An 'Easiform' house built for the British Empire Exhibition, Wembley, London
Easiform was a building technique developed by John Laing plc in 1919. Concrete walls were constructed on site using a system of moveable steel formwork, rather than conventional bricks and mortar. The British Empire Exhibition was a colonial exhibition held at Wembley, Middlesex in 1924 and 1925. It was opened by King George V on St George’s Day, 23 April. The British Empire contained 58 territories at that time, and only Gambia and Gibraltar did not take part. It cost £12 million and was the largest exhibition ever staged anywhere in the world. It aimed to show off the best that the Empire had to offer. Easiform housing was demonstrated in the 'Palace of Housing & Transport'. John Laing plc built tens of thousands of Easiform homes across the country during the 1950s and 1960s. This was the time of rapid population growth known as the Baby-Boom and new housing needed to be quickly built.