Post War Prefabs

[H.Astaire]

Hello everybody, I am currently conducting a study into post war regeneration focusing on prefabs. Does anyone have any stories about post war Dulwich that they'd like to share with me? Did you live in a prefab? How do you feel about the prefabs in East Dulwich, do you like them or not? It doesn't have to be action packed excitment, just your memories and thoughts, any little thing would do. I look forward to hearing from you!

[steveo]

Here's a thing what I writ about prefabs

[computedshorty]

I worked putting up these for Greenaway and Son of Lordship Lane, two are still there.

They were both sides of Lordship Lane between Heber and Goodrich roads, there must have been about fifty in Friern Road and Etherow Street, and the corner of Cheltenham Road and Stuart Road Peckham Rye.

[computedshorty]

Having worked on the bombed damaged houses from 1945 for two years then continue to Prefabs later two storied sectional houses then new houses I have a little knowledge of time factor involved.

At most only a part could be built.

The claim to build a complete Prefabricated Bungalow in a day is not possible.

The sites that most of the London Prefabs were built on were occupied by former buildings, these remains having been removed and the cellars and basements plus the crater of the bomb itself filled in and compressed to a stable foundation, did take a considerable time as there was very little construction machinery in those days.

The preparation of the site of each Prefab had to be marked and a Datum set (height set to allow draining into local sewer ).

Nearly all trenches for drainage were hand dug by Irish Navvies, these were dug first and a pipe was positioned underneath to exit inside the solid foundation base where the toilet would be situated, to be connected later, the trench that was back filled over this pipe, a tool called a jumping Jack was held by an operator that jumped up and the weight of the machine compressed the clay then the hardcore of broken bricks then a layer of ballast, over this a membrane as a damp course, the base was a level single pour of concrete of six inches that was mixed on site in an 18/12 Mixer, and by wheelbarrow into the preformed base area made to shape for the Prefab that had been made by using reinforced steel lengths called formers these were secured in position with iron pegs and locked in position, and the height adjusted to true level again.

The damp course that had to be placed under the exterior walls was of bright copper, it protruded out and was bent down to protect the concrete base from water penetration, in those days there was always a night watchman on each site or this would soon have vanished, and no site had any hoarding to keep out the public.

The type of Prefab we had to erect was made of Asbestos, sections about four foot wide eight foot tall an inch and a half thick the windows Galvanised Crittel with small glass panes, a porch over the front door. Some of the inside cupboards were as to day quick assemble the interior doors had to be hung as they did not fit exactly the Cooker sink bath and toilet all fitted into their places, one fire place, the floor had to be covered in a liquid mixture that when spread out with a float tool found its own level as it dried out.

The sections of the bungalow came on several lorries, in those days there had not been many large lorries made, mostly old Ex Military ones, and all sections had to be carried across the site by several men, the men that put the parts together laid out the side sections on the ground around the base to make sure each one was the right one as the plan showed.

The usual way was to start at the narrow end stand one section of the end wall then a section of side wall, these supported each other, continue adding sections to each alternate wall until a partition was needed this then gave extra stability, when all the walls were positioned the roof support sections were placed on top, the roof sections then lifted and manoeuvred into place, the chimney that had two outlets, the roof had to be covered in three layers of bitumen felt, each sealed together with hot pitch, these hung down into the gutters that had been fitted, a layer of small flint chippings was bedded onto the top layer of felt.

The electrics were in the sections and very small light switches in the door frames, the plumbing had to be carried out in the normal way, waste pipes went out through the wall, drains that took the rainwater and sewage had to be trenched across the site to the main sewer in the main road.

The Electric and Water had to be trenched to each Prefab.

The inside and out side painted, a number allotted and screwed under the letter box.

Concrete paths were laid again using the steel formers, and wooden fences erected to give each a garden of their own.

If you look at the time that all those men had to work at their own trade in the correct sequence not getting into each others way and allowing for concrete base and roof bitumen and paint to dry, you will understand the claim of a one day job is not accurate.

At this time I had taken up the offer of an Apprenticeship of Carpenter with Greenaway & Son the Lordship Lane Builder, and had to attend the then named Brixton School of Building once a week and evenings. The School later got a new name South London Polytechnic it was at Stockwell Green.

I am grateful of the opportunity that gave me the early footing to progress until I retired.

[H.Astaire]

Wow, thats great! Its nice to see people still have a passion for prefabs. Its a shame that a lot of young people have no idea what a prefab is or why they are here. And I can say that, as I am only 21 myself!

[giggirl]

There is an Anderson shelter at the bottom of my garden, still.

[cate]

I have been inside one in Chatham in Kent. It was charming and spacious. Seemed like a bungalow to me. And they are detached. Fantastic.

[computedshorty]

The tenants that got to live in the Prefabs were families mother & children returned from evacuation away from London, father now demobilised from the Forces, on return up to now still living separately with relatives in cramped homes. My own observation was this.

On arrival at their Prefab with just the few belongings salvaged from their bombed out home, these items had been looked after by relatives or neighbours up to now, a street traders vegetable barrow hired from the local shop arrives outside the prefab pushed by the newly reunited family, unloading the rolled up horsehair mattresses that did not get damaged, the iron bedstead ends with brass knobs on, two side irons, the 12 inch deep small spiral spring bed base that with constant use now sank in the middle, various blankets and stripped flock filled pillows, cooking pots and pans oddments of crockery, but very little clothing, a table and odd chairs two battered suitcases, a pram and many brown carrier bags, it did not take long to move in, Dad beckoned Mum back out to lift her up and carry her in.

I cant say if it was cosy to live in it certainly was compact, the metal windows glazed with single glass would not stop the cold, the outer walls had no insulation or the roof cavity had no fibreglass layers to keep the cold out. No central heating only a fireplace that if a fire was lighted a back boiler warmed water to the sink, luxury the toilet was inside!

If a fire had warmed a cold evening the glass windows would run with condensation later to freeze over. If you consider that all houses had suffered some damage to the windows in the bombing so very few windows anywhere fitted good enough to keep out the cold.

All the prefabs had a garden something that was unheard of pre war these soon got grassed over or a vegetable plot was sown and a bean climbing frame erected. Lots of little garden sheds appeared made of reclaimed house room doors still painted in various colours, soon the clothes line between the two posts were filled with washing, the occupants put their own mark on their Prefab the cat came to stay, a dog next door to bark at it, mum could now lean on the garden fence to chat to the neighbour and call out to those others in the row. There returned the bond of those now in a community where all were equal. I have always thought that those tenants were very happy and reluctant to leave when the time came.

Times changed and in later years the local authority had to offer the sitting tenant of over ten years the opportunity of purchasing the Prefab at a reduced price, most were sold for just a few hundred pounds.

Those owners that remain have taken the opportunity of lining the outer walls with insulation board, filling the roof cavity with Fibreglass, and fitting secondary double glazing to the windows, and fitting central heating and updating the electrics.

The value in to days prices? A freehold Bungalow on a plot with its own garden in Lordship Lane.

Comparing the price of adjacent houses I would hazard a guess at ?300.000.

This Site was bombed in the night just a few houses from where I was living, I was allowed to go to see the damage in the morning, the plot where the two prefabs still remain was a house occupied by our local Doctors Doctor Hunter & Doctor Pitman, they had only just moved there from the corner of Landcroft Road and Pellett Road, they then moved to the corner of Townley Road facing the clinic, where we got our Gas Masks.

I like the Prefabs as they hold so many memories for me, its Sixty three years ago and I can still say I helped build that!

There are not many of the people who remember them being built now.