&

The involvement of Sidney Little

Borough Engineer & Water Engineer

This presentation will be focused on the changes to public housing in Hollington & the immediate area of Hollington “ Village “

Phase One : The 1920s

Phase Two : The Immediate Post WW2 years

Phase Three: The BIG estate 1949 onwards

Sidney Little's involvement

You will have an idea of the complex nature of the provision of public housing & in particular this area of the town.

Be able to identify the various organisations, both national and local that were involved at some stage in the progress.

And how Sidney Little & his Officers fitted into this and how important was his role.

Under the Housing for the Working Classes Acts 1890 – 1923

Hastings Corporation made plans for the provision of housingwithin the borough.

On 6th August 1920 – The Old Church Housing Development wasapproved by the Council.

This was the start of the process that would find the inhabitantsof St Leonards with a housing design that was modelled onWelwyn Garden City – in other words what they had in mind wasalmost St Leonards Garden City, the properties were to be builtwith sufficient green space and gardens to follow this trend.

The then Borough Engineer – Mr Palmer, had identified a sitebetween Battle Road and Old Church Road, and the wheels wereput in motion to obtain this land for housing. It was originallyknown as Old Church Avenue. This would change later.

The plan was to provide 106 dwellings – made up of a combinationboth Parlour and Non- Parlour houses [86] and flats – all with indoorWCs

The cost of this phase:

Buildings £51,199.0.0d

Roads & Sewers £ 7,248.0.0d

Total £58,447.0.0d

Cost today £2,220,436. 00

Application was made to the Public Loans Board to borrow this money at3% over 60 years. Also for the £6.00 p.a.per property subsidy to assist withthe eventual renting costs. This was later reduced and abolished in the1930s as the pressure on Government funding became acute during thedepression.

Willingdon Avenue will be renamed after a former Member of Parliament,the Rt Hon Lord Willingdon GBE GCSI GCIE former Governor of Bombay anduntil recently Governor of Madras

Housing & Improvements Committee 4 April 1924

79 Old Church Avenue, St Leonards on Sea, circa 1924

Thanks to Chris Giles

This was the start of the first Hollington Housing Estate, thatwould include Marline Avenue, Marline Road, OrmerodAvenue Quebec Road, Oxford Road, Lewis Road, and wouldover the coming decade provide many new houses for thegrowing population.

One very important feature of this development, and one thathad the full support of Sidney Little, was the use of apprenticesin many of the trades, as he said – “ that way were are trainingthe future craftsmen to continue the work” and this was atheme that would be continued right through the post wardevelopments.

November 1931 - 500th council house to be built by HASTINGS CORPORATION –commemorative plaque being set in front wall of house in Quebec Road

by the Mayor – Cllr Ormerod

That could be Sidney Little ?

Here is evidence that Lewis Road was being built in 1938, as the allocation of numbers for the first block of houses is allocated by the Borough Engineers department. The plans had been approved in May 1938

Within weeks of Sidney Little returning to Full Time employmentback with the Corporation, his departments were fully engaged withthe task of reconstruction – this town, like so many that had beenin the front line, had taken its toll in terms of bomb damage and inOctober 1945 the following appeared in the local press

But this was a future forecast, there were many more immediateproblems that needed attention, in particular Housing. This had beenrecognised even before the war had ended, and many factories hadswitched to the production of temporary or pre-fabricated housing, thatcould be quickly and cheaply produced and delivered on site, very oftenusing recycled military raw materials, by factories that has been gearedup to such production demands.

However, these properties required foundations and connection to theinfrastructure – sewers, water, electric but not very often gas. And all ofthese required men and materials – and that was often the problem –they were both in short supply and even when available, under strictrationing and allocation.

The immediate post war years, saw many of the national “warcommittees” remain in place in addition to expansion of such structuressuch as the Civil Service and Local Authority, all of which at some stagewould have been involved in different aspects of this work.

