“From 1973-74 I was in my final year at Wolverhampton College of Art. I shadowed a social worker called Stuart and over the course of some months took a series of shots on ‘The Scotlands” estate.”
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“Nearly 40 years on, I would like to track down some of the people in these photographs and see how they are living now. If you can shed any light on any of the people shown, please contact me”
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Thank you to George Foster
Devastating set of photographs, George. Amazing too see such decay in the early 70s. I was born in 1973 and always assumed that the decrepit public housing I see today was once gleaming and full of hope. I guess not.
I’m curious as to when they were built. I would guess post WWII, but things like the having to go outside to use toilet (but they are flushed w/ water) makes me wonder otherwise. Also the fireplaces that seem to be in multiple rooms. When did central heating become common in hte UK?
This would have been late built probably late 1920′s – estates like this were part of the huge “Homes for Heroes” post-WWI building programme. I grew up in a very similar place.
CH took off in the 1960s but didn’t become the norm until the late 1980s.
Google Maps shows you that this area really doesn’t look too bad these days…
Search for Dickens Road Wolverhampton. Not sure it’s the actual road, but it looks pretty similar.
Thank you for these…….. I was born in Liverpool in the 50′s and lived in Newcasttle upon Tyne in the 70′s and remember how commonplace this type of housing and this level of poverty was. In these changing and fragile times we live in now, these images are poignant reminders of how we can allow some of our society to live when we make electoral and economic decisions that benefit the more fortunate.
I used to live on the scotlands in the early 80 and seeing these photo’s and i remember the scotlands shows a big difference.The time difference in these photo’s and when i was living as a kid is about 6+years.
I lived @16 Ruskin Rd,Nothing Like These Pics, Mind That Was Approx.1958.
Some fantastic, but sad photographs. They really tell a story when you look at them.
It’s amazing to think that I live in this area today.
I hope you find the people you’re looking for.
Hi
A friend of mine posted this on my facebook account and I found a picture of my brother and his then wife and son. It showed a picture of the house we lived in. My sister was also in the picture.
some of the pictures take me back as I was born in tennyson road in 1957, and can remember haw the houses looked then,
the woman in one of the pictures is holding up a letter from tennyson road.
HI, I lived in the scotlands all my life until early nineties, i was 3/4 when these piccies were taken. the houses looked exactly like that then externally, modernisation changed the look of them in the early 80′s and thats when we had central heating, the houses were very damp. and most w/c were in the outhouse at the back, they were cold! i recognise the streets and the back of houses that were empty used to have rubbish every where. there was a lot of waste land at the back of empty houses that we would love as children, building dens to hide out in, they were very poor days given the climate politically in the 70′s…but they were happy x thanks again for sharing with us.
Thanks to all for the comments – Anita please could you drop me an email (use the links above) with details on the people in the shots?
Thanks a lot – and please keep the comments coming.
George
The letter (as I recall) was from the MEB (Midlands Electricity Board) telling her she was in arrears. I need to blow the negative up to see if I can read more of the text on it.
To right lots of memories,we the Baxter family lived in middle Keats 63,with my mom who dident have 2 pennies to rub together let alone 50p for the electric no carpets no sunday roast ,not a lot of furniture and so on and so on as every body else in the street ,remember going round to friends house for some thing to eat (the WILLS family)big family geoff, jo ,pete .charlie ,john,cherry,and big bro Tiger,Geof said said only got toast steve but no butter that was just fine geof so we sat down to dry toast,could go on and on about these times to many could wright a book,but one thing got to say about my mom that she did have lots and lots of and that was loving her three kids allways,we wear clean and well manneredat all times.apart from the proper kids stuff that kids do so to my mom THANK You SO MUCH ,for you have made me the man iam to day,its allways good to try and better your sellf in life ,but NEVER for get your ROOTS were you come from.steve baxter.
Very interesting photos. I lived in Chesterton Rd from birth to 18(1963 to 81). Most of these pictures bear little resemblance to any memories I have; but as George was following a Social Worker he would have possibly been taking photos of people in particular social need. The houses were built pre-war, as my mother had lived there since 1939, when aged 13.Certainly there was a ‘stigma’ attached to coming from ‘The Scotlands’ when I was a child, not that that was of any importance of course.The houses were, as mentioned in other comments, extremely cold with thick ice on the inside window panes in winter. At Chesterton Rd the wc was attached to the house,in a ‘porch’ outside the back door, with a ‘coal house’ opposite. That house had yet to be modernised when we left,though an extensive modernisation scheme had begun (can remember being quiet envious of my friend in Ruskin Road, with their new central heating and upstairs bathroom!)Happy memories.
my family moved into 69 dickens road in 1970. moving from tettenhall due to my fathers infidelity and a theiving uncle. we found the houses were run down toilet out the back i remember the first thing my mom done was to put a back door on and made the toilet appear to be inside, took out the old butlers sink and put in a stainless steel double good old mom very proud woman
The Scotlands estate was built in the 1930s though some of the older houses (definitely 19th or very early 20th century) would have been in different areas, possibly nearby Park Village where many of them have now been demolished. Most if not all of the Scotlands estate, however, still exists and the houses have been refurbished. It is near to the Low Hill estate which is much bigger and was mostly built in the 1920s, also by the council, though part of it has now been demolished.
can u tell me if the man in one of the pics name was edward plz
the lady with the meb bill might be my nan my mom said have u got any information on her and the man standing in the hallway and bedroom might be my grandad we would like it very much if u could give us some information on them plz
Hi Lyn – I think her name was Mrs Quinn. That is the only name I can recall now…!
Regards George