Originally the pre-fabs were for Ekco workers only. But after the war more prefabs were added to the original 12 and several were given over to the local council for townspeople. This, too, caused problems as Ekco still had the right to allow their workers to move into any of the pre-fabs that became available; the townspeople saw this as queue jumping.
Pre-fabs were intended as temporary housing. Most people lived in them for over 30 years and talk of them with great affection.
The pre-fabs were of very modern design with good sized rooms; the kitchens had built-in units including a wash boiler, pantry, broom cupboard, cooker and a fridge - long before most people could boast of such luxuries! The coal fire in the living room had air ducts, which heated the bedrooms, and the bathroom had a hot rail to warm the towels! Each garden had a coal shed plus another general purpose shed. Generally speaking the whole design was well ahead of its time.
The locals knew the area as Tin Town, though the exterior walls were made from asbestos and the framework from aluminium which was plentiful at the end of the war, as the country no longer needed aeroplanes in vast numbers. There was however a huge housing shortage. Thousands of bungalows were made and erected all over Britain. Colin Gabitas who brought up his family at Cowbridge Crescent remembers being told by one old soldier that he was shown pictures of pre-fabs whilst serving in Italy! Our Servicemen were introduced to the bungalows as the "The Homes for Heroes" that would be waiting for them on their return to Blighty.
Source: Bob Browning
