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Prefabs

The council, in their infinite wisdom demolished the two-bedroom prefabs and replaced them with one-bedroom flats thinking they are just what OAP want.

Of course, they did not ask OAPs, who really wanted a two-bedroom house. Having a spare bedroom that’s a place for friends and family to stay occasionally is quite desirable
 
Morturn said:
The council, in their infinite wisdom demolished the two-bedroom prefabs and replaced them with one-bedroom flats thinking they are just what OAP want.

Of course, they did not ask OAPs, who really wanted a two-bedroom house. Having a spare bedroom that’s a place for friends and family to stay occasionally is quite desirable
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Morturn, since when has it been the policy of the Council to consider the needs of the people who put them in office and who they are supposed to serve?
 
Smudger said:
We have lots of pre-fabs in our village, mainly for housing "The elderly". They`ve all been recently refurbished & are in great demand. My wife fancies putting our name down for one, but i don`t fancy living in such a small space. I will leave this house only in a wooden ( or cardboard ) box, but not till i`ve had a telegram from the Queen. ( probably Prince Charles by then )
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Just picked up on this thread.
The government of the time intended 500,000 new prefabs to be built, however it turned out there were just over 150,000. One reason was that they were costing much more to manufacture and erect than houses built using conventional techniques (chippes & brickies).
Another reason was that after the war tradespeople with the skills were being demobbed and back at work quicker than was anticipated.
Before anyone points out that they're building prefabs on Icknield Loop in Brum now, it is worth noting that on that particular site less than half are prefabricated - the rest are conventional build. I suspect that the reason they are using prefabricated buildings to get them up and sold as quickly as possible.
 
Vivienne14 said:
Thanks, didn’t realise it had been posted before. Viv.
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Hi Vivienne 14,

I've read similar posts before on the BHF, the only connection I ever had with them is that a relative of my uncles had one in Pype Hayes that backed onto the park, which enabled us to go into the park to start fishing long before it officially opened, (good days they were).

Lozellian.
 
I'm not sure if there was ever a reply to your question, but .... The prefabs were built after the end of the war. So there would be no need to use the Anderson Shelter componenets as air-raid shelters. Doubtless the curved corrugated componenets were produced in enormous quantities and after the end of hostilities any left over would be stacked up in warehouses all over the country.
It probably seemed like a good use of this resource to ship them out to each prefab site to fulful the requirement for a shed to be provided with each prefab to use for coal and storage for garden tools to "Dig for Britain" - even after the war was over. So no need to bury the "Anderson Shelter" shed or cover it with earth.
I hope that helps.
 
That island brings back some memories! I was learning to drive and almost went into the brickwork going round this one as I had not got the hang of steering at the time!!
 
These are in Wylde Green, next to the Emmanuel Church. Are these prefabs or bungalows ? Image is dated 1928. Viv.

93652EB6-0271-4B3C-8305-D71E32589784.jpeg
 
I was told many years ago by a prefab dweller friend their main drawback was keeping them warm in the Winter. Eric
 
Don't think these structures are prefabs in the true sense but, they're interesting nevertheless. I know of someone in the family who rented out a property very similar to that shown for a holiday in the early 60's in Jaywick I believe.

Lozellian.
 
What we used to call holiday chalets when I was kid, Lozellian. I remember my parents rented one for a week on a camp site just outside Burnham-on-Sea. We went by train and changed at Highbridge and took a single decker to the site. The only other thing I recall was a small pool on the site and spending a lot of time watching the guys fishing. :cool:

Maurice
 
I remember pre-fabs my mother owned a grocery store and when I was 14 or so one of my jobs was to deliver folks weekly food orders mostly to older people, we had a couple of customers that lived in pre-fabs and still to this day I remember how horrible they were, metal cabinets the places always felt cold, they where located on Lowhill lane and the Lickey road over looking Coften Park in Rednal,
 
Got Email Avoncroft still has the Moat Lane one be sure to visit if you can. The Anderson Shelter with the sounds is outstanding many UNHAPPY memories with that one
 
I lived in a prefab for ten years. Bad point, cold in winter. Good points, detached, fitted kitchen with fridge and small freezer compartment, (this was the 50s) gardens to the front, sides and huge one at the back, and right opposite a park. Much better than our old yard in aston.
 
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