The Prefab Files navigation Setting the scene The prefabs go up in Bath Twilight falls on the prefabs The end of an era A salute to the prefabs Historical archive A panoramic view of the Twerton prefabs Contact

The End Of An Era

Six hundred families at Bath are anxiously waiting to know what is to be the future of their temporary prefab homes. The official axe is already poised over some of their heads... The six hundred awaiting sentence are those pre-fabricated bungalows which appeared in Bath between 1946 and 1948, when people were crying out for housing accommodation, and it was obvious that there was going to be a problem for several years to come...

As true Englishmen, their 'homes are their castles', and no-one likes the thought of his castle being dismantled - even if it can be carted away in four tidy pieces!

Bath & Wilts Chronicle and Herald: 26/1/55

During a tour of the 'prefabs' I received many complaints of lack of action, and some people described the condition of their homes as "horrible" and "disgusting"... But there is another side of the picture. I found one resident in Winscombe Road who said, "I think the 'prefabs' are wonderful. You would not get better facilities in the Royal Crescent or anywhere in Bath. We have a kitchen unit with fridge, sink, electric boiler, electric cooker, cupboards, etc, all alongside each other."

Bath & Wilts Evening Chronicle: 11/8/61

The day of the prefab bungalow, the temporary little home which has done such yeoman service, is coming to an end. Having withstood all winds and weathers for almost double the ten year period first envisaged, the buildings are to come down. But it is going to be quite a while before the whole of Bath's six hundred temporary establishments are demolished.

Bath & Wilts Evening Chronicle: 22/2/63