Squatting – the Real Story
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Squatters are usually portrayed as worthless scroungers hell-bent on disrupting society. Here at last is the inside story of the 250,000 people from all walks of life who have squatted in Britain over the past 12 years. The country is riddled with empty houses and there are thousands of homeless people. When squatters logically put the two together the result can be electrifying, amazing and occasionally disastrous. SQUATTING the real story is a unique and diverse account the real story of squatting. Written and produced by squatters, it covers all aspects of the subject: • The history of squatting • Famous squats • The politics of squatting • Squatting as a cultural challenge • The facts behind the myths • Squatting around the world and much, much more. Contains over 500 photographs plus illustrations, cartoons, poems, songs and 4 pages of posters and murals in colour. Squatting: a revolutionary force or just a bunch of hooligans doing their own thing? Read this book for the real story. Paperback £4.90 ISBN 0 9507259 1 9 Hardback £11.50 ISBN 0 9507259 0 0 i Electronic version (not revised or updated) of original 1980 edition in portable document format (pdf), 2005 Produced and distributed by Nick Wates Associates Community planning specialists 7 Tackleway Hastings TN34 3DE United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)1424 447888 Fax: +44 (0)1424 441514 Email: nick@wates.demon.co.uk Web: www.nickwates.co.uk Digital layout by Mae Wates and Graphic Ideas the real story First published in December 1980 written by Nick Anning by Bay Leaf Books, PO Box 107, London E14 7HW Celia Brown Set in Century by Pat Sampson Piers Corbyn Andrew Friend Cover photo by Union Place Collective Mark Gimson Printed by Blackrose Press, 30 Clerkenwell Close, London EC1R 0AT (tel: 01 251 3043) Andrew Ingham Pat Moan Cover & colour printing by Morning Litho Printers Ltd. (T.U) Tel: 01 474 3801 Tom Osborn Camerawork by Lithoprint (TU) (tel: 01 359 8288) and Spiderweb (tel: 01 794 6575) Ann Pettitt Steve Platt Trade distribution by Southern Distribution, 27 Clerkenwell Close, London EC1R 0AT Jill Simpson (tel: 01 251 4976) and Scottish & Northern Books, 45/7 Niddry Street, Edinburgh EH1 ColinWard 1LG (tel: 031 557 0133) (Scottish Office), or 18 Granby Row, Manchester M1 3GE (tel: 061 David Watkinson 228 3903) (Northern Office) Heathcote Williams Tristan Wood Individual copies may be obtained from the publisher (allow £1 per copy for postage and packing) designed by Caroline Lwin © Copyright for chapters retained by individual autors. Copyright for compilation and editorial material Nick Wates. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be illustrated by Andy Milburn reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher except for the quotation of brief passages in criticism. edited by Nick Wates and Christian Wolmar ISBN: 0 9507259 0 0 (hardback) 0 9507259 1 9 (paperback) compiled by Nick Wates Contents Some history The law Squatting around the world Squatting in Britain before 1968. The effect of the law on squatters It’s not just Britain – looking further afield. 8The early squatters 104 14 The erosion of squatters rights 158 20 Everybody’s doing it 206 1 Introducing squatting 1 by Colin Ward by David Watkinson by Mark Gimson by Nick Wates Squatting from the Middle Ages to the Second World War. Unlawful but not illegal, the Act of 1381, the law tightens Squatting in the Netherlands, Ireland, Denmark, its grip, the Criminal Law Act. Portugal, Italy, Hong Kong and other places. 2The squatters 4 9The post war squatters 110 by Andrew Friend 1945/6: the Vigilante movement, the occupation of service camps, taking over luxury blocks of flats. A chosen way of life The background A decade of squatting More than a roof – squatting can be good for you. The story of squatting in Britain since 1968. by Steve Platt The housing crisis – a brief summary 222 15 Using the space 166 Success on the streets by Andrew Ingham Four successful squatting campaigns Empty property – facts and figures 226 3 Setting the stage 14 Fantasy and romance, self-help repairs, making use of space, The London Squatters campaign, thuggery in Redbridge, the opportunity to experiment. hippies of Piccadilly, licensed squatting. 10 Better than the telly any day 122 Myth and fact – statistics on squatting and squatters 230 by Ann Pettitt 16 Learning to learn 180 4 Here there and everywhere 30 Outwitting a private landlord in London’s East End, by Pat Moan The boom in squatting, opposing property speculators, Myrdle and Parfett Streets. Confessions of a layabout, hippie, anarchist, woman taking over the street, not just for homes, squatting in squatter. style. Notes 234 11 We won, you should fight them too 130 by Piers Corbyn 17 Outpost of a new culture 186 5 Mounting oppostion 48 Bibliography 236 Property owners on the offensive, media myths, anti- Grinding down the Greater London Council in West by Tom Osborn squatting hysteria. London, Elgin Avenue. Squatting communities as an alternative way of life. Index 238 6Fighting back 64 12 Victory Villa 142 18 The squatters estate agency 192 Squatters organise, local squatting groups, campaigning, by Nick Anning and Jill Simpson by Heathcote Williams Advisory Service for Squatters, All London Squatters and Challenging the planners in South London, Villa Road. The inside story of Ruff Tuff Creem Puff, the only the Squatters Action Council. estate agency for squatters. 