Bevendean History Project
Ashurst Road Self-build Housing Scheme - part 1
In
1953 a group of 40 men and their wives came together and formed
themselves into the Brighton Self-Build Housing Association and looked
for a site to build their houses.
The initial meeting was held in Moulsecombe Hall by Moulsecombe Place and the second was at Moulsecoomb Senior School. A committee was elected and regular meetings were held.
One of the early meetings in a classroom at Moulsecombe Senior School c1953
It was decided to build the houses in Ashurst Road beyond the council houses that were already there on a plot of land that the council were willing to lease to the association.
The site at the top of Ashurst Road before work started when a fence was being erected round the edge of the land to be developed.
Work on the site started in late 1954 with the clearing of the site, the installation of a fence round the edge of the site to keep the cattle in the fields around the edge of the site and the construction of a site shed.
The shed and toilet were constructed from timber salvaged from E. D. Butts the timber merchants who were pulling down one of their large wooden storage sheds. A lorry was hired and everyone who could go went and helped load the lorry. This timber was used for shuttering and to build the shed and toilet.
The shed built as a store and site office about November 1954.
The first task was to build the road as recorded by the Evening Argus in 1954, photograph from www.spcolourcollection.com (Southern Publishing Newspaper Archive held at the Keep).
Building work started on Saturday 2nd April 1955.
The houses were built to be rented as this way the self-build scheme could receive a grant from the Government plus a rate rebate.
The houses were designed with three bedrooms a bathroom and toilet upstairs with a lounge, dining room, kitchen and toilet downstairs.
The Council stated that local bricks such as Southdown or Multi-coloured Keymer were to be used.
The original plans also included an outbuilding, wide enough to be a garage but not deep enough to fit a car in, so that it would not be rateable.
The council lent £48,000 to the housing association (40 x £1,200 per house) which would be paid in six instalments as the houses were built.
Each member paid in £50 at the start which provided a working capital of £2,000. This was repaid when the forty houses were completed.
The site at Ashurst Road was off the beaten track and to stop any pilfering, two members were employed to work on the site during the day. They could also accept deliveries and help unload; they both had to work in the evenings and at weekends.
Each member of the scheme had to put in at least 22 hours per week during the evenings and weekends over and above their normal full time jobs.
Ribbed steel reinforcing rods came from Conway Street bus garage which was being demolished.
There was enough for all the reinforced lintels, etc. and enough left for Eggington Road where another self-build scheme was being planned.
A concrete mixer was purchased and pushed up and down the road to where it was needed.
Footings for No. 70 Ashurst Road c1956
Numbers 45 and 47 under construction viewed from the road in June 1955
continued
The initial meeting was held in Moulsecombe Hall by Moulsecombe Place and the second was at Moulsecoomb Senior School. A committee was elected and regular meetings were held.
One of the early meetings in a classroom at Moulsecombe Senior School c1953
It was decided to build the houses in Ashurst Road beyond the council houses that were already there on a plot of land that the council were willing to lease to the association.
The site at the top of Ashurst Road before work started when a fence was being erected round the edge of the land to be developed.
Work on the site started in late 1954 with the clearing of the site, the installation of a fence round the edge of the site to keep the cattle in the fields around the edge of the site and the construction of a site shed.
The shed and toilet were constructed from timber salvaged from E. D. Butts the timber merchants who were pulling down one of their large wooden storage sheds. A lorry was hired and everyone who could go went and helped load the lorry. This timber was used for shuttering and to build the shed and toilet.
The shed built as a store and site office about November 1954.
The first task was to build the road as recorded by the Evening Argus in 1954, photograph from www.spcolourcollection.com (Southern Publishing Newspaper Archive held at the Keep).
Building work started on Saturday 2nd April 1955.
The houses were built to be rented as this way the self-build scheme could receive a grant from the Government plus a rate rebate.
The houses were designed with three bedrooms a bathroom and toilet upstairs with a lounge, dining room, kitchen and toilet downstairs.
The Council stated that local bricks such as Southdown or Multi-coloured Keymer were to be used.
The original plans also included an outbuilding, wide enough to be a garage but not deep enough to fit a car in, so that it would not be rateable.
The council lent £48,000 to the housing association (40 x £1,200 per house) which would be paid in six instalments as the houses were built.
Each member paid in £50 at the start which provided a working capital of £2,000. This was repaid when the forty houses were completed.
The site at Ashurst Road was off the beaten track and to stop any pilfering, two members were employed to work on the site during the day. They could also accept deliveries and help unload; they both had to work in the evenings and at weekends.
Each member of the scheme had to put in at least 22 hours per week during the evenings and weekends over and above their normal full time jobs.
Ribbed steel reinforcing rods came from Conway Street bus garage which was being demolished.
There was enough for all the reinforced lintels, etc. and enough left for Eggington Road where another self-build scheme was being planned.
A concrete mixer was purchased and pushed up and down the road to where it was needed.
Footings for No. 70 Ashurst Road c1956
Numbers 45 and 47 under construction viewed from the road in June 1955
continued
