Hi wessex
I've looked at your back to backs in Bradford and they look like they are of the terrace type of house that replaced back to backs, they appear to have a small rear garden which backs on to another back garden this is not really possible with a back to back house.
I know there were back to backs in the northern cities in the mill towns, but i assumed they would have been similar to Birmingham's back to backs especially in in Manchester , Liverpool and Nottingham, etc.
I expect that they have all gone the same way as Brum's but maybe someone out there knows of some survivors.
phill
the water level rose every winter, something to do with the water table in the area rising, if we had coconut it probably would floated down sherlock streetWe used to keep a coconut mat over the cellar head to stop the rain getting in. Can't remember how well it worked, but don't remember having to swim for the coal and slack.
our back house consisted of one attic, one bedroom, one living room. and the cooker & sink, with one cold water tap was situated in a 4ft by 7ft area on top of the cellar steps; one door into a communal yard, 2 shared toilets across the yard, so you sat with one foot against the door and whistled a tune. we also had a washhouse that 4 houses shared with a big boiler in fr boiling your washing. The attic & bedroom was connected by a single flight of stairs that went straight up the back wall,One of my senior school friends lived in a back to back in Wiiliam Street, Lozells (the Newtown side). I think the street was knocked down in the late 60's and they were rehoused in a newly built block of flats.
I can remember it quite well, there were four houses in the 'back' section which you got to up an entry between the main street terrace, each had a small front garden. The front door opened into one room which they used to eat in as there was a small kitchen area at the back. The other room was used as the lounge.
I think there were two bedrooms and a small bathroom/ toilet upstairs - presumably that may have been part of a bedroom area as I imagine the original house wouldn't have had a bathroom?
there was eight of us at one time, i know all about topping & tailing, i went to bed one night and there was an almighty crash; the bed collapsed and there i was sat with my head through the slatted headboard i'm lucky i've still got my ears,pmcdermott
Its sounds as if your house was the same as mine, only ours had no attic and the extra bit of room that enabled us to fit two double beds in our (the kids) bedroom came from the bedroom extending half over the entry.
If you had a large family like ours you would recognise the term topping and tailing in the beds.
Phil