A collection of 22 black and white negatives showing the interior and exterior of completed BISF houses at the Ministry of Works demonstration estate, Northolt, Middlesex. 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. There were 15 different units built at the estate, each with their own unique methods and materials of construction. The houses were built by the Ministry of Works 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.
Three types of BISF House (A, B, C) were built at units 12, 13 and 15 of the demonstration estate. BISF stood for the British Iron and Steel Federation- the company responsible for building the homes. The properties were steel framed, with half brick and half steel cladding. A number of the internal fixtures, including the stairs, were prefabricated. It is unclear which property the interior images depict.
The original Ministry of Works storage envelope lists the houses as “B.S.I.F” and the operator as “T”
6 of the 22 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
Steel, Mid 20th Century Prefabricated House, Domestic Interior
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