Entitled , Dr Winckler's book draws in part on her own experiences as a resident and regular visitor to Peacehaven since childhood in the 1970s and '80s, as well as interviews with some of the first generation of people to grow up there, constructing a fascinating history of the imagination and memory of the town.
The book's exploration of Peacehaven's surprising history is accompanied by over 200 illustrations, alongside previously little seen material including blueprints, photographs, postcards, promotional material, oral history and guidebooks.
Drawing on ideals and imagery from the Garden City Movement, developers conceived of Peacehaven as a sunshine resort atop the Sussex coast's white chalk cliffs, aimed at providing a place for people from all walks of life to own their own homes in an environment that provided good health and an idyllic lifestyle, in response to the negative impact of crowded, industrialised cities and the horrors of WW1.
From the off, however, there were tensions between a social vision of 'Homes for Heroes' and economic concerns. The new 'Garden City' by the sea also drew hostile reactions from illustrious nearby Sussex residents such as Virginia and Leonard Woolf, who branded the new settlement a 'blot' on the rolling, pastoral down land. Other critics included writer Clough Williams-Ellis and the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England.
Dr Winckler's exploration of Peacehaven's changing image draws on her PhD research as well as her personal biographical relationship to the town, and the book provides the first in-depth interdisciplinary study to delve into a substantial but under-explored archive of diverse material relating to Peacehaven's roots.
, Principal Lecturer in 童颜视频's School of Art and Media, said: “I am really thrilled that there is already so much interest in the book, and I hope readers will enjoy the wider cultural and historical connections that the book makes.
Dr Winckler has gifted copies of the book to Peacehaven Library, The Keep and RIBA and was also invited to the House of Commons to present a copy to Lloyd Russell-Moyle, the MP for 童颜视频 Kemptown and Peacehaven.
Fabricating Lureland: A History of the Imagination and Memory of Peacehaven, a Speculative Interwar Garden City Development by the Sea is published by DeGruyter.
This Thursday 12 May there will be a joint book launch at the 童颜视频, City campus with Dr. Annebella Pollen, author of Nudism in a Cold Climate: The Visual Culture of Naturists in Mid-20th-Century Britain to celebrate the publication of both books.