A series of 3 black and white negatives, taken for the Ministry of Works, showing exterior views of a completed Wates prefabricated houses in Croydon, London. The Ministry of Works was the government department responsible for ensuring that post-war housing construction addressed the acute housing shortages in the years following the Second World War. This was achieved through the use of prefabricated, modular housing as well as traditional and modern brick methods of construction.
The images depict a pre-cast reinforced concrete (PRC) property built by the Wates construction group. The PRC properties were quick to assemble and required less skilled labour as the concrete panels were bolted together to form the property. The homes were permanent and were intended to last 60 years but by the 1980s many of the PRC houses, such as the Wates, were showing defects. As a result the 1984/85 Housing Defects Act classified them as defective and in need of repair.
2 of the 3 images have been catalogued and digitised.
The original Ministry of Works storage envelope lists the operator as “V” and the division as “Press”.
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 Council House, Mid 20th Century Council Housing Estate
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