Before the Outbreak of War - Refugees and the Suburb

Refugees from Germany and Nazi Europe started to move into the area from the early 1930s. Whilst the Suburb continued to be built, even some of the architects of the New Suburb were from refugee backgrounds. Amongst others they included, Ernst Freud (Sigmund Freud’s son) who designed the striking Moderne Streamline Belvedere Court (1938) on Falloden Way, Peter Caspari groups of houses in Litchfield Way and Norrice Lea ⁱ and Fritz Landauer was the architect for Alyth Gardens Synagogue.ⁱⁱ There were also a number of outspoken politicians, writers and émigrés living in the Suburb who were wanted by the Nazi SS in the first instance of a successful invasion.ⁱⁱⁱ The Jewish communities at the newly built Hampstead Garden Suburb Synagogue in Norrice Lea and Alyth Gardens Reform Synagogue rallied round to support refugees and secure the rescue of Kinder Transport children to Britain from December 1938 – 1 September 1939, and some refugee aliens were wrongfully sent to internment camps in 1940 resulting in Suburb residents campaigning the Home Office for their release.^iv

This article and contemporary photographs by Marilyn Greene

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