prefabs

[KGarrad]

In the UK, the word "prefab" refers almost exclusively to post-war (WW2) temporary prefabricated housing, as outlined in the Housing (Temporary Accommodation) Act 1944.

These were designed to replace housing destroyed in The Blitz. Over 300,000 were eventually built.

[wrjones]

There are about a hundred of the original Prefabs still standing here in Cefn Mawr near Wrexham.They have been modernised to some extent over the years so I can say they are in good nick!I lived in one myself from 1953 to 1987.

William Russell Jones.

[alanmack]

Hi joboy

Buildings have been built in one place and reassembled in another throughout history. Possibly the first advertised prefab house was the Manning Portable Cottage. A London carpenter, Henry Manning, constructed a house that was built in components, then shipped and assembled by British emigrants. This was published at the time (advertisement, South Australian Record, 1837) and a few still stand in Australia.[1] One such is the Friends Meeting House, Adelaide.[2][3] The peak year for the importation of portable buildings to Australia was 1853,

Thanks for that. Very interesting - hadn't heard of that type. I believe the original Globe Theatre was taken down from its original site and re-assembled in Southwark in 1600 and something.

Over 300,000 were eventually built.

To clarify a point, according to official figures, quoted in the book I mentioned, by the end of the scheme in December 1947, a total of 153,623 were built. Other prefabricated buildings may have emerged later but they don't really come into the category we have been talking about here. It is IMHO a crying shame that more such buildings are not available today.

Alan

[Berlin-Bob]

I remember the prefab estates in Knowle West in Bristol, many years ago. They had the reputation of a "bad area"
 
Prefabs ('Plattenbau') were also very common in East Germany (DDR) and they also have a negative "after-taste" these days.  Whole blocks of flats were built in this manner. west Germany was very disparaging about the DDR 'plattenbau' flats and estates, but they used prefabs too

I've found a Wiki articles about the DDR prefabs:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plattenbau

Driving through the East German countryside it was sometimes a shock to see a single 10 storey Plattenbau in the middle of a small village, but  - it was cheap housing, and that was what was needed !

While many plattenbau apartments have been renovated to a high standard, some are being torn down, although a lack of funds means many have been left to become derelict. Because of the modular construction some are dismantled and moved to a new location.

I like that last line ! Move a block of flats to a new location 

and another site about prefabs in general:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prefabricated_building
with a nice little animated construction view

Bob

[KGarrad]

To clarify a point, according to official figures, quoted in the book I mentioned, by the end of the scheme in December 1947, a total of 153,623 were built. Other prefabricated buildings may have emerged later but they don't really come into the category we have been talking about here. It is IMHO a crying shame that more such buildings are not available today.

Alan

Alan, I read that figure too!

But the figures on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_post-war_temporary_prefab_houses say:
Airey - 25,567
AIROH - 54,000
Arcon - 46,000
BISF - 31,526
Cornish Unit - 23,173
Phoenix - 43,206
Uni-Seco - 30,000
Wates - 18,776
Wimpy - 53,371

That's 325,619 without looking at the remaining 14 types!

[alanmack]

Thank you for the links. The disparity in the quoted numbers is for the most part down to dates. In her book, referred to earlier, Brenda Vale only includes houses constructed before the original scheme closed in December 1947. The figures on the Wikipedia page include production of some types as late as 1951. I had some difficulty recognising the nomenclature too. e.g. Vale refers to the AIROH as the "Aluminium Bungalow" exclusively, which incidentally was delivered to its site as four 21 foot long by 7ft 6in wide sections each on the back of a truck. A hefty mobile crane was needed to lift them into position on a pre-prepared brick base.

Alan