Prefab Homes

Description

At the end of the Second World War Winston Churchill promised to manufacture half a million prefabricated bungalows to ease the housing shortage; in the end more than 156,000 temporary ‘prefabs’ were delivered. Nicknamed ‘palaces for the people’, and with convenient kitchens, bathrooms and heating systems, they proved popular and instead of being demolished as intended they were defended by residents who campaigned to keep their family homes and communities. Nearly 70 years later, as the last of these two bedroom homes are being demolished, Elisabeth Blanchet tells the story of these popular dwellings.