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Prefabs

hi rita built to house people after ww2 i dont think the prefabs were expected to be around for as long as they were but i believe a lot of people loved living in them

lyn
 
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I lived in a prefab in Umberslade road Selly Oak for ten years. Lovely home and lovely memories. We lived opposite Muntz park which had a dell that held dances at weekends in the summer with live bands. These prefabs had really good size gardens and my old dad grew almost everything. Really happy times there G.
 
Looking at this forum pic from a post in the Kensington Rd thread I can see some prefabs in Woodside Rd Selly Park on the left in the pic.
The original pic was a photobucket loss from the linked thread so replaced 03/08/2017
SellyParkStPaulsConventSellyParkRd.jpg


In a 1945 aerial view there are also some prefabs visible in Selly Ave.
Selly Park 1945.JPG
 
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Pedrocut, I well remember the wooden draining board - especially on Christmas afternoon. Mom had 'done the draining board down' with Chloros - pink bleach if I remember correctly, and scrubbed it well. Late afternoon we would be plonked on there in just our vests ready for a wash prior to going to Nannies house by Witton Lakes. I can still remember the smell of the bleach and the feel of the damp boards!
 
Having always lived in a house with bathroom - even in the RAF baths were available - I cannot say that I have ever been on close terms with draining boards of any type. :) I do remember wooden ones, which I am sure were usually removable for thorough scrubbing.
However, my memories of wooden draining boards are of my late father, of blessed memory, using them when at a family party for his party piece of tap dancing. Tap dancing was, of course very popular in the twenties and thirties when he was a young man but he kept it up well into late age. He was far more fleet of foot than I, as I never really managed to be a good as he was. ;)
 
Radiorails, I seem to have misled you - we had a bathroom in the pre-fab but this wash a quick wash and brush up before we went to the party. We would have had a bath and hair wash the night before.
 
Having always lived in a house with bathroom - even in the RAF baths were available - I cannot say that I have ever been on close terms with draining boards of any type. :) I do remember wooden ones, which I am sure were usually removable for thorough scrubbing.
However, my memories of wooden draining boards are of my late father, of blessed memory, using them when at a family party for his party piece of tap dancing. Tap dancing was, of course very popular in the twenties and thirties when he was a young man but he kept it up well into late age. He was far more fleet of foot than I, as I never really managed to be a good as he was. ;)
Funny you should mention this, I used to tap dance but I kept falling in the sink. Away from the corn, I remember the prefab in Court Lane and on Slade Road and on Saturday on my tour of my old haunts (my wife hates these tours) I saw that those in Slade Road have been replaced by similar size bungalows. Was their a special hospital here ...Highcroft Hall? My aunt who was brought up in Grays Road, Harborne, married a Yorkshireman, moved to Bradford and was allotted a prefab, I went to stay with them and they enthused as to how cosy it was
 
Looking at this forum pic from a post in the Kensington Rd thread I can see some prefabs in Woodside Rd Selly Park.
SellyParkStPaulsConventSellyParkRd.jpg


In a 1945 aerial view there are also some prefabs visible in Selly Ave.
View attachment 113260
 
Having read most of the contributors to this subject. many would think that living in a prefab was a very pleasant experience.

I lived in one of them on Wake Green Road for 23 years and while we liked having two decent sized bedrooms, a good lounge, a fitted kitchen, a bathroom and separate toilet, they were cold in the winter and hot in the summer. The only heating was by way of a coal fire in the lounge so the bedrooms were icy cold, unless we could afford an electric fire in the colder months. There was an electric heater on the hot tank for hot water but that cost an arm and a leg to run. The aluminium framed windows would ice up on the inside occasionally. My mother was a young war widow so times were hard. We were happy though.

We of course knew all of our neighbours on our side of the road as those living opposite in 'proper houses' seemed to resent us being there as we probably spoilt their view, or was it snobbery? We've kept in touch with some of the children who lived in the prefabs close to us and that's not bad as we moved in in 1946!
 
Hi Grea. I can't see any details about booking, but in one of the publications it's says last year they issued tickets. So it might be best to drop them an email to:

[email protected]

Viv.
 
thanks viv...must say that when i toured a fully kitted out pre fab at avoncroft museum i really enjoyed it...had that homely feel to it ..looks like we can just turn up but as you advise its best to check first..

lyn
 
Thank you Viv. I will do that in the morning. Lived 1st ten years of my life in a prefab and loved every minute. G
 
A 1946 view looking south shows prefabs in Olton with Rodney Road and Highwood Ave top right.
Prefabs.jpg
Enlargement of part of the pic shows that iron sheds were provided and some gardens appear to have rows of vegetables planted.
prefabcloseup.JPG
images from 'britainfromabove'
 
An upcoming event at Wake Green. The link below is an interesting site, with more info - not just Brum prefabs. Viv.

https://www.prefabmuseum.uk/moving-prefab/

View attachment 116727
As a former resident of these very prefabs, (I lived there for 25 years) I'm tempted to attend but think I'll be giving it a miss as I live in Lancashire these days. Of course, I've got many memories of growing up there, mostly happy.

The prefabs were very cold in the winter with paper thin dividing walls and only a coal fire in the lounge for heating. We also had an electric immersion heater for hot water. I remember the council installing a fridge in the kitchen - such luxury! It had BTH on the front.
 
Brings back a few memories oldMokawk! I was brought up in Knightsbridge Road, off Highwood Avenue, just off the top right corner of your picture. Each walkway through the prefabs was named after a flower or shrub and were in alphabetical order starting, if I remember correctly, with Azalea Lane (I think it was Lane!) the only other one I can remember is Nepeta (Lane). I wonder if there's a map or list of the other names. I remember that on a still day, for some reason the smoke from the chimneys didn't go up into the air but ran down along the roof and into the footpaths or gardens. I don't know if that was the same with all prefabs.
 
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