Remember – we were as a nation BROKE

And housing was just one sector that needed repairing – Hospitals,Schools, Transport and many more were biding for funding.

Unity Structures were a construction company based in Rickmansworth.Using a common storey-level precast reinforced concrete panels, theyproduced various updated versions of their bungalow and twin-storeyhouse variations. Using metal bracing within the cavity and metal joistsconnected at column joints, the PRC columns act as mullions. Copper strapstie the inner panel to outer PRC panel on earlier variant, while later thecopper strap fixed to column holding just outer PRC cladding panels.

The AIROH house (Aircraft Industries Research Organisation on Housing)was a 675 square feet ten tonne all- aluminium bungalow assembled fromfour sections, each to be delivered to the site on a lorry, fully fitted. Theproposed rate of production of complete houses was to be an incredibleone every twelve minutes. This was possible because the completelyequipped and furnished AIROH could be assembled from only 2,000components. “It had a fitted fridge a bathroom.”Although impressive, theAIROH by 1947 was costing £1,610 each to produce, plus costs of the landand installation. However, as the design was so easy to produce, 54,500AIROHs were constructed

There were several types of Prefabricated buildings erected in Hollington inthe immediate aftermath of the war built under the Housing ( TemporaryAccommodation ) Act 1944, and here are a few examples of these – thisshows some of the early units on land between Bristol and Lewis Road. Thisphoto I would suggest was taken in the late 1960s. The prefab with theRediffusion Pole in garden, I believe is no 50 Lewis Road.

Another view looking across from lower Lewis Road – this photo

was taken in the mid 1960s, as the tower blocks on Stonehouse

Drive can be clearly seen. The House is 31, the prefab 33 Lewis

Road. One on left, looks like back garden of no 60

How many concrete items can you spot in this picture ?

Could this be the influence of Sidney Little ?

BAC AIROH style that were erected on Lewis Road at the eastern end towards Blackman Avenue – I lived in no 100 from 1947 to 1956

Examples of the BAC AIROH Prefabs on a site in Bristol

This has been adapted to take a wheelchair –but shows the front very clearly.

This picture shows the ease in which these units were constructed on site, four factory made sections bolted together. Each unit came fully fitted.

Aerial view of Hollington, showing the prefabricated buildingsthat had been erected between 1946 – 1949 and were still inoccupation well into the 1960s – so much for temporary“emergency” housing.

1:2500 Scale O.S.Map 1955 – showing Hollington Estate developments

War Economy = Control

Peace Economy = Control

In April 1947, the Borough Engineer presented to the Plans & Town PlanningCommittee, the layout of phase one of the Hollington Estate – for theirapproval, before presenting to the Housing & Improvements Committee. Toreach this stage, the outline would have needed the approval of the following:

Ministry of Health

Ministry of Transport

Ministry of Town and Country Planning

Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries

Air Ministry

War Agriculture Committee

Ministry of Works

The Electricity Commission

The Home Office

The Regional Housing Officer

THE PUBLIC LOANS BOARD

As well as progressing with this scheme for Hollington

Finding and acquiring the Land needed for this and other new estates.

Providing the infrastructure for 200 Pre-fabricated housing units

Development of the Rock Lane Estate

Repairs to existing council housing

Investigating the best and most cost effective designs of new council housing

Planning for the new requirements of Schools

Planning for the hand-over of existing Hospitals to the new NHS

Allocating licences for the repairs and rebuilding of War Damaged private properties

Continuing with pre-war improvements to Water provision for town

Repairs to towns war damaged infrastructure – sewers & roads

Negotiating with the War Damages Commission for repairs to Council property

Tackling shortages of skilled labour and materials

Early in 1948, The Corporation was given the green light for the Hollington 1project, based on an agreement that was signed on 16 December 1947 for thepurchase of 37 acres of land over the next five years.

In June – The Ministry of Health gave the approval to the application to thePublic Loans Board to fund the Roads and Sewers to the cost of £ 35,000 over60 years.

