Historical and contemporary archaeologies of social housing: changing experiences of the modern and new, 1870 to present Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Leicester by Emma Dwyer School of Archaeology and Ancient History University of Leicester 2014 Thesis abstract: Historical and contemporary archaeologies of social housing: changing experiences of the modern and new, 1870 to present Emma Dwyer This thesis has used building recording techniques, documentary research and oral history testimonies to explore how concepts of the modern and new between the 1870s and 1930s shaped the urban built environment, through the study of a particular kind of infrastructure that was developed to meet the needs of expanding cities at this time – social (or municipal) housing – and how social housing was perceived and experienced as a new kind of built environment, by planners, architects, local government and residents. This thesis also addressed how the concepts and priorities of the Victorian and Edwardian periods, and the decisions made by those in authority regarding the form of social housing, continue to shape the urban built environment and impact on the lived experience of social housing today. In order to address this, two research questions were devised: How can changing attitudes and responses to the nature of modern life between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries be seen in the built environment, specifically in the form and use of social housing? Can contradictions between these earlier notions of the modern and new, and our own be seen in the responses of official authority and residents to the built environment? The research questions were applied to three case study areas, three housing estates constructed between 1910 and 1932 in Birmingham, London and Liverpool. During the course of answering these research questions, three further themes have arisen, which have broader relevance beyond this thesis: How to interpret buildings that have a life extending beyond their original purpose. The practice of contemporary archaeology as it relates to the built environment i How new kinds of environments are created and experienced, and how this can be investigated through material evidence. ii Acknowledgements I owe much to the advice and help given by friends and colleagues, including Sarah Newstead, Tyr Fothergill, Anna Booth, Chantal Bielmann, Eric Tourigny, and in particular my supervisor Sarah Tarlow, whose support and encouragement during the last four years has been invaluable. The research and preparation of this PhD thesis was made possible by funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Fieldwork and research in my case study areas was made much easier by the generosity and enthusiasm of many organisations and individuals. In Birmingham: the New Heights Centre, in particular Doreen Mooney and Fr Eamonn Corduff of Christ the King Church, Kingstanding. Muriel Cowen, Elsie Judd, Kathleen McCarthy, and Maggie Spruce kindly gave their time for oral history interviews. Jo Curtis facilitated access to the oral history archives at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, and the staff of the Wolfson Centre for Archival Research at the Library of Birmingham, and Birmingham City Council Planning Department provided access to photographs, maps, plans, and historic planning files. Staff and residents of the Eldonian Village in Liverpool, particularly George Evans, Carol Hurrell, Tony McCann and Margaret Dragonette provided interviews and insight into the area’s history, as did Sheila and Marie Sullivan at Robert Lynch House. Thanks are also due to the staff of Liverpool Archives and Family History Library, Liverpool Planning and Building Control and the Museum of Liverpool – in particular Kay Jones. In London, the staff of the Peabody Trust and the residents of the Bethnal Green estate, particularly Christine Wagg, Jonathan Zoil, and Elizabeth Harris gave their time freely for interviews and to provide access to the Trust’s archives. Help was received from the staff of the London Metropolitan Archives, British Library Sound Archive, Museum of London, MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology), Pre-Construct Archaeology Ltd., and Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives, as well as the Historic England Archive, Swindon. iii Clare Hudson and colleagues in the Enterprise and Business Development Office at the University of Leicester have shown tremendous interest and offered support during the latter stages of thesis preparation. Sue, Kevin, Rachel, Sheila, Robert, Sophie and Kitty were all very patient. iv Contents CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ 1 Research Questions ............................................................................................................................... 2 Methods ................................................................................................................................................ 5 Case Studies .......................................................................................................................................... 6 Warren Farm Estate, Kingstanding, Birmingham (Chapter Four) ........................................................... 9 Bevington Street area, Liverpool (Chapter Five) ................................................................................... 10 Peabody Trust Estate, Bethnal Green, London (Chapter Six) ................................................................ 11 Chapter Outline ................................................................................................................................... 12 Chapter One: Introduction .................................................................................................................... 12 Chapter Two: Research Context............................................................................................................ 12 Chapter Three: Methodology and Sources ........................................................................................... 13 Chapter Four: The Warren Farm estate, Kingstanding, Birmingham .................................................... 14 Chapter Five: Bevington Street Area, Liverpool .................................................................................... 15 Chapter Six: Peabody Trust Estate, Bethnal Green, London ................................................................. 16 Chapter Seven: Discussion and Conclusions ......................................................................................... 16 Critique of Existing Literature .............................................................................................................. 16 Historical Context .................................................................................................................................. 16 Interdisciplinary Context ....................................................................................................................... 18 Studies of Social and Workers’ Housing in Archaeology ....................................................................... 20 CHAPTER TWO: RESEARCH CONTEXT ...................................................................... 28 What is modernity? ............................................................................................................................. 28 The nature of the modern city ............................................................................................................. 31 The origins and development of social housing ................................................................................... 33 Early private philanthropic housing projects ........................................................................................ 34 Social housing after the Second World War ......................................................................................... 42 The experience of modernity............................................................................................................... 46 Lived realities ...................................................................................................................................... 53 v Coping with a new environment ........................................................................................................... 56 Experience of places in transition ......................................................................................................... 58 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY .......................................................................... 60 Taking a distinctly archaeological approach ........................................................................................ 60 A contemporary archaeology approach ............................................................................................... 60 Undertaking contemporary archaeology .............................................................................................. 63 Critiques of contemporary archaeology ............................................................................................... 64 Recording and research methodologies ............................................................................................... 68 Importance of scale ............................................................................................................................... 69 Approaches