9781911507543
9781911507536
Distributed for University of London Press
Law and Justice in the 1950s
Case Studies From a Neglected Decade
Examines the social, political, and economic context of the 1950s to reveal the significance of the decade's legal developments.
The 1950s was a decade of considerable legal development in England and Wales, despite often being regarded as very conservative in contrast to the more radical 1960s and 1970s. This collection illustrates the breadth of those developments, providing a sociolegal perspective on a range of topics across criminal, property, family, commercial, environmental, and public law, as well as legal education.
Drawing on case studies from the Great London Smog in 1952, the treatment of women in the Wolfenden Report, divorce law reform, the takeover battle for the Savoy Hotel in 1953, law on the radio, and more, this book throws new light on current debates about the relationship between law and issues of justice, inclusion, and equality in different spheres of activity.
Written for historians and legal specialists alike, Law and Justice in the 1950s explores the stories behind the laws in this neglected decade. In revealing the historical context, arguments, and controversies raised at the time and the different perspectives of the parties involved, it offers a greater understanding of why we have the law we have now and of these issues as they continue to be played out in the early twenty-first century.
The 1950s was a decade of considerable legal development in England and Wales, despite often being regarded as very conservative in contrast to the more radical 1960s and 1970s. This collection illustrates the breadth of those developments, providing a sociolegal perspective on a range of topics across criminal, property, family, commercial, environmental, and public law, as well as legal education.
Drawing on case studies from the Great London Smog in 1952, the treatment of women in the Wolfenden Report, divorce law reform, the takeover battle for the Savoy Hotel in 1953, law on the radio, and more, this book throws new light on current debates about the relationship between law and issues of justice, inclusion, and equality in different spheres of activity.
Written for historians and legal specialists alike, Law and Justice in the 1950s explores the stories behind the laws in this neglected decade. In revealing the historical context, arguments, and controversies raised at the time and the different perspectives of the parties involved, it offers a greater understanding of why we have the law we have now and of these issues as they continue to be played out in the early twenty-first century.
232 pages | 6.14 x 9.21 | © 2026
Law and Legal Studies: Legal Thought, The Constitution and the Courts
Table of Contents
Introduction “The Neglected Decade: contextualising the 1950s” Rosemary Auchmuty & Fiona Cownie 1 Shaking Up the Savoy Sally Wheeler 2 Third Class: what did Law on the Radio in the 1950s ever do for us? Simon Lee 3 A University in (or of) Wales? Vaisey’s Folly and St. David’s College, Lampeter R. Gwynedd Parry 4 “Divorce Law Reform in the 1950s” Rosemary Auchmuty 5 The Great London Smog of 1952; its consequences and contemporary relevance” Sue Farran 6 Direct Line to Beeching and Beyond? The Failure of the 1950s Railway Modernisation Plan Emma Jones 7 Professor Gower, Complacent Academics and Legal Education Fiona Cownie 8 The Wolfenden Report, homosexuality, and women Caroline Derry 9 Mrs. Gladys Hutchinson, Lord Upjohn, and the case of the bankrupt “spendthrift…ne-er-do-well and… waster” John Tribe