The Pimlico Housing Revolution – Homes for Heros, Flats to Rent

Contrary to what might seem logical, squatting in England and Wales is not a criminal offence (providing there is no evidence of forced entry); however, regardless of the legal issues if a property does become occupied by squatters, resolving the subsequent problems of ownership, possession and potential homelessness can be a lengthy process and the source of much legal, financial and emotional distress for all parties involved. Whether people have occupied a property through cultural choice, or as political statement, or out of necessity and in direct response to homelessness and a lack of suitable housing; squatting inevitably results in conflicts of interest and allegiance.

Pimlico might not seem a likely setting for a ‘squatting revolt’ but in 1946 that’s exactly what happened. In his excellent book, a History of Modern Britain, Andrew Marr describes the choreographed mass arrival on Kensington High Street, on the 8th September 1946, of approximately a thousand people (mainly young couples with children) intent on finding decent accommodation. Officials from the London Communist Party had already identified empty properties across London, including in Marylebone, Ealing and Pimlico, and so began the process of taking over these empty properties and moving the families in.

To set the scene – the housing situation in post-war Britain was a critical issue: half a million homes had been destroyed or made uninhabitable by German air raids, a further 3 million badly damaged and, overall, a quarter of Britain’s 12.5 million homes were damaged in some way. There simply weren’t enough houses to go round and an estimated 45,000 people were squatting in Nissen huts, flats, disused army camps, military bases and other properties.

Marr describes the reaction to the London squatters as “superbly British”. Public support was enthusiastic and food parcels, blankets, money, chocolate and cigarettes were collected for the squatters. The press were sympathetic, and the Women’s Voluntary Service provided hot drinks. The government’s response was that the revolt should be stopped, and eventually it “fizzled out” and the squatters left: apparently after they were threatened with losing their positions in the council housing queue.

Government response was more positive in other areas, and between 1945 and 1949, built 156,623 ‘prefab’ houses – many of which were still much loved by their occupants and still lived in in the 1970s.

A fascinating (and entertaining) British Film Institute National Archive film shows an extract from a trailer investigating prefabricated houses as an alternative to solve Britain’s housing crisis. (You’ve got to love those accents   )

I wonder if London, or any UK city or community, would see a similar level of public support for an army of homeless families / squatters descending on their community one day. Or was it the unique circumstances of post-war Britain, with its continuing rationing, overcrowding and poor standards of housing for many, that had bred a particularly strong sense of community spirit – a feeling of all having survived the war together – that would be impossible to replicate now?

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Guest Blog by Angela Boothroyd of Online English Lessons