Housing

( This page links to a number of pdf documents.  For information regarding PDF documents and how to load the software, please click here.)

The pamphlet collection at the Library contains items on different aspects of housing including housing conditions in the 19th and early 20th centuries, housing policy and finance, the garden cities, urban reconstruction after the two World Wars, city and town planning and rent protest movements.

Slums

There are a few pamphlets dating from the 19th century, for example - "The face of the poor; or the crowding of London's labourers: the rent they pay and the evils they endure", 1897 (HD7/267) and "Leeds slumdom" (illustrated) by D.B. Foster 1897 (HD7/402). "The state and the slums" by E.S. Robertson published by the Liberty and Property Defence League in 1884 (HD7/331) attacks the concept of slum clearance. There are publications by the Fabian Society, the National Dwellings Society and the National Reform Movement.

Pamphlets on slum clearance and poverty continued to be published in the 1920s and 1930s. These are a few examples- "The housing of the poor" by T. Speake 1928 (HD7/24), which called for a national voluntary crusade against bad housing, "Slum clearance and rehousing under the 1930 Act: the socialist housing schemes and non-socialist alternative" by W.C. Rodgers (HD7/44), and "Up with the houses, down with the slums" published by the Labour Party (HD7/257).

World War I and Housing

The end of the first World War brought "homes fit for heroes" promises from the politicians and there are a number of pamphlets on what post-war housing policy should be. They include- "National Conference on Housing after the War: Organising Committee report" 1917 (HD7/206) and a statement issued by the Joint Committee on Labour Problems after the War in 1917 entitled "A million homes after the war: statement on the housing problem as affected by the war and some suggestions" (HD7/E24).

Housing Policy in the Inter-War Years

Housing continued to be a political issue in the inter-war years and a number of pamphlets were issued. These included - "Municipal housing schemes: a review" issued in 1933 by Manchester Housing Committee (HD7/265), "The production of fifty thousand municipal houses" issued by the City of Birmingham in 1939 (HD7/E25), "A housing policy for London and the exposure of the Tory wreckers" by Herbert Morrison (1923) (HD7/B137), "Houses to let: Labour's fifteen years housing programme" written by J. Wheatley, the first Labour Minister for Housing, and issued by the Trades Union Congress 1924 (HD7/E44) and "Housing management and renting policies: the London County Council" written by A. Alfred and S. Middlebrook (New York 1936) (fHD7/25). Facts and figures on housing for delegates attending the regional conferences of local authorities in 1937 are kept in the pamphlet collection (fHD7/2 and fHD7/16). Housing as a concern internationally was reflected in the pamphlets from the International Housing Congress. The collection contains pamphlets published in Germany, France, Scandinavia, Austria and the USA during the interwar years.

The Garden Cities

The pamphlet collection contains material on the garden cities. The breakdown of town and countryside is referred to in one older pamphlet - "Industrial villages - a remedy for crowded towns and deserted fields" by H. Solly, written in 1884 and published by the Society for Promoting Industrial Villages (HD7/203). "The economic aspect of the first garden city" by H.E. Moore was published in 1903 (HD7/6). Pamphlets were issued by the Welwyn Association including "Welwyn Garden City" 1929 (HD7/148) and also International Garden Cities, First Garden City Ltd, Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust and the Town Planning Federation. "Cottages with gardens for Londoners" was published by Hampstead Tenants Ltd. (HD7/275) and Cadbury Brothers issued "Bournville" in 1924 (HD7/E146).

Post War Reconstruction After 1945

Pamphlets were published in the 1940s concerning the housing policy to be adopted after 1945. These include "Post-war homes" by H.V. Lanchester published in 1942 by the Cooperative Permanent Building Society (HD7/311), "Castles in the street" by E. Mannin (HD7/312), "The post-war reconstruction of Liverpool" by A.E. Shennan and published by the Merseyside Civil Society in 1941 (HD7/324) and "Reconstruction of bombed buildings" by B.S. Townroe (1941) (HD7/344). Pamphlets were issued by the Town and Country Planning Association, Society of Women Housing Managers, National Council of Social Service, National Land and Home League, Cooperative Permanent Building Society and the National Federation of Property Owners and the Labour Research Department. There were two significant pamphlets issued by the Labour Party- including "Your home planned by Labour" (HD7/366).