In July – Borough Engineer requests a further £600 be added for street lightingto be included in the early stage of the development, at the request of the ChiefConstable.

In December, an addition £5,140 was added to the costs of the roads & sewers,bringing the whole amount for this phase to £40,740 {in today's money thiswould represent just under £ 1.5m } – approval was given for a loan of 60 yearsat a slightly increased rate of 3%- rates had increased in early January becauseof the worsening economic position of the country. ( This represents £9.0mtotal cost over the time period) This estate was not going to be cheap.

Rents were set at: 3 Bed 19s 0d + 8s 7d Rates = 27s 7d per week2 Bed 17s 6d + 7s 6d Rates = 25s 0d per week

Alongside all the meetings and applications for funding, the BoroughEngineers Department would have worked up the plans, specifications andtender documents needed and in due course the contact was let for thework.

John Laing & Co – had developed a Easiform construction method betweenthe wars and this was to be the choice for many reasons, for the initialphase of the new Hollington Estate. The cost for the provision of 150 units[ 72 3 Bed and 78 2 Bed ] was £184,372 15s 6d [ £6.46m - total repaymenton 60 years @ 3% = £13.9m ]

Interestingly this 150 units put the allocation of new housing in Hastingsover its for 1948/49 quota , but because the properties would not bestarted until the new financial year, this was allowed.

This size project needed specific staff and it was agreed that a Clerk ofWorks for the site be appointed, and Mr W J Harris was appointed on thewage of £9.00 per week, his background was Carpentry and Joinery and hehad worked since 1945 for the Ministry of Works.

The Establishment Committee, approved this appointment the followingmonth, and application was made to Ministry of Health for approval toapply to the Public Loan Board for the money.

Laing Easi-Form

Cast in situ concrete walls, inner and outer leaves of 3 inches (7.6 cm)thickness separated by a 2 inches (5.1 cm) cavity, and reinforcement in bothskins located in four horizontal bands above and below window openings.

Under the new development, these buildings were to be the backbone ofthe new site in Hollington, their main construction areas being alongBlackman Avenue, Burden Place, Dymond Road & Bristol Road.

The appointment of the Clerk of Works, was the final decision that Sidney Littlemade as the Borough Engineer & Water Engineer, as he retired shortlyafterwards, and handed the reigns to Mr E.O.Baxter, who would remain in thisnew role for many years, and see the completion of both these parts Hollingtonand Ore estates.

He did, however continue in a consultative capacity for many years and wouldhave assisted with the continuing work of the estates.

Sidney made his last appearance before the Housing and ImprovementsCommittee on 21 February 1950, almost a year after his official retirement.

In the coming years work continued with the planning and development of –

Hollington Rectory Land 1 - 43 houses, tender from Ringmer Building Worksfor £ 61,595 15s 5d [2.16m]

Hollington Rectory Land 2 - 116 houses, tender from Ringmer Building Worksfor £143,994.14s 1d [ 5.1m]

Blackland Farm – 30 houses

Castleham Farm – 80 houses

Although not Hollington – Sidney was involved with the extension of the HarleyShute Estates in St Leonards – but that is another story, for another day !

Thank you.

Taken in June 1950 – back garden 100 Lewis Road, St Leonards,tonight presenter aged about 3 years, playing on his toy railwayengine.

Resident 27 October 1947 -25 March1956

Hastings Museum & Art Gallery :

Cathy Walling – Curator, & Alison Hawkins – Archivist

East Sussex County Council Library Service

Zoe Edwards – Archivist & - Hastings Reference Team

Pauline Crouch – Hollington Library Manager

Old Hastings Preservation Society :

Hastings History House Team

Publications:

“Hastings, Looking back to the future A tribute to Sidney Little “Richard Pollard –

“Hollington The Village in Past & Present” – Hastings Local History Group

And last but not least – for patience and understanding -

Sheila & Charlotte

This has been a Two Donkeys Production

For

Scoobie Media Facilities

©André Palfrey-Martin 2013