Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Catford prefabs to be saved?

Interesting article in today Guardian today about the Excalibur estate in Catford:

'When Eddie O'Mahony, then a newly demobbed sergeant with a wife and two infant sons, moved into his prefab bungalow in June 1946 he was told the hastily assembled timber panel home would last no more than a decade... Now, in a testament to both the unexpected longevity and historical significance of the prefab, almost 160,000 of which were hurriedly thrown up following the second world war to combat a crippling housing shortage, O'Mahony's home is likely to receive official protection in the next few weeks. The culture minister, Margaret Hodge, is expected to announce that the entire estate of 185 prefabs in Catford, south-east London, along with its rare, tin-roofed "temporary" church, should be given a Grade II listing." (full article here)

5 comments:

Unknown said...

TIMBER PANEL HOME...! I DONT THINK SO,,, WHO,WHAT OR WHY IS IT THAT WHENEVER THESE PREFABS ARE REFERRED TO THAT EVERYBODY SEEMS TO STEER AWAY FROM THE FACT THAT THESE PREFABS ARE IN FACT MADE OF A STEEL FRAME WITH ASBESTOS BOARDING , BOTH INSIDE AND OUT,,, I GET SICK OF WATCHING ALL THE NEWS ON TV AND READING ARTICLES BOTH IN LOCAL PAPERS AND ON HERE MAKING STATEMENTS REFERRING TO THESE PREFABS CONSTRUCTION AS EITHER STEEL FRAMED WITH ALUMINIUM OR WOODEN PANELS,, IT IS LIES,LIES, LIES,,, WHY NOT TELL THE TRUTH,,,THEY ARE "ALL" MADE FROM ASBESTOS,,, CONSTRUCTIONS LIKE THESE WOULD BE LAUGHED OUT OF A PLANNING OFFICE IF THEY WERE TO BE SUBMITTED NOW,,,, THESE PREFABS ARE NOT SOMETHING THAT ENGLAND NEED TO STAND UP AND BE PROUD OF,,, THESE ARE JUST OVERDRESSED SHEDS THAT THE COUNCIL HAVE HAD THE CHEEK TO CHARGE RENT FOR , FOR THE LAST 60 YEARS OR SO,, THEY WERE BUILT ONLY TO BE TEMPORARY , THEREFORE NEEDED TO BE KNOCKED DOWN ABOUT 40 OR 50 YEARS AGO,, ENGLAND DOES NOT NEED TO STAND UP AND BE PROUD OF THE FACT THAT FROM THE EFFORTS OF ITS PEOPLE IN THE 2ND WORLD WAR THAT THESE PREFABS ARE NOW OR WERE EVEN THEN THIER GREAT ACHIEVEMENTS,,, THE FACT THAT BRITAIN AS A COMBINED FORCE WITH THIER ALLIES FOUGHT AND DIED FOR THIER COUNTRY DOES NOT NEED PREFABS TO BE HELD AS THIER RECOGNISED SUCCESS,,, FINE THESE PREFABS HAVE LASTED 60 YEARS,, BUT SO WHAT,, I BELIEVE THAT THE ARMIES AND THE PEOPLE OF THE COUNTRIES OF THE ALLIED FORCES FOUGHT AND DIED AND ENDURED TIMES OF HARDSHIP FOR THE SAKE OF A BETTER FUTURE FOR ALL,, SO TO THE PEOPLE THAT ARE USING THE WW2 BASIS AS A WAY OF PREVENTING THE PROGRESS OF THIS ESTATE, STOP.. LIVE FOR THE FUTURE , AFTER ALL, IF WE WERE ALL TO BE STILL LIVING IN THE PAST WHERE WOULD THIS COUNTRY BE,,, I AM GLAD THAT THERE ARE ACTUALLY MORE PEOPLE ON THIS ESTATE THAT WANT CHANGE AND DO NOT LISTEN TO A LOT OF THE BULLYS ON THE ESTATE THAT ARE PREPARED TO GO AS FAR AS PHYSICALL VIOLENCE AGAINST OFFICIALS THAT THEY DO NOT AGREE WITH,,,(AND I KNOW YOU ALL KNOW WHO YOU ARE ). AND IF YOU PERSIST, I HOPE YOU GET YOUR JUST DESERTS... SO LEAVE OFF, STOP BULLYING, STOP TELLING LIES, STOP CONFUSING THE ELDERLY AND EASILY INFLUENCED,, WE ALL KNOW THAT YOU " THE WORRIED TENANTS GROUP " HAVE WASTED ENOUGH OF THE COUNCILS TIME, AND MORE IMPORTANT YOU ARE DRAGGING OUT SOMETHING SO TRIVIAL AND UNIMPORTANT AS THESE POOR EXCUSES FOR DWELLINGS,, SURELY EVEN "you" DESERVE SOMETHING OF A BETTER STRUCTURE THAN THESE POOR CONTRADICTIONS WE HAVE TO CALL HOME.IF YOU LIKE THEM FINE,,,THE REST OF THE COUNTRY DIDNT LIKE THEM ,SO WHEN THEY PASSED THIER SELL BY DATE SLOWLY BUT SURELY THEY GOT SMART AND GOT RID,,,AND THE SOONER THE BETTER THESE GET BULLDOZED TOO,, THEN WE CAN SAY "GOODBYE TO BAD RUBBISH"...AND THE PREFABS TOO....

