Resources on housing in Manchester (post 1919)
Special Collections resources at the University of Manchester Library
Homes for Heroes: housing between the wars
New Estates
The ‘Addison Act’ of 1919 made the construction of working-class housing the responsibility of local authorities for the first time, with generous subsidies from the state to assist their progress. For local authorities to receive these subsidies, their housing had to match the minimum standards specified in this and each subsequent housing acts- each broadly in line with the Tudor Walters Report of 1917.
It called for ‘cottage’ housing with front and back gardens. To ensure maximum light, houses were to be built at 12 to the acre. They should have a minimum of three bedrooms of carefully designated sizes, a separate living room, an inside toilet and a bath. Cul-de-sac streets would minimise traffic noise and disruption.
The opposition which had stymied the Blackley project resurfaced briefly, but the scale of the housing shortage following wartime restrictions saw it quickly defeated. In 1920 the Council formed a Housing Committee- a sub-committee of the Public Health Committee- to direct its effort, to be chaired by the remarkable Ernest Simon [Lord Simon of Wythenshawe].
Simon’s energy saw the Housing Committee established on solid foundations and, in a gift to historians, he documented his work on this subject extensively in a number of books, many of which are in our Special Collections. He and his wife Shena purchased Wythenshawe Hall and 250 acres of surrounding land in 1926, donating them to the Manchester Corporation, where they remain a great green space amidst of the city’s own ‘garden city’ of Wythenshawe.
The first estates in the city were not on the scale of Wythenshawe; agricultural land was purchased from local landowners (such as Lord Egerton of Tatton), with compulsory purchases sometimes made from smaller holders, and a series of developments quickly filled much of the available land in within the city’s boundaries.
Ordnance Survey maps of Manchester at this time give a vivid insight into the changes underway, as the new, low density housing estates sprawled into formerly rural communities. Note the rapid transformation of Burnage and Withington: the map below on the left was published in 1923, the year the first estate in Burnage was approved, and that on the right, published in 1933 after the construction of six estates in total (along with some private developments).
Ordnance survey maps also reveal the stark contrast between the new estates and the older, terraced housing in the city. Note the difference in density, and the sizeable gardens and cul-de-sacs which were a feature of these municipal developments.
Clearance of older housing
While the building of new houses on the city’s periphery progressed at pace, the problem of ‘slum’ housing remained unresolved. Emphasis changed following the passing of the ‘Greenwood’ Housing Act in 1930, with efforts targeted at the clearance of these areas and the rehousing of their residents elsewhere in Manchester. Compulsory purchase orders were issued by the council; residents were notified that their properties were deemed unfit and must be demolished.
The Manchester University Settlement had their base in the midst of one such area, New Cross in Ancoats. In 1937 they devised plans for an ambitious survey, one which would detail the lives of its residents in their existing homes and, once they were removed elsewhere, the survey would be repeated. Was the present policy improving the lives of those most affected? This survey determined to provide an answer.
While the onset of war in 1939 prevented any follow-up survey, the first part of the Ancoats Social Survey was completed, giving us a comprehensive insight into the lives of its residents in the 1930s.
Post war developments
While 8145 houses had been built at Wythenshawe before the war, the estate was far from its full extent, and construction resumed on the war’s conclusion. Below are two excerpts from a single, Ordnance Survey National Grid map of Wythenshawe from 1954, showing two developments at different stages of construction:
- Baguley — At Baguley we see the outline of the new housing, encroaching on the medieval Baguley Hall. Note the central location of the schools to the new residential areas:
2. Woodhouse Park and Moss Nook — While to the south east at Woodhouse Park, using the projected street paths we can see how the planners dealt with the older buildings, byways and field systems:
In tandem with continuing development, both at Wythenshawe and new estates such as Hattersley, there was a renewed vigour in the demolition of inner city areas. Below is an excerpt from a 1967 map marking areas for clearance- destruction- in Chorlton on Medlock, the area now surrounding the University of Manchester. You can view a similar map from 1971 here.
New architectural styles were employed when building on these newly vacant plots in the inner city. Most infamous were the Hulme Crescents, more about which can be read in the blog post below:
Housing and Minorities
Access to social housing has long been a contentious subject, and a particular focus on this issue is provided in a series of pamphlets scanned by the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre. Produced by The Campaign for Racial Equality, they examine inequalities in access from 1976 to 2007. While they take a national view with local case studies, the general experience was undoubtedly replicated in Manchester. The full range of pamphlets can be viewed here:
https://luna.manchester.ac.uk/luna/servlet/s/avw2g8
Discussion Points
- What factors did the municipality have to consider when building new social housing?
- Assess the different approaches taken throughout the twentieth century.
- Were these developments a ‘success’? If not, how could they have been improved?
Additional Resources:
- Editions of Punch magazine (R17772), including cartoons from:
- 16th April 1919
- 12th November 1919
- 17th December 1919
- 31st December 1919
- Manchester and Salford Woman Citizen (R182953)
- Slater’s Directories 1927–1939 (R5345)
- Unwin, Raymond, The nation’s new houses : pictures & plans (R141382)
- Library Reviews (R144354) [for Corporation Gas, Electricity and appliance adverts]
- How Manchester is Managed (annually from 1927 until 1939. Uncatalogued.)
- Manchester University Settlement Annual Reports:
- Ancoats Social Survey Archive (uncatalogued)
- Social Studies Of A Manchester City Ward (printed)
- Housing needs of Ancoats in relation to the Greenwood Act
- Letters in the Manchester Guardian archive from Barry Parker (GDN/A/P5/1–6) and Ernest Simon (GDN/A/S53/1–36).
- Simon, Ernest:
- A city council from within, (R62529)
- How to abolish the slums, (R64882)
- The anti-slum campaign, (R201253)
- The rebuilding of Manchester, (R74013)
- Rebuilding Britain : a twenty year plan, (R90096)
- Inman, John, Poverty and housing conditions in a Manchester ward (R72952)
- Community centres and associations in Manchester : a survey made in 1945 (Store A193874)
- Some Manchester Homes Unitarian College (1801- ) Printed Collection BD Z106 (3)
The University of Manchester digitised Special Collections material is made available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC 4.0) wherever possible. For further information on digital images and to request high resolution copies please contact our imaging team.
