British Pathe Video Collection of British Housing

The below videos courtesy of British Pathe show the development and pride associated with early post war houses.

Although not strictly related to the unique construction of the BISF house building programme these charming recordings do offer a valuable insight into prefabricated and post war construction and design.

 Your Chance of a house this year

Investigations into the housing situation in these three towns with interviews with workers, housewives and administrators.

The video shows Men building the wall of a house on a housing site. It includes a Panoramic view of Sheffield and the devastation in the city. It includes a panning shot of new row of prefabricated houses. In the office Keith Gardner, Editor of the Sheffield Telegraph, speaks about the situation in the town to Pathe’s John Parsons.Also a general view of Wolverhampton including a street scene. Mr Harold Downes, Wolverhampton’s housing director, speaks and illustrates his points with a map behind his desk.

Steel Houses Coming

‘The “Consteelwood” house can be built ready for occupation in 7 days.’

Steel houses coming? These were the first pictures of the latest attempt to alleviate housing problems in Tooting, London.
The video shows builders  constructing a new house, fitting steel pieces of wall to the wooden frame, fitting the chimney and knocking in nails round the doors and windows.
Shots of workmen working on the house building the main structure its main structure and fitting tiles to the roof.

Year 1999 A Look in the Future From 1967 (Non-Pathe)

A glimpse inside the retro modern world of the 196o’s house design

Homes Limited

Tottenham building site. Man is seen covering foundation for prefabricated house with pitch. Includes various shots of the arrival and assembly sections used for prefabricated houses and of stages of erection of the houses.
Includes footage of German POW’s digging a trench for the foundations of houses in Glasgow, Scotland.
Close up shot of Ministry of Works sign on a Woolwich building site and the erection of the sections of prefab houses at Woolwich.
Shows an electric oven being pushed into position inside a house. Kitchen displayed at Electric Exhibition in Manchester.Also shows Various shots of the couple assembling ‘Ikea style’ furniture made in Sweden and a fully furnished room.

Lichfield – New style houses for renting

Lichfield, Staffordshire.

This Video shows new houses under construction at Lichfield. Notice the sign “Centrally heated three-bedroom houses to let, rent £4.15s 0d”. The video shows some excellent shots of the various stages of construction including prefabricated side walls and sections being lifted from trailer by crane.

On site building 1950

“On Site” prefabricated building, St. Mary Cray, Kent.
These concrete block houses are under construction & showing workmen pulling barrows & workmen moulding walls.You can see the mould being placed into position and workmen filling mould and ramming home the concrete. This version of the prefab was fortunate to be fitted with real roof tiles.

Houses at Speed

Londons First Factory Town 1951

Building in Harlow, Essex.
This video shows new house construction in Harlows New Town. New block of flats, terrace houses and the opening of an industrial estate by Mr Lindgren (Sec. Ministry of Local Government and Planning) .