13 Is there life after squatting? 150 7A whole new ball game 82 by Tristan Wood 19 From skippering to squatting 198 Living with the new law, the London Squatters Union, Winning a permanent home in Central London, Seymour by Celia Brown amnesty for 5,000, co-ops, squatting lives on. Buildings. Squatting as an alternative to hostels and lodging houses. 2 About this book Credits ‘Anarchic 1 SQUATTING the real story grew out of a series of meetings of squatters Criticism and research Keith Armstrong, Ron Bailey,David Bennie, home-hijackers.’ in London starting in November 1977. It was decided to produce a book David Cant, Wojtek Dmowski, Gerrie 3 representative of the diversity of squatters and squatting. Most of the ‘Squatters and homelessness disfigure London. Ellis, Kate Hepburn, Bob Kindred, Mike ‘Squatting should be the movement of ordinary people who worked on the book are current or past squatters but they They are equivalent to shanty towns around a Third Kinghan, Rodney Mace, Mark Phillips, people to challenge the authorities on the whole have not attempted to reach a consensus on the importance, relevance or World city. We will not rest until this disfigurement Sally Phillips, John Rety, Jeremy Wates, issue. It must become the living demonstration politics of squatting. Views expressed are therefore those of the is removed.’ and Brian Winterbottom. that ordinary people will no longer accept the individual authors. intolerable housing shortage. It must become Assistance with layout Ian Denning, Caroline Easton, Alan the threat that will compel government, national This book was made possible by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Lenton and Barry Shaw. and local, to change its priorities.’ which provided a grant for information collection and research while 5 generously leaving authors freedom to express their own opinions. The Typing Ines Ferreira, Heather Newham, Moni material collected is now at the Self-Help Housing Resource Library at Sheenan and Sylvia Thorn. the North London Polytechnic (2-16 Eden Grove, London N7, tel: 01-607 2789 x 2065). The Library continues to collect information on squatting Photography Credits are given alongside each photo- 4 ‘Unlike other forms of conquest and self-help housing and would welcome any leaflets, photographs, graph. Special thanks to: Tom Burrows, ‘We find it quite unacceptable that people should that were propelled by the pursuit of glory, newspaper cuttings etc, which readers may have festering unwanted in Mark Edwards, Bruce Fraser, Mike decide to jump the queue and move into houses or trade routes or revunues, squatting is part of a desperate their bottom drawers. Goldwater, Adam Harvey, David Hoffmar flats regardless of the needs of others, which may struggle for shelter and land. Of all the forms Liz Jellinek, Aden Kelly, Anna Kolpy, of course be of far higher priority. This is the law of [unlawful] seizure, squatting is the Strenuous efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of the Dave McKay, Ray Morris, Paddington of the jungle.’ most condonable.’ information in this book but the authors, editors and publisher cannot be Printshop, Raissa Page, Shirley Read, held responsible for any mistakes that may have unaccountably slipped Report, Seboottee, Martin Slavin, Tony their attention. Any corrections, omissions or complaints should be sent Sleep, Union Place Collective, Dave to the publisher for use in future editions. Walkling, Mike Wigg, William Wise and 6 7 Phil Wolmuth. Addresses of photographer Although this book should be of use to prospective squatters, it is not can be obtained from the Half Moon 8 intended as a do-it-yourself guide to squatting. Anybody needing basic Photography Workshop, 119-121 Roman information on how to go about it is advised to read the current edition of Road, London E2 (tel: 01 980 8798). the Squatters Handbook,available from bookshops or direct from the Advisory Service for Squatters (2 St Pauls Road, London N1, tel: 01 359 Thanks also to the following for helping in a variety of ways: ‘I’m not squatting to publicise the problems of 8814), price 30p plus 15p postage. homeless people – I am homeless. I’m not squatting Nick Albury, Tony Allen, Architectural Press, Elly Berg, Auke Bijlsma, because I think that if enough people do it Millicent Bowerman, Peter Brinson, Sally Brooks, John Cadet, capitalism will collapse – it won’t.