Woodnook slums!

[gdm27]

Just looked at the new homes being converted in Woodnook. When I was a kid we tried never to walk through the area. How things change tho, wouldn't mind living in one of these myself! We always knew this was the way, refurbish not pull down. They knew how to build houses in those days. See how many of the "new" houses are standing in a hundred years!!

[Margaret Pilkington]

I lived in