Birmingham 1906-65
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| At the very beginning of the 20th century, J Cuming
Walters wrote a series of articles for the Birmingham Daily
Gazette. They dealt with the miserable condition and hopeless
situation of those living in Birmingham's slums. Considerable
debate followed, and in 1901 Birmingham Council established
a Housing Committee to deal with the problem. For much of the
next 100 years housing remained a live issue - not just in respect
of bricks and mortar, but also in the sense of building communities.
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'When We Build Again', 1941
Document
(126k) | Transcript
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Diet survey, 1947
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(140k) | Transcript
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1920s and 1930s
Despite the creation of the Housing Committee and then the
Town Planning Committee, 10 years later, very little impact
was made on improving housing until after the First World
War. 'Homes fit for heroes' was then the call, and between
1919 and 1939 Birmingham Council built around 50,000 new houses,
with another 65,000 being constructed by the private sector. |
1940s and 1950s
The charts reproduced here from When We Build Again,
published by the Bournville Village Trust in 1941, demonstrate
how the bulk of the interwar building took place on the outskirts
of the city, which led to the creation of the so-called 'Outer
Ring'. Complaints soon arose, however, about the lack of community
spirit and amenities on these new estates, with their large
dislocated populations. Solutions came initially from community
action and organizations such as the Birmingham Council for
Community Associations, founded in 1930. Later, the city council
also became involved and the provision of new facilities such
as community centres and shops, halted by the Second World
War, continued well into the 1950s. |
Plan of Birmingham Inner Ring Road,
1946
Document
(337k) |
Improvements to Worcester Street
and New Street, 1946
Document
(303k) |
1950s and after
The 1950s also saw Birmingham slowly running out of land
and the beginning of building programmes in so-called 'overspill
towns' rather than in the city itself. Attention also began
to turn towards the housing in the Inner and Middle Rings.
In these areas there was still a large amount of substandard
housing and, as the illustrated diet survey shows, the connection
between poor conditions and poor health remained. |
| The situation was complicated by the increasing
numbers of immigrants from Ireland, Pakistan, the West Indies
and elsewhere, who were arriving in Birmingham throughout the
1950s and 1960s. Unable to qualify for a council house immediately
(from 1949 applicants had to have been resident in the city
for at least five years) and compelled to accept low wages,
they had little option but to settle in the less salubrious
areas in the centre. |
Occupiers and owners of premises in
Worcester Street and New Street, 1946
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| Transcript
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Improvements to Snow Hill Wharf, 1946
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(213k) | Transcript
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Slowly the Irish dispersed throughout the rest
of the city, but this pattern was not repeated for other immigrants,
who found themselves increasingly isolated in specific areas.
The reasons why this occurred are still debated. Prejudice clearly
played a part, but perhaps so did a desire by the new arrivals
for their own 'community'. Whatever the reasons, the fact remains
that large numbers of Birmingham's citizens were still living
in poor conditions. |
1960s
Steps to combat the problem were slow. In 1959 the city council
set up its own mortgage scheme, and in 1965 they put through
a Bill allowing them greater powers over the registration
of residences with multiple occupancy, thereby allowing them
to reduce overcrowding and force landlords to make improvements.
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Report on Pakistani immigrants
in Birmingham, 1958
Document
(297k) | Transcript
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