Ideal Home Show History

The inaugural Daily Mail Ideal Home Exhibition was opened by The Lord Mayor of London at Olympia and the Daily Mail explained that you would see: “Streets of a town lined with hundreds of bright little buildings of varying shape and design – red roofed cottages, brown bungalows, and gaily coloured pavilions – and moving between them endless lines of interested visitors.”

Visitors queued to view the furnished houses and to tour a landscaped garden. Stands became rooms with all the merchandise available for sale – offering the opportunity for people to see the latest designs for luxury living.

In 1908 90% of the population rented their home. It took over 3000 men a week to build the first Exhibition. Technological developments gathered pace throughout the 1920s and 1930s and new products were often featured in demonstrations at the Show. The event became a focal point for the housewife to view the latest in household technology.

Throughout the 1930s building was Britain’s chief industry, and the suburbs began to spread. Mortgages were becoming more accessible and more people than ever before bought their first home.

The Daily Mail was committed to the drive for greater efficiency and for one year in 1921 it even renamed the Show the Daily Mail Efficiency Exhibition. In 1937 the BBC broadcast television for the first time.

Ideal Home Show Tickets at Sold Out Ticket Market
Ticket Market for Ideal Home Show Tickets