I lived here in Anderton Street, Ladywood, Birmingham at the time this picture was taken in 1968 (by Phyllis Nicklin, responsible for a great collection of “old Birmingham ” photos).
We had no electricity for a long period. The walls were covered in mould. We had one tap in the whole house, needless to say, a cold one. The toilet was outside down the entry at the back of the house and shared with four other families. And some b******d nicked the lead off the roof so the rain poured in.
My dad held out for a three bedroom council house in better condition. The council wouldn’t let him have one. As a result we were the last people to be moved out of the area. They eventually knocked down all the houses in the street and about six further whole blocks, and left us, last man and boy (me) standing, in a vast sea of mud about a mile square.
Its a long story. I will write the whole thing down one day. My kids will want to know.
In the meantime, I will stop moaning about the dripping tap, the noisy central heating boiler and the draught coming through one of the sliding doors.
Great post Jim – certainly hammers home the message of how lucky we are today with our plasma tv, nice warm central heating and other home comforts.
Thanks Steve.