A collection of 73 black and white mixed format negatives, showing a variety of demonstration houses and flats constructed by the Ministry of Works in 1944 and 1945. The Ministry of Works was the government department tasked with the organisation and efficiency of the push for postwar housing construction. The Temporary Housing Act of 1944/5 was intended to alleviate the acute housing shortages of the immediate postwar years. The majority of the images depict the interior layouts of the demonstration houses and flats constructed at Northolt in 1944. The houses were built by the Ministry of Works in Northolt, Middlesex as an experiment and data gathering exercise. The project estimated the building costs for each of the advocated approaches to postwar housing construction, including steel framed, poured concrete and brick house. The houses were built in a “T” shape on the adjacent streets of Edward Road and West End Gardens. A booklet entitled “Demonstration Houses: A Short Account of the Demonstration Houses and Flats erected at Northolt by the Ministry of Works”, summarised the findings of the project. The collection also contains examples of the construction of Swedish Houses at an unknown location as well as images of modifications made to the Portal pre-fabricated bungalow.
51 of the 76 images were catalogued and digitised as part of a 2019 project.
The original Ministry of Works storage envelope lists the operator as “T”.
This is part of the Sub Series: PSA01/04/H Housing; within the Series: PSA01/04 Negatives; within the Collection: PSA01 Property Services Agency
Source: Historic England Archive
Mid 20th Century Prefabricated House, Domestic Interior
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