British Housing Stock - 1960s

[cwhaley]

I have a real interest in the social history of Britain in the 1960s, particularly the changing nature of social and state help for the poor, the conditions of the poor and the 'slum clearances' of the late '60s.

I just thought I'd share some of the gems I've found on YouTube over time. Recently discovered is 'The Changing Face of Salford' which covers the period 1967-70. It shows some very good detail on the state of the dilapidated Victorian terrace houses which should have been condemned in the 1930s. Spalling brickwork, inadequate foundations, leaking roofs, damp walls, etc. -- it's amazing how many people were living this way such a short time ago. It also shows some fantastic street scenes.

The 1980s inquiry into the 'Great British Housing Disaster' is an absolute gem. It features people who worked on those 1960s tower blocks, with no detail spared on the questionable quality of their construction. The style of the documentary far surpasses the level of intellect offered on most contemporary documentaries.

Of local-ish interest to me is the report on St. Ann's in Nottingham. Much of it was demolished in the late '60s and replaced with the semi-notorious estate which exists now. I have spoken to many people who lived in the old St. Ann's.

-- the changing face of Salford 1967-70

-- the Great British housing disaster,

- St. Ann's Nottingham (1969)

 

[Notch7]

thanks, Ive earmarked these to have a watch later when Ive got some time.

 

[cwhaley]

thanks, Ive earmarked these to have a watch later when Ive got some time.

They are very valuable watches if you are interested in the subject. I think they need preserving in public archives if not already.

 

[Deleted member 18243]

Thanks, I love any films of English towns in bygone days.

Speaking of Salford, I watched "Hobson's Choice" the other day, on YouTube, restored and in HD. The clarity is stunning.

 

[Charlie George]

Most of the houses/flats that were built in the Seventies to replace the demolished terraces in Salford, have themselves been replaced, barely lasting 30 years, a new school/shopping centre/health centre that lasted only 20 years, and i know at least 10 new pubs that closed within 10 years, the local planning officials of the time wasted an awful amount of our money.

 

[RandomGrinch]

I love any films of English towns in bygone days.
Speaking of Salford, I watched "Hobson's Choice" the other day,

As above, "Tiger Bay" may be fictional, but it's also a great bit of social commentary on my locality.
And it's a nice record of the vast changes to the area, that have occurred within a generation.

 

[Justin Passing]

Wifey's in to all that , in London. Has a few books on it, maybe 500. There were some estates built in the 20's which have always been ridiculously popular. Not much room for cars but that's getting less of a problem now. The houses are just "pleasant" to live in. Trees, interesting shapes of roads, allotments, open spaces for kids now and again, clear bus routes and train 10 minutes away.. Solidly built, decent proportions of rooms, no space wasted. Someone did it right.

Friend of mine was an architect. He got awards for an estate he did in about 1970. Sarf London . It was pulled down after 9 years

 

[Deleted member 18243]

, the local planning officials of the time wasted an awful amount of our money.

Local officials wasting a lot of money! I'm glad they don't do that now.

 

[^woody^]

Try these

Municipal Dreams

municipaldreams.wordpress.com

British Culture Archive | Home

Documenting the changing face of British society through documentary photography.

britishculturearchive.co.uk

Find Photos in the Historic England Archive | Historic England

Browse or buy thousands of historic and modern photographs from our image websites and archive services.

historicengland.org.uk

 

[danechip]

Oh. my sh1thole was build in 1884. Windows falling out of the rotten frames. NN16 8RW if you fancy a google street map.

 

[securespark]

There are some Victorian terraces where I used to live (Heaton Mersey) that have no foundations. The walls are built directly on the soil, as are the flagstone floors. They would have been grim, but they escaped the wrecking ball.

 

[cwhaley]

Most of the houses/flats that were built in the Seventies to replace the demolished terraces in Salford, have themselves been replaced, barely lasting 30 years, a new school/shopping centre/health centre that lasted only 20 years, and i know at least 10 new pubs that closed within 10 years, the local planning officials of the time wasted an awful amount of our money.

That's interesting to hear local knowledge of it. I find it amazing that much of the rubble from the homes in Salford was used to build the foundations for the new motorways around Manchester. Were these all estate-type pubs built?

There was a large development in Basford, Nottingham which consisted of four 20-storey blocks and a number of other smaller blocks all built in 1968. They were all knocked down in 1985 as they had become dilapidated, crime-ridden and dangerous. There was also another development in Hyson Green, Nottingham which consisted of 583 flats built in 1965. These were knocked down in 1987 as there were problems with the 'deck access' layout.

Funny comparing pictures of their final days to the reports produced by British Pathe when they were first built, during the optimistic '60s.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I have a real interest in the social history of Britain in the 1960s, particularly the changing nature of social and state help for the poor, the conditions of the poor and the 'slum clearances' of the late '60s.

That's true of many industrial town scapes. Hurriedly and cheaply built, to provide somewhere for local employees to live. Then in the 60's, they were replaced with yet more hurriedly and cheaply built housing stock, in the rush to modernise. And so we go on.

 

[cwhaley]

That's true of many industrial town scapes. Hurriedly and cheaply built, to provide somewhere for local employees to live. Then in the 60's, they were replaced with yet more hurriedly and cheaply built housing stock, in the rush to modernise. And so we go on.

Very true. I think the 1920s and '30s were an exception as the government at the time did make some considerable effort in building what they called a "land fit for heroes". I suppose the urgency wasn't there as much as it was during times of rapid expansion.

My mother-in-law used to live in a 1950-built ex-corporation house, built with concrete slabs filled with pebbles. Can't remember what the design name was, but it was exhibiting the some of the same problems as the housing stock it replaced!

 

[gant]

Might be of interest.