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Prefabs

aston lad said:
One of the last occupants was a Edith N Latham who died in December 1979, I knew her from my days living in Aston, she just to tell me off for being cheeky to her but while living in the prefabs she would wait for me to pass her home when I was coming home from work and call me into her house and give a slice of cake etc, I was probably the only person she knew after she moved from Aston..
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lovely memories john

lyn
 
pjmburns said:
Todays Birmingham Mail
www.birminghammail.co.uk

Frozen in time - 17 homes earmarked for demolition in the 1950s

The Wake Green Road prefabs have outlived tens of thousands of others across the country
www.birminghammail.co.uk www.birminghammail.co.uk

Must say some are looking in need of some tlc
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Yes, that's sad. I had occasion to be passing these old prefabs quite frequently recently, after a long time since I last saw them, and some seem almost derelict with overgrown gardens. Shame! They always used to be so spick and span.
 
such a shame that birmingham city council cant find a few quid to do up these prefabs especially when they are spending billions on other projects....as usual it seems that our history counts for nothing:confused:

lyn
 
I am sorry to say this , but BCC has a history of destroying it's historic buildings, for the sake of Modernity, as they see it, but as far as I can recollect, they have never asked the citizens of Brum for their opinion.
 
paul stacey said:
I am sorry to say this , but BCC has a history of destroying it's historic buildings, for the sake of Modernity, as they see it, but as far as I can recollect, they have never asked the citizens of Brum for their opinion.
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ive been saying that for years paul but what can we do...as you say the people of birmingham do not have a voice...very sad

lyn
 
I have to say Lyn, and pjmburns, that with the dawning of the 21st C, this would have changed, and citizens, would have been consulted about their history, and what to safeguard or not, sad really, as some one who remembers the wholesale destruction of some of the most beautiful and historic buildings in late 50's and early sixty's.
 
We all have a voice, it's called a vote and it's about time we all used it to get rid of this useless Council who seem hell bent on wasting money on stupid projects without any sort of consultation.
 
jimbo said:
We all have a voice, it's called a vote and it's about time we all used it to get rid of this useless Council who seem hell bent on wasting money on stupid projects without any sort of consultation.
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to be honest jim i dont think it matters what council is in.....what we need is a council who have members who will stand up and stand their corner in the battle to preserving our historical buildings and national treasures before we have nothing left... i feel i can say this as along with dr mike hodder i actively spent months trying to save one such building....some of you may remember it all fell on deaf ears and it was flattened but at least i did try:confused: nuff said and i keep my fingers crossed for our last remaining pre fabs

lyn
 
Astoness said:
ive been saying that for years paul but what can we do...as you say the people of birmingham do not have a voice...very sad

lyn
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The citizens of Birmingham elect their council to represent them, I suppose that’s their voice. Are they still under council control or a private trust these days, just wondering
 
There is a group called The Prefabulous group, I think they are heavily involved with these Prefabs.
 
From the report in the Mail:

In 2017, the 'Prefabulous' partnership was formed when Birmingham Conservation Trust, the 20th Century Society and the Prefab Museum joined forces to try and save the Wake Green prefabs.
Funding was obtained from Historic England for a scoping scheme, carried out the following spring, and negotiations got under way with Birmingham City Council, which owns 16 of the time-warp homes.
Then Covid hit and neighbours say talk of a future being secured for these properties fell silent.

Asked what the future holds for these historic steel-framed dwellings, Birmingham City Council confirmed the plan is to restore them - however there isn't the budget to do that currently.
The authority said it is now looking into a phased refurbishment programme, and is considering covering the empty properties up with hoarding or fencing in the meantime.
 
They were a brilliant design. No one these days seems able to come up with such clever but simple ideas. We lived in one of the Valley prefabs on Yardley Wood Road for 10 years.
 
Thanks for the link Morturn. Interesting that there are examples preserved at Chiltern Air Museum and the Imperial War Museum. Hadn’t realised servicemen and their families were given priority. Viv.
 
A relative of my father Ted Francis, lived in 413 Wake Green Road Moseley. I visited him into the 1980s. His prefab was renovated and I understand a lady lived there subsequently. It is an unusual design with many original features. These prefabs are grade two listed (not that this will protect them) They were open to the public on heritage days in 2016. Are any of them lived in now? I was last there a couple of years ago, but the condition of unoccupied buildings change rapidly.
https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101022576-413-wake-green-road-springfield-ward

https://c20society.org.uk/c20-regions/event-birmingham-prefabs

www.prefabmuseum.uk

Prefab front garden, 413 Wake Green Road, Moseley

www.prefabmuseum.uk www.prefabmuseum.uk
The Prefab museum is on-line, but a fund of information.

You can go inside a prefab at Avoncroft Museum of Buildings near Bromsgrove.

I hope some at least in Wake Green can be saved. Ted's had a fitted kitchen and was all electric. He lived there for many years with his cat.

I see from the Feb Mail article that some are still lived in.
 
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Stokkie said:
A relative of my father Ted Francis, lived in 413 Wake Green Road Moseley. I visited him into the 1980s. His prefab was renovated and I understand a lady lived there subsequently. It is an unusual design with many original features. These prefabs are grade two listed (not that this will protect them) They were open to the public on heritage days in 2016. Are any of them lived in now? I was last there a couple of years ago, but the condition of unoccupied buildings change rapidly.
https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101022576-413-wake-green-road-springfield-ward

https://c20society.org.uk/c20-regions/event-birmingham-prefabs

www.prefabmuseum.uk

Prefab front garden, 413 Wake Green Road, Moseley

www.prefabmuseum.uk www.prefabmuseum.uk
The Prefab museum is on-line, but a fund of information.

You can go inside a prefab at Avoncroft Museum of Buildings near Bromsgrove.

I hope some at least in Wake Green can be saved. Ted's had a fitted kitchen and was all electric. He lived there for many years with his cat.
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i loved going round the one at the avoncroft museum....think there is a thread for it with photos

lyn
 
Stokkie said:
A relative of my father Ted Francis, lived in 413 Wake Green Road Moseley. I visited him into the 1980s. His prefab was renovated and I understand a lady lived there subsequently. It is an unusual design with many original features. These prefabs are grade two listed (not that this will protect them) They were open to the public on heritage days in 2016. Are any of them lived in now? I was last there a couple of years ago, but the condition of unoccupied buildings change rapidly.
https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101022576-413-wake-green-road-springfield-ward

https://c20society.org.uk/c20-regions/event-birmingham-prefabs

www.prefabmuseum.uk

Prefab front garden, 413 Wake Green Road, Moseley

www.prefabmuseum.uk www.prefabmuseum.uk
The Prefab museum is on-line, but a fund of information.

You can go inside a prefab at Avoncroft Museum of Buildings near Bromsgrove.

I hope some at least in Wake Green can be saved. Ted's had a fitted kitchen and was all electric. He lived there for many years with his cat.
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There is there one of the prefabs from Moat Lane Yardley
 
I didn't know that oldbrit. The Prefab museum has a lot of information about prefabs in many parts of the country. But many 20C buildings are unloved. They need to be well maintained if anyone is to use them though.
 
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Stokkie said:
Thanks Lyn, Avoncroft needs our support too! An interesting place, and well worth a trip. Will look for that thread.
Derek
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i agree stokkie....brum has lost far too many historic buildings so its lovely to see some of them that have been saved...in case you cant find it click on link below...i did post some photos of the inside of the prefab

lyn

Prefab at 85 moat lane yardley

hi folks i visited the avoncroft museum bromsgrove yesterday and to my surprise there was an old pre fab house that was once in birmingham...i cant believe just how spacious they were and i can certainly see how after the war people would be only too happy to live in one...here is the...
birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk
 
Astoness said:
i agree stokkie....brum has lost far too many historic buildings so its lovely to see some of them that have been saved...in case you cant find it click on link below...i did post some photos of the inside of the prefab

lyn

Prefab at 85 moat lane yardley

hi folks i visited the avoncroft museum bromsgrove yesterday and to my surprise there was an old pre fab house that was once in birmingham...i cant believe just how spacious they were and i can certainly see how after the war people would be only too happy to live in one...here is the...
birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk
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Lived in one spacious should start building them again.
 
Most of the ones on Wake Green look in a sorry state.
I think a few are occupied but unless I see someone at one it is hard to tell.
 
Stokkie said:
A relative of my father Ted Francis, lived in 413 Wake Green Road Moseley. I visited him into the 1980s. His prefab was renovated and I understand a lady lived there subsequently. It is an unusual design with many original features. These prefabs are grade two listed (not that this will protect them) They were open to the public on heritage days in 2016. Are any of them lived in now? I was last there a couple of years ago, but the condition of unoccupied buildings change rapidly.
https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101022576-413-wake-green-road-springfield-ward

https://c20society.org.uk/c20-regions/event-birmingham-prefabs

www.prefabmuseum.uk

Prefab front garden, 413 Wake Green Road, Moseley

www.prefabmuseum.uk www.prefabmuseum.uk
The Prefab museum is on-line, but a fund of information.

You can go inside a prefab at Avoncroft Museum of Buildings near Bromsgrove.

I hope some at least in Wake Green can be saved. Ted's had a fitted kitchen and was all electric. He lived there for many years with his cat.

I see from the Feb Mail article that some are still lived in.
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More than half are still lived in and I'm making enquiries to find out if any of the empty ones are likely to be opening up in September. I've been involved on the Heritage Open Days that they were open for four years up to 2019.413 Wake Green Road (2).jpg.
 
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