. Tennis retained its popularity as the suburban game, partly because it was a sure avenue to pleasant flirtation.
