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Prefabs

Charlie Watts of The Stones was brought up in a prefab and I was. Ours was in West Heath in Redhill Rd and there was a farm behind it. Prefabs were only supposed to last five years as emergency housing after the second world war but nearly 70yrs later there are still many around. I live in wolverhampton now and there is a big colony of them just down the road!

This in reply to an old post I just came across in the prefabs forum. I lived in Sir Hiltons Road, West Heath when young and remember watching the workmen erecting the prefabs in Redhill Road in about 1947. They went up very quickly, in a day or two, as I remember. The farm referred to was probably the one known as Browns Farm half way up the 'Man in the Moon' hill. All gone now.
Trevor B.
 
A 1946 view looking south shows prefabs in Olton with Rodney Road and Highwood Ave top right.
View attachment 116739
Enlargement of part of the pic shows that iron sheds were provided and some gardens appear to have rows of vegetables planted.
View attachment 116740
images from 'britainfromabove'
All these prefabs were in alpha Oder named after flowers my Nan lived Dianthus Lane we lived in Highwood Avrnue
 
A 1946 view looking south shows prefabs in Olton with Rodney Road and Highwood Ave top right.
View attachment 116739
Enlargement of part of the pic shows that iron sheds were provided and some gardens appear to have rows of vegetables planted.
View attachment 116740
images from 'britainfromabove'
Just what I was looking for! If I remember rightly there were also some shop prefabs on the corner of Castle Lane and Lode Lane. Does anyone else remember them, or even better, have any photographs?
 
Just what I was looking for! If I remember rightly there were also some shop prefabs on the corner of Castle Lane and Lode Lane. Does anyone else remember them, or even better, have any photographs?
I remember two shops there. They had a brick front wall but behind they were just a shed made of curved corrugated sheeting. The only time I remember going in one was when my mum bought some fabric from a roll with multiple prints of union jacks across its width. When she got home she cut them out, hemmed them and stitched them to white tape. They were then hung from the front of our house to celebrate the coronation in 1953. I expect mum bought other fabrics from there over the years as she made her own curtains and dresses.
 
Have wonderful memories of the prefab shops at Hobs Moat, "Hall Green Hardware" had tin baths hanging outside, Chadwicks (not sure what they were now!), a sweet shop/tobacconist (Dillons?) a little post office. Had a friend who lived at 2 Candytuft Rd/Lane off Rodney Road - a blast from the past!
Exactly what I was searching for. I needed confirmation that there were shop prefabs on the corner of Castle Lane and Lode Lane. You are tight about Dillons. Owned by Tony Dillon who moved to the new shops built at Hobs Moat that are still there. I believe that they did grow into a big chain of Newsagents throughout Birmingham. When the prefab shops were demolished around 1960, I remember rummaging around in the rubble and finding a few old toys left behind.
 
I think that the "prefab shops" on Castle Lane & Lode Lane were Nissen Huts. The prefabs on the rest of the site were of the Arcon MkV type that were clad with asbestos. This is the same type as the one that is now preserved at Avoncroft Museum near to Bromsgrove, that originally was sited at 85 Moat Lane in Yardley. The sheds in the back gardens were made from “Andserson” air-raid shelter components.
 
I think that the "prefab shops" on Castle Lane & Lode Lane were Nissen Huts. The prefabs on the rest of the site were of the Arcon MkV type that were clad with asbestos. This is the same type as the one that is now preserved at Avoncroft Museum near to Bromsgrove, that originally was sited at 85 Moat Lane in Yardley. The sheds in the back gardens were made from “Andserson” air-raid shelter components.
I would agree about the shops. Our neighbour in Coalway Avenue had a garage made of the larger Nissen-style curved sheets. I think they had flat sheets in the cente of the roof to make it wider.
 
So, more than 60 homes demolished that could have been lived in today! The prefabs here were clad with bricks. There is one for sale at the moment
 
That must be by the junction of Warwick Road with Weston Lane, and the building would be the Greet Inn
 
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