Agricultural Workers

In the collection there are a few pamphlets on the housing conditions of agricultural workers from the Council for the Protection of Rural England. In 1919 J.C. Thresh wrote "Housing of the agricultural labourer" , which was mainly about rural housing in Essex (HD7/C27). There is a pamphlet published in 1816 called "Hints for improving the condition of the peasantry in all parts of the UK" (illustrated) by E. Elsam (an architect) (fHD7/9), and one issued in 1891 on the home of the farm labourer by the Conference on the Housing of the People (HD7/A13).

Housing for Women

On the issue of housing for women there is "Consider her palaces" a pamphlet on housing for lower paid single women by R. Tweedy (HD7/65) and "The working woman's house" by A. Sanderson Furniss and M. Phillips (HD7/30). There is also a pamphlet on lodging houses published by the London Council for the Welfare of Women and Girls.

Rent Strikes and Squatters

There are a number of pamphlets on protest movements such as rent strikes. They are a small selection- "Street Tenants, Ltd Rules" (HD7/31), "Fair Rents Union- Organisation and Rules" (1890) (HD7/A15), "Rent raising made illegal-a practical guide for tenants" by Dan Rider (HD7/C58)- this was published in 1917 to advise tenants on war time restrictions on raising rents, "Repeal the Rent Act: how to resist and defeat the Tory Party landlords charter" issued by the Communist Party in 1957 (HD7/E63) and "The story of the illegal evictions of squatters in Redbridge" by R. Bailey 1969 (fHD7/F138). There is a pamphlet on the St Pancras rent strike of 1960 written by Dave Burn (HD7/B191) and one on the Housing Finance Bill and council tenants written by R. Parker and published by the Child Poverty Action Group in 1972 (HD7/B222).

Housing Finance

Housing policy and finance were the subjects of a number of pamphlets published after 1945. Council housing and council house rents became issues for discussion. For instance the Labour Research Department issued a pamphlet entitled "The rents of council houses, why they go up and what can be done about it" (1949) (HD7/505). Other examples include: "A nation of council tenantry? a critique of Labour's proposals for municipalisation of all rented houses and what they would mean for the ordinary man" by N. Macrae (1958) (HD7/B55) and "Investigation into the effects of rehousing by the London County Council" by A. Holmes in 1947 (HD7/E27). The National Council of Social Service issued a pamphlet written by L.E. White "Community or chaos: housing estates and their social problems" (HD7/497). In the 1960s and 1970s there were more pamphlets calling into question the basis of public housing -"Rents, chaos or common sense" by H. Cutler (HD7/B97) published by the Monday Club, "Selling more council houses" by S. Griffin in 1971 (HD7/B112), "Home truths on housing costs, rents and subsidies" by J. Nelson-Jones (HD7/D540) 1966, "The disaster of direct labour" by M.W.C. Morris (HD7/B301), and "Local authority housing" 1964 (HD7/B42) all published by the Conservative Political Centre. Pamphlets were published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accounting and the Institute for Economic Affairs.

By the 1960s urban renewal was being seen as an alternative to building new houses - for example "New towns for old: the problem of urban renewal" by J.B. Cullingworth in 1962, published by the Fabian Society (HD7/D503) and "Labour's plan for old houses" published in 1963 (HD7/D511).

In the interests of owner occupiers the London Leaseholders Association issued a pamphlet entitled "The case for leasehold reform" in 1953 (HD7/A25) and J. Greve wrote "Private landlords in England" in 1965 (HD7/D538).

Homelessness

In contrast to pamphlets from organisations critical of council house subsidies, the 1960s and 1970s also saw the rise of charities such as SHELTER which campaigned on behalf of the homeless. Two pamphlets published by SHELTER are "Coventry council houses: the new slums" (fHD/F209) and "The kids don't notice" (fHD7/F205). In 1971 G.R. Vale wrote "Is the housing problem solved?" (fHD7/F187) and the Notting Hill Housing Trust issued "A few home truths" 1970 (fHD7/F156). SHELTER also published a pamphlet on the specific problem of tied housing by M. Constable (fHD7/F258).

Search for pamphlets on housing under the following subject headings: Housing; Housing Policy; Dwellings; Cities and Towns-Planning; City Planning; Rent; Garden Cities; Public Housing; Housing, Rural; Squatters; Urban Renewal; Working Class-Dwellings; Poor-Housing; Agricultural Laborers-Housing; Slums; Rural Housing; New Towns.

^