When I was two we moved into our first home which was a prefab. It was made of asbestos and was the corner house of a little estate of prefabs, built after the war. It had everything built in including a separate bathroom and toilet (both indoors), hot and cold running water, a coal fire… and built in cupboards, drawers, and wardrobes.
We lived there for 23 years but didn’t realise how lucky we were as we thought it was cold in the winter but hot in the summer. Because the window frames were metal, temperature expansion used to cause the glass to crack! Also, it was a little on the small side as our family grew.
Fire hazard
However we were mainly happy there. We were able to play farms in our garden as it was not very cultivated, and I used to keep furry caterpillars and ladybirds but didn’t understand where they used to disappear to. A major problem with the prefabs were that they were quite a fire hazard, and one night the house behind ours caught fire; the only thing left standing were the four metal corner posts.
There was always talk of pulling the prefabs down and putting permanent housing there, but this did not happen till after I was married and left home. There were permanent prefabs not far from us and they had pebble dashed walls and wooden window frames, so are possibly still standing.
Comments
A lovely image, the prefabs are often spoken of but sadly not many photos. Its changed a lot since this photo was taken….. will try to get you an up to date photo
If you would like to visit a prefab one has been reconstructed at the Avoncroft museum on the outskirts of Bromsgrove. It is furnished in post-war style (many of the items reminded me of my childhood home). You can go inside and look around.
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