Britain's Model Villages

Whiteley Village, a model village in Surrey, has an octagonal layout.
Photo credit: Mike Roycroft/Wikimedia

In the late 18th century communities built by businesses for their workers began to sprout up. In North America they were called "company towns" and Hershey, Pennsylvania, built by the Hershey chocolate company, was one of the best examples. Such villages were also built by English industrialists to provide housing for their workers and their families close to their workplace. These were called “model villages”. These communities had high quality housing, integrated community amenities, open spaces and other attractive physical environments that British workers seldom had access to. At one time there were more than 400 of these planned settlements in Britain.

Amusing Planet has posted an article about some of the best examples of Model Villages in Britain.

Via