Teachers Notes: A brief history of social (council) housing
These notes are background information for the teaching activity ‘How did the vision turn out in
reality: Housing in the 1950s and 60s’
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1851 54% people lived in urban areas
– 24.8% of the population lived in 10 large (over 100,000 people) urban areas
- people of all classes generally lived in rented housing owned by private landlords
throughout the Victorian/Edwardian period
1860s Some philanthropic societies were building model housing – generally blocks of
tenements (mainly in London) where working people (not the poor) could rent flats eg
Beaconsfield buildings, Improved Industrial Dwellings Company and Peabody Trust
- some large factory owners were building model housing estates for employees eg Titus
Salt at Saltaire
1869 – St Martin’s Cottages - working class tenements built in Liverpool – 124 flats in a
tenement block – claimed to be 1st ever council houses
- Liverpool also had Victoria Square Dwellings in 1885 - 6 tenement buildings on Peabody
lines.- open to all – poorest people were subsidised
1875 Artizans Dwellings Act - allowed councils to clear slums and draw up improvement
acts. .
1880s saw the beginning of middle classes moving to the suburbs
1885 Royal Commission on the Housing of the Working Classes revealed extent of
overcrowding in inner city areas.
- Legislation enacted to re-house people displaced by slum clearance
- Around 28 model housing societies existed and provided homes for 4% of London’s
population – mainly better off working people – the tenement blocks were not popular compared to army barracks although they had very good amenities for the period
1890 Housing of the Working Classes Act - allowed London’s local councils to build
houses as well as clearing away slums - councils had to re-house at least half the people
displaced by slum clearance.
- This was the real start of councils providing people with houses for rent although very few
were built before World War One.
1892 –London County Council (LCC) had been formed in 1889 - began building tenement
blocks eg Beechcroft Gardens
1895 LCC Boundary Estate, Bethnal Green, the layout was planned to look less like army
barracks – these are generally regarded as the1st real council houses (housing density =
359 people per acre)
1900 Housing of the Working Classes Act extended 1890 act to places outside London –
councils allowed to buy land outside their own district
1903 LCC began to build ‘garden village’ type estates in the suburbs.- 1st was Totterdown
Fields estate in Tooting.- these estates had a high housing density (number of people per
acre) but were landscaped and had varied designs with high specification houses – this
policy continued to 1907 when Progressive party (Liberal) was replaced by Moderates
(Conservative)
1911 79% of the population lived in towns - 43.8% of the population lived in 36 large cities
(over 100,000 people)
- The provision of house building by private builders fluctuated and did not keep pace with
numbers moving to towns.
- Councils owned only 0.25 % of cheap rented housing.
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By 1912 Liverpool had provided 2,300 dwellings, demolished over 5,000 houses and
improved over 11,000 – had policy of providing houses only for people whose houses
were demolished
- Manchester and Sheffield also had council houses
- London County council (LCC) had built about 12 schemes – had a policy of providing
houses for those who lost houses but they were not necessarily re-housed in the same
area –
1918 –‘ Homes fit for Heroes’ national housing programme ‘pivot of post war social policy’
(Burnett, see below) – the aim was not just more but better quality housing
- there was an acceptance for 1st time that private builders would not be able to produce
enough quality homes at affordable rents
- it was also accepted that central government spending would have to support local
authorities in this programme.
- Tudor Walters Report – recommended standards for new council houses (called
‘cottages’);there were standards for; size of house, number of rooms, provision of facilities
including bathrooms also layout of estates on garden suburb type principals
1919 – Local Government Board issued a Housing Manual based on these standards
- Housing and Town Planning Act (Addison Act) was passed under a Coalition
government. All local authorities to survey housing needs and make and carry out plans for
provision of new council housing, to be approved by Ministry of Health. Treasury to bear
costs not covered by locally raised penny rate - rents to be fixed independent of costs up to
1927.
State was taking responsibility for provision of working class housing
1921 - 170,000 council (‘Addison’) houses had been built (need had been estimated at
500,000)
1922 – Minister of Health announced end of state intervention in housing
1923 – Housing Act (Chamberlain Act) was passed under a Conservative government to
boost private enterprise building by offering private builders subsidies for building working
class housing
– local authorities could still build houses but had to make a case to get a subsidy
– minimum size and standard of houses was reduced
1924 Housing Act (Wheatley) under a Labour government aimed to boost the number of
houses built – increased the size of the subsidy to local authorities who were building
houses
1927 – housing manual issued with lower building standards
- LCC started building flats as well as estates of ‘cottages’
– the flats were of a higher standard than pre war tenements – maximum of 5 floors (low
rise)
late 1920s architects of the ‘Modern’ Movement began to design flats for inner cities based
on the European model
- social reasons were; keep families in the inner city where they previously lived thus
preserving communities; preserve the countryside;
- also financial reasons but flats were not cheaper than houses
1934 – in the 10 years since 1924 493,000 ‘Wheatly’ houses had been built by local
authorities
- 31% of the total housing built since 1919 was council housing
- still not enough provision for working class to meet 1919 targets
- many working class people moved out of town centres to suburban estates - particularly
outside London
- this led to the start of mass commuting
1930s – large scale slum clearance - housing policies were aimed at the poorer working
class – lower standards were introduced for estate houses and more flats were built
1930 Housing Act (Greenwood) introduced sliding scale of rents depending on income
etc
Offered special subsidy for flats
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1933 Housing Act passed under a Labour government - provided a government subsidy
(per person) for slum clearance – this was dependent on the people being re-housed
1920s/30s – the typical council house was occupied by better off working families not the
poorest people – rents were higher than for private rented accommodation (over 13
shillings a week = £1.05p)
- Flats = 5% total council housing, 40% in London, 20% in Liverpool
1938/9 – An Enquiry into People’s Homes – this large scale survey showed only 1 in 20
people wanted to live in a flat most wanted a small house in a garden
1919 – 1939 almost 4 million new houses were built – 1.112 million were built by local
authorities.
