A Revival in the Making

As we mark the centenary of the launch of the Peckham Experiment, I am reminded of a line from Alexandre Dumas in The Count of Monte Cristo:

“Ideas never die, Sire, and, though they may slumber for a time, they wake up stronger than when they fell asleep."

In July 2023 I wrote about the Peckham Experiment, having learned about it while seeking evidence to support appeals to MPs for their vote on the Healthy Homes Bill. This was a Private Member’s Bill developed by the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) and introduced into the House of Lords by Lord Nigel Crisp which required housing developers to meet minimum quality standards to protect mental and physical health. It opened up a debate on how government can improve the social determinants of health.

The Peckham Experiment, I argued, illustrates how the social determinants of health can, and must, be spotlighted as the NHS approached its 75^th birthday later that year.

This seven-year “experiment” was run by two doctors, George Scott Williamson and Innes Hope Pearce, who together set up the Pioneer Health Centre in 1926 in and recruited 950 families to be part of a programme which included a range of activities such as physical exercise, swimming, games and workshops. Members underwent a medical examination once a year, and they were monitored throughout the year as they participated in the centre's events. This was a pioneering experiment indeed, as there was no NHS and rudimentary public health infrastructure.

It created an important legacy – not only in benefiting individuals and entire communities but in highlighting two things: that health is more than just an absence of disease, and is significantly impacted by one’s personal and collective environment.

The importance of local places and spaces in promoting and supporting residents’ health and wellbeing was powerfully demonstrated through the project. Local people of multiple generations cooperated in designing programmes that brought widespread benefit, creating a framework for community-driven health based on these principles:

• Health is a process that has to be cultivated if it is to thrive.

• If people are given information about themselves and their families they will attempt to make decisions that are in the best interests of their families.

  
  

• People thrive when they are given the freedom to make choices about their activities and will choose those that help in their development.

  
  

• When people are given resources in a community to enable them to grow they will be active in their community for the benefit of that community.

I was struck by the conviction of its founders, and later its participants. “As the NHS marks its 75th birthday with a renewed focus on preventative and community-based health", I argued, "we could do with a revived approach to the Peckham Experiment in all our communities. The availability of robust data and analyses linking health factors with the characteristics of places and spaces means that new approaches can be designed, measured, evaluated and adjusted to benefit individuals and communities.”

Since than my conclusions have only been reinforced.

The Healthy Homes Bill didn’t pass, but the TCPA and Lord Crisp continue to campaign for its principles to be adopted into practice.

The NHS celebrated its 75^th birthday, providing an opportunity to both appreciate and reflect on its importance in providing healthcare services to everyone while at the same time acknowledging the challenges that it currently faces.

We had a general election, in 2024, bringing a change in government with renewed focus on shifting care in the NHS to prevention,  increasing the quantity and quality of new homes, and refocusing our planning system to support vibrant communities.

Current trends in population health, social determinants of health and social norms are creating conditions and driving demand for initiatives like the Peckham Experiment:

• Health inequality, measured in life expectancy, has increased  

• The built environment – housing and places is seen as a key determinant of health inequality 

  
  

• Loneliness and social isolation have increased

• Obesity continues to increase among children and adults

• Children are growing up “sedentary, scrolling and alone, according to the National Play Commission 

At the same time, attitudes, behaviours and social norms have advanced in ways that support positive interventions like the Peckham Experiment:

o  Health and wellness is a highly valued, and lucrative pursuit

o  Health is increasingly regarded as an asset and large-scale investment activity is increasingly driven by health metrics 

o  Localism is celebrated in multiple forms – from devolution to high street renewal to citizens assemblies.

Both government and industry are recognising these trends and frameworks are emerging to support them. For example, the NHS has this month published its framework for Neighbourhood Health; social prescribing in England is on the increase; integrated care centres that blend primary care provision with a range of community-led social services like the Bromley-by-Bow Centre in east London are looked to as exemplars in local communities; local initiatives that blend sport & leisure with primary care services are being developed by organisations like Wave Active which has recently opened Hillbrow Health & Wellbeing in Eastbourne; and industry is beginning to respond to the value of prioritising local health through initiatives like Build for Health.

The Peckham Experiment can now be viewed through a prism of validation and renewal, an example of what good looks like and an exemplar for local communities to work toward.

In a more formal sense, it is a model for the NHS  Neighbourhood Health Service, demonstrating principles and practice of effective collaboration between local stakeholders.

And, 100 years on, its model of wide participation provides the infrastructure for data collection to review, assess, and replicate its programmes in other communities.

So here’s to the Peckham Experiment on its 100^th birthday – and to the Pioneer Health Foundation, your value is timeless and relevant now more than ever.

“Ideas never die, Sire, and, though they may slumber for a time, they wake up stronger than when they fell asleep."

More information on the Peckham Experiment can be found here. 

Clare Delmar

Listen to Locals

27 March 2026