Unknown said...

i find that it is amazing that caravan sites are easy to get the council in in force to enable the eviction of the caravans,,, these caravans made today look much better than these prefabs,although there is an uncanny resembelence, they are better built too,, at least they have wheels on them so that they can be taken to where ever those people that enjoy living in them can take thier home with them... i say to the council,,, give these people a good strong set of wheels so that they can take thier horrible prefabs with them,,, i cannot believe that people think that these buildings should be actually left to disgrace the streets of the capital city of england,,, come of folk,,,where is your pride,,,oh, sorry you are preventing anything from being built that you can feel real pride for,,well you are,,are'nt you

. said...

So you don't like them then?!

Anonymous said...

SOONER THE BETTER THESE GET KNOCKED DOWN,,, THEY ARE A SHINING EXAMPLE OF HOW MUCH GRATITUDE THAT BRITISH PEOPLE WERE REWARDED WITH FOR ALL THIER EFFORTS DURING WW2,,, WHO IN THIER RIGHT MIND WANTS TO USE THESE DISGRACEFUL SHAMS TO BE REMINDED OF WW2,,DID NOT THE PEOPLE SUFFER ENOUGH THEN,, WHY DO PEOPLE WANT TO KEEP BEING REMINDED OF HOW BADLY THAT THEY WERE LOOKED AFTER WHEN THE WAR WAS OVER ,,,ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU CONSIDER WHAT THE GERMANS WERE GIVEN TO LIVE IN,,, THE GERMAN ARMY LOST,,OR DID THEY,, THE BRITISH AND ALLIED FORCES WON OR DID THEY NOT,,, WAS ALL THE EFFORTS AND HUMAN LOSS FOR TO BE REWARDED WITH PREFABS,,I DO NOT BELIEVE SO,, SO THEN ,WHY IN GODS NAME SHOULD SELF MINDED BIGGOTS SUCH AS THE SO CALLED WORRIED TENANTS GROUP KEEP RUBBING THE NOSES OF THE NATION IN THE BROWN STUFF... SO TO THEM I KINDLY ASK ,, RESPECT THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS TO MOVE FORWARD,,, PROGRESS, DO NOT REGRESS, T'WAS NEARLY 70 YEARS AGO THIS 2ND WORLD WAR STARTED,, PLEASE,PLEASE,PLEASE, ,,SHUT UP REMINDING EVERYONE ABOUT IT AND ALL THAT WAS LOST,, THE REST OF THE COUNTRY HAVE GOT WELL RID OF EVERY OTHER ESTATE OF PREFABS, SO WHY DONT YOU, LET GO,, YOU ARE JUST BEING A NUISANCE BECAUSE YOU HAVE NOTHING BETTER TO DO WITH YOUR SAD LIFE,,, OR MAYBE I WOULD BE BETTER TO JUST TELL YOU TO GET A LIFE,, SOMEWHERE FAR AWAY FROM HERE,, I HOPE THE PLOTS THAT ARE CURRENTLY PREFABS BELONGING TO THE SO CALLED WORRIED TENANTS GROUP OR ( REALLY ONLY WORRIED ABOUT THEMSELVES GROUP)BE COME CAR PARKS, HA HA,, I CANT WAIT TO SEE YER FACES WHEN THEY GET BULLDOZED

Anonymous said...

SOONER THE BETTER THESE GET KNOCKED DOWN,,, THEY ARE A SHINING EXAMPLE OF HOW MUCH GRATITUDE THAT BRITISH PEOPLE WERE REWARDED WITH FOR ALL THIER EFFORTS DURING WW2,,, WHO IN THIER RIGHT MIND WANTS TO USE THESE DISGRACEFUL SHAMS TO BE REMINDED OF WW2,,DID NOT THE PEOPLE SUFFER ENOUGH THEN,, WHY DO PEOPLE WANT TO KEEP BEING REMINDED OF HOW BADLY THAT THEY WERE LOOKED AFTER WHEN THE WAR WAS OVER ,,,ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU CONSIDER WHAT THE GERMANS WERE GIVEN TO LIVE IN,,, THE GERMAN ARMY LOST,,OR DID THEY,, THE BRITISH AND ALLIED FORCES WON OR DID THEY NOT,,, WAS ALL THE EFFORTS AND HUMAN LOSS FOR TO BE REWARDED WITH PREFABS,,I DO NOT BELIEVE SO,, SO THEN ,WHY IN GODS NAME SHOULD SELF MINDED BIGGOTS SUCH AS THE SO CALLED WORRIED TENANTS GROUP KEEP RUBBING THE NOSES OF THE NATION IN THE BROWN STUFF... SO TO THEM I KINDLY ASK ,, RESPECT THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS TO MOVE FORWARD,,, PROGRESS, DO NOT REGRESS, T'WAS NEARLY 70 YEARS AGO THIS 2ND WORLD WAR STARTED,, PLEASE,PLEASE,PLEASE, ,,SHUT UP REMINDING EVERYONE ABOUT IT AND ALL THAT WAS LOST,, THE REST OF THE COUNTRY HAVE GOT WELL RID OF EVERY OTHER ESTATE OF PREFABS, SO WHY DONT YOU, LET GO,, YOU ARE JUST BEING A NUISANCE BECAUSE YOU HAVE NOTHING BETTER TO DO WITH YOUR SAD LIFE,,, OR MAYBE I WOULD BE BETTER TO JUST TELL YOU TO GET A LIFE,, SOMEWHERE FAR AWAY FROM HERE,, I HOPE THE PLOTS THAT ARE CURRENTLY PREFABS BELONGING TO THE SO CALLED WORRIED TENANTS GROUP OR ( REALLY ONLY WORRIED ABOUT THEMSELVES GROUP)BE COME CAR PARKS, HA HA,, I CANT WAIT TO SEE YER FACES WHEN THEY GET BULLDOZED