1945 26% houses were owner occupied, 1950 29%, 1966 47%, 1970 49% 1983 63%. In
1914 under 10% of houses were owner occupied
1947 12% of houses were rented from a Local Authority (Council) or New Town
development corporation. In 1983 it was 29% ;
1947 58% of houses were rented from private landlords. In 1983 11%
475,000 homes were destroyed during WW2 – the post war Labour government accepted it
had to build houses
1944 Housing Manual (Dudley Report) set new, higher specifications
– cooking facilities had previously been ranges in the living room and were moved into
kitchens
- flats were to include sunny balconies where possible
1946 10 year plan to build new houses for all - mainly by local authorities
– there was more emphasis on the appearance of estates and thought given to location
– architects and planners regarded themselves as social engineers - they felt a sense of
mission to create beauty and a sense of community
– the aim was ‘neighbourhood units’ mixed development schemes with a variety of house
sizes and types (including flats) which would ‘mix the social classes’;
- another aim was high density, multi-storey buildings which would lift the streets into the
sky; and traffic-free ‘pedestrian precincts’ to protect those who remained on the ground.
- flats were to be like a ‘vertical garden city’
– these ideas came from the architect Le Corbusier
- they were also applied to New Towns and overspill towns- less semis more maisonettes,
flats and terraces
late 1940s start of mixed development schemes by London County Council (LCC) Alton
Estate Roehampton – Churchill Gardens, Pimlico
the 1st multi story tower block was built in Harlow New Town
mid 1950s lower building standards introduced by the Conservative government – a
subsidy was given to councils for high rise blocks
By 1957 2.5 million houses and flats had been built -75% of them were built by local
authorities
- 9% of them were tower blocks (over 5 floors)
1965 – 1969 1.8 million homes were built – 50%of them by local authorities
1961 Parker Morris Report - introduced new standards - more space/better
heating/improved kitchens
- housing was to reflect the new way of life – the rise of motor car ownership etc
– this led to more low rise terraced housing, through rooms/open plan, 3 beds, large
windows
– this style was much used in New Towns
1964 55% of the housing built by local authorities was flats
1966 26% of the housing built by local authorities was tall tower blocks (over 5 floors)
- the Housing Corporation was established to set up housing associations (these bodies
built social housing often for specific groups eg elderly people or people with disabilities)
- a major slum clearance scheme was started
end of 1960s a policy of refurbishing old houses was introduced in addition to building new
housing
1970s – investment in public housing fell
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– the right to buy policy was introduced– encouraging people to become home owners
- 10% of housing built by local authorities was tall tower blocks (over 5 floors)
- housing policy changed to building low rise – high density terraces – refurbishment of
older properties continued
1972 A survey of high rise tenants found flats were not always unpopular. This did depend
on the general appearance and character of the estate and how it was looked after.
1975 council housing was one third of all housing stock
1979 40% of the population lived in council housing
end of 1970s – 4,500 tower blocks had been built
1983 –the private sector built 72% of houses
Booklist
A Social History of Housing 1815 – 1985, John Burnett 1978 and 1986 ISBN 0-415-05921-6
Estates An Intimate History, Lynsey Hanley 2007 ISBN 13:978-1-86207-909-0
Web
Google Churchill Gardens see
http://www.bbc.co.uk/britainfromabove/stories/buildingbritain/churchillgardens.shtml
Liverpool St Martins cottages/history of council housing
http://www.culture24.org.uk/places+to+go/north+west/liverpool/art26153
http://www.yoliverpool.com/forum/showthread.php?2598-Gardens-Tenements-and-Courts
Victoria Square Dwellings http://streetsofliverpool.co.uk/victoria-square-1954/
Manchester http://ukhousing.wikia.com/wiki/Victoria_Square
Peabody Trust http://www.peabody.org.uk/about-us/history.aspx
Totterdown fields http://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/NR/Wandsworth/localpdf/planning/plothcontotterdw.pdf
General (wiki sites checked for accuracy)
http://environment.uwe.ac.uk/video/cd_new_demo/conweb/house_ages/council_housing/print.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_house
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_block
http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/daily-news/landmark-manchester-tower-blocksrefurbished/5217925.article
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/architecture-the-rise-fall-and-rise-of-the-towerblock-peter-dormer-explains-why-multistorey-homes-once-cursed-may-not-be-so-bad-after-all1395911.html
An estate agents advice on buying ex council housing in London
http://www.findaproperty.com/displaystory.aspx?edid=00&salerent=0&storyid=8453
Architects
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ern%C5%91_Goldfinger
http://designmuseum.org/design/erno-goldfinger
These notes are background information for the teaching activity ‘How did the vision turn out in
reality: Housing in the 1950s and 60s’