"Spanning the period between the building of the Kingston bypass that allowed the town to expand, and the ring road, which rather stopped all that, the exhibition focuses on how the town became famous for its high fashion and glamour away from the West End of central London. With suburbs springing up around the area, there was high demand for the latest fashions in furniture and home decorations, and firms popped up to feed the demand."
"A whole wall is given over to the man who did so much to encourage this, Stanley Picker and his very fashionable house. His collection is housed in the local University gallery. Glamour needs jobs to pay for it, so a lot of the exhibition is given over to the early days of motorcar manufacturing in the area and later the aircraft industry in the era when flying required an ample supply of both wealth and nerves."
An exhibition covers Kingston upon Thames' transformation into a fashionable suburban centre between construction of the Kingston bypass and the later ring road. Rapid suburban growth created strong demand for contemporary furniture, home decorations and high fashion, spawning local firms including Art Deco designer Betty Joel and department stores such as Bentals. Customisable items appear, exemplified by a clock spelling Tempus Fugit. Stanley Picker's fashionable house and collection are prominent, and local motorcar manufacturing and the aircraft industry are shown as economic foundations that supported the town's mid-century glamour. Pathe news soundtracks add period atmosphere.
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