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Prefabs

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'
Hi OldMohawk, looking back at one of your old photos (598566) of the Prefab (city) I was surprised to see so many on one site, I only remember seeing them around parks and a few on an island at the bottom of Warren farm road. I did a bit of Electrical repair work on a few of them which was pretty easy as the faults were usually just bad connections in the roof space near the Man hole, the connections were simular to the push on type we saw in car wiring. thanks for the Photo. Al
 
post 299 nice looking property middle left of the black and white photo..wonder what it was...gone now of course what a shame

lyn
I think that you are referring to the Greet Inn pub. Yes, it's been gone now for over ten years. No one living around there to use it! This was it in 1988.

The Greet Inn - Warwick Road - 1988.jpg
 
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Sorry - just realised it is the Wake Green Road ones which are there. Yardley Wood went a while ago but some of the bushes from their gardens remain.
Wow, just decided to 'search' prefabs on this fab site. I lived in a prefab as a child in about 1958 for a few years, in my mind now that was an enchanting time (for me as a child). Mum, dad, sister, Caroline and me. We lived in the ones on Yardley wood Road ours was directly opposite the doctors. I recall my first doctor there was a wonderful Dr Caddigan. The doctors surgery is still there but it is now a health centre AND I am still registered there - not strictly allowed as I do not live in area now, but I agreed to no house visits if a problem so allowed. I wonder if I am the longest serving 'patient'? In fact there is still the old wooden rocking horse still there that was in the original building - it is kept on view but out of reach to children now due to age and need to protect it.
As I recall our prefab had a beautiful lilac tree in garden, garden, ha. As a family we would walk to Trittiford Park on a Sunday and take out a rowing boat. I have 1 picture left of us four on a boat with my dad rowing he took pic so not in pic. I went to Our Lady of Lourdes School. I also notice that there is no mention of either of my schools, the already mentioned OLOL or Arch Bishop Ilsley in Acocks Green - 1966 to 1970. No mention in the schools section either. Cant believe no one on site did not go to one of those schools - it cant have been so boring....Paul H setting fire to the annex building of school..so he had to leave school early...permanently.
 
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hi peter you may be interested in this thread

 
hi peter you may be interested in this thread

I have posted this before. The one at Avoncroft, was next door to the Howells on Moat Lane, Yardley, we lived across and down the street, June Howell. their daughter was my FIRST girlfriend ever!! Often wonder what happened to her.
 
For the record. This is the prefab originally built in Moat Lane in 1946 which now resides at the open air Avoncroft Museum, Bromsgrove. Viv.

View attachment 146324
I understood that Prefabs, built to help with people bombed out during the war. The Howells that lived next door to the one at Avoncroft, may have been just that, June Howell was my age, wonder if she is still alive and well? FIRST LOVE FOR ME!!
 
I lived in a prefab in Umberslade Rd Selly Oak, there were only ten built there. I often wondered if there was any way I could find out when they were built and what was on the land before they were erected. They were situated between a row of established brick houses. The number of the house prior to the prefabs was 72, the first prefab was 78 and the last prefab was 96. The brick houses then commenced with number with 102. Any help and suggestions would be much appreciated G.
 
Quite a lot of the land for Prefabs was leased form the parks department and subsequently handed back. Prefabs cost slightly more to build than conventional housing but were much quicker to erect. I cannot remember the exact number, but I think they had a planned ten-year life. Of course, most of them well exceeded this planned life cycle.

The prefabs did lay the foundations to system building and modular construction in a controlled environment.
 
hi grea...i take it humberslade road is a fairly new road ...when i put it in the scottish maps it comes up as on this part of the map but i cant see a road of that name so maybe the area on the map is where the prefabs were built...knowing the area maybe you can figure it out...link below

lyn

Lyn could it be that you are spelling it with a H and not a U. Umberslade Road is an old established Rd, probably 200 to 120 years old G
1956 map - I assume this shows the 10 prefabs
View attachment 146338

same area in 1937
View attachment 146339
1956 map - I assume this shows the 10 prefabs
View attachment 146338

same area in 1937
That’s brilliant,I wonder what the land was before the prefabs were built
 
grea i spelt it umberslade on the scottish maps but not on my post will edit..so the map i posted is correct
 
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