The Estate - Bevendean History Project
Bevendean Estate Temporary Houses
In January 1943 the Government requested that Housing authorities
in England should prepare a program of Re-Housing to commence at the end of the War with
priority being given to areas which had suffered most from war damage.
The government saw the need to replace a lot of substandard housing and build more homes. They also realised that it would be necessary to erect a large number of temporary houses with a life expectancy of 10 to 15 years.
The government saw the need to replace a lot of substandard housing and build more homes. They also realised that it would be necessary to erect a large number of temporary houses with a life expectancy of 10 to 15 years.
This led to Brighton Council producing a report on post-war housing
in December 1943. The Council realised that the quality of houses built after
the war would need to be of a higher standard than those they were to
replace.
By May 1944 initial preparation for up to 1200 houses on the
Lower Bevendean Estate had been made. The initial plan was to put 86 temporary
houses on the Avenue Green, which had been used for allotments during the war.
Following objections to the use of this site, which was meant to be an open space, it was decided at a Council meeting on the 12 July 1945 to site 66 temporary houses on the Lower Bevendean Estate, where Heath Hill Avenue is today. These were part of a total of 500 prefabs built in Brighton immediately after the war.
Following objections to the use of this site, which was meant to be an open space, it was decided at a Council meeting on the 12 July 1945 to site 66 temporary houses on the Lower Bevendean Estate, where Heath Hill Avenue is today. These were part of a total of 500 prefabs built in Brighton immediately after the war.
An aerial photo dated 7 October 1946 shows a road reaching
almost to the farm with concrete bases in place and many of the prefabs
already built. It also showed allotments on the green in the centre of The
Avenue.
The prefabs were built to a standard design, by a number of manufacturers using a variety of materials. The council considered 4 designs, "Arcon", "Uni-Seco", "Tarran" and the "Portal" Steel House. They appear to have chosen the Uni-Seco bungalows as they had much to recommend them, including better external appearance; and a generally more 'homely' treatment of the walls and ceilings.
The houses built in Heath Hill Avenue in late 1945 and 1946 had asbestos sheet walls and an almost flat roof.
No 69 Heath Hill Avenue with flower beds of red, white and blue flowers to celebrate the coronation in 1953.
This colour photograph shows the prefabs in the late 1950s with Plymouth Avenue on the hill behind. In the background is a farm track which went upto Warren Road and the top of Race Hill.
The prefabs were demolished between November 1959 to
November 1961 to make way for a self build scheme of bungalows.
