Catford prefabs

The Excalibur Estate in Catford is the UK's largest and longest surviving collection of post-war prefabs. The Excalibur and it's roads such as Persant and Meliot, take their names from that bastion of British folklore; the Arthurian legends. The Estate built in 1945-46 by Italian and German POWs was a quick fix solution to an urgent problem. German bombs had displaced many people across the city and they urgently needed rehousing. These pre-fabricated Uni-Co buildings were expected to last just 10-15 years, but remain standing and very much lived in today. The famous post war image top right shows soldier Hector Murdoch returning to his family, and his new prefab home, after being demobbed.

Prefab housing, built in the aftermath of the Second World War was the brainchild of Winston Churchill and the Conservatives, later enacted by the Labour Party. The aim was to utilise production methods and structures already in place from the wartime production lines to create housing that could be made offsite and then quickly erected in situ. In practice the system proved too costly and of "1.2 million new houses built from 1945 to 1951 when the programme officially ended, only 156,623 prefab houses were constructed" of which 187 were built on the Excalibur Estate.

Essential maintenance work on the buildings throughout the years has been scarce, and many homes still have the same windows, heating, pipes that were first installed in the 1940's. However customisation by the residents themselves is rife; be it mock tudor beams, flourishing gardens, bright paintwork, almost all the plots on the estate tell an individual story.

But this lack of essential upgrades to basic amenities has meant that many of the buildings have fallen into disrepair and the local council argue it is too costly and time consuming to retrofit the required upgrades. The councils reluctance to attempt repairs has left many residents feeling stranded; without these desperately needed improvements, they fear the only solution is to acquiesce to the decision to demolish the site. But others on the estate have waged a vocal campaign with support of local artists and conservation societies. Those who remain on the Excalibur Estate today are doggedly determined to stay put till the bitter end rather than watch their community and homes be destroyed.

Final plans for demolition were approved in 2013, and this year work began in the furthest corner of the estate. Whilst six of the prefabs have been protected by English Heritage, it seems the remaining corners of the estate will soon also fall prey to the demolition team, irrespective of the Tenants wishes. Much controversy surrounds the demolition procedure itself. Due to the asbestos content of the buildings there are strict procedures surrounding the destruction and removal of materials. Many residents claim that this work is being carried out in an unsafe manner, you can find their evidence here. 

Photographer Elisabeth Blanchett who has spent many years photographing this and many other prefab sites in the UK has opened a temporary museum within the estate. The aim is to highlight the tenant's plight as well as the fascinating history behind the buildings themselves.We took a tour around the estate with her on a sunny saturday afternoon, to see the buildings and chat with residents. 

We saw a tight knit and predominantly elderly community, whose voice and will has been diminished by confusing and ever changing messages from the local council and their various sub contractors. A situation made worse by the fact that many feel they have nowhere else to go. Those who own their homes claim they have been offered too little money to move and others simply do not wish to be rehoused elsewhere.

The Excalibur Estate Tenant's Association welcome help from all quarters on the campaign, especially from those with a legal background. You can contact them or Elisabeth via the "Palaces for the People" facebook page. 

There is a great article on the Guardian website from 2012 where you can see interviews with residents on life in the Prefabs and you can visit the pop-up Prefab Museum until 30th September this year. It can be found at 17 Meliot Road, London SE6 1RY.

1 Statistics on number of Prefab houses built across the UK sourced via wikipedia. Full article here.