A collection of 4 black and white images of complete prefabricated “Universal Houses” in Streatham, London. The Universal House (in both bungalow and two-story form) was produced by the Rickmansworth based construction company Universal Housing Co Ltd. Around 2,000 of the properties were built in the UK. The Temporary Housing Act of 1944/5 was intended to alleviate the acute housing shortages of the immediate postwar years. The Ministry of Works was the government department tasked with the organisation and efficiency of the push for housing construction. A number of individual designs and constructions methods for housing were built during the 1940s, of which the “Universal” method was one. The bungalows were intended to be temporary, although many outlived their original 10 year lifespan. The prefabricated construction method involved precast concrete panels joined onto a steel frame. As of 2019, a bungalow “Universal House” has been preserved and is on display at Chiltern Open Air Museum.
The original Ministry of Works storage envelope lists operator as “E”.
2 of the 4 images were catalogued and digitised as part of a 2020 project.
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
Concrete, Steel, Mid 20th Century Prefabricated House
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