A collection of 8 black and white negatives, showing a Ministry of Works distribution depot at Sherburn in Elmet Airfield, North Yorkshire. The Temporary Housing Act of 1944/5 was intended to alleviate the acute housing shortages of the immediate postwar years, mostly through the construction of prefabricated, modular housing. 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 construction methods for housing were built during the 1940s. To reduce costs and increase efficiency, a number of distribution centres were established across the country. These centres stored the component parts for both the external and internal pieces of the housing and some of the designs (Swedish and US housing) had parts shipped to the UK to await distribution and construction. In order to maximise efficiency, it was often the case that individual storage and distribution centres housed only the components for one type of prefabricated house, for example, a distribution site could be dedicated exclusively to Tarran prefabricated housing or Uni-Seco’s. It was common for large businesses as well as airfields, Nissen Huts, warehouses and hangers, built for the war and decommissioned after 1945, to be used as distribution centres.
The original Ministry of Works storage envelope incorrectly termed this location as "Sherborne, Leeds”. It also lists the division as "D.D.T.H" and the operator as “B”.
4 of the 8 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
Mid 20th Century Prefabricated House, Mid 20th Century Depot, Mid 20th Century Airfield, People At Work
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