White City is an estate in the City of

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

. It takes its name from the original white concrete houses. Following

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, there was a national movement to improve working-class housing, and rehouse families living in city centre slums. Land nearby had already been used for model housing in 1914, forming Northfield Road and Northfield Square. In 1927, Gloucester Corporation compulsorily purchased Starveall Farm to build the new homes that became White City. The estate was formally opened by the

Duke of Gloucester Duke of Gloucester () is a British royal title (after Gloucester), often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; the curren ...

, in a tree-planting ceremony held on 14 July 1928. In the 1990s, the estate was substantially rebuilt. Many of the old homes were demolished by

Gloucester City Council Gloucester City Council is the local authority for Gloucester, which is split into 18 wards, with a total of 39 councillors elected to serve on the City Council. History The district was formed from the County Borough of Gloucester on 1 April 19 ...

, and new homes built by Oxbode Housing Association and

Beazer Beazer was a family business for six generationsC.H.Beazer (Holdings) Prospectus, July 1973 before expanding in the 1980s into international housebuilding, construction and building materials group. After becoming overburdened with debt it was r ...

. Roads in the estate include Avening Road, Barkis Bungalows, Barnfields, Beaufort Road, Bibury Road, Broadway, Darwin Road, Dickens Close, Finlay Place, Finlay Road, Hazelton Close, Nickelby Bungalows, Northfield Road, Northfield Square, Reservoir Road, Sapperton Road, Selwyn Road and Stow Close. The street names reference Gloucestershire villages as well as characters from the novels of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

who had visited Gloucester docks in the 1850s. Despite its long standing, White City did not appear on any official maps of Gloucester. Residents of White City successfully campaigned for their neighbourhood to be recognised officially as a district of the City, and to appear on maps and road signs. In October 2012, the present

was invited back to mark White City’s new standing.

References

{{Areas of Gloucester Areas of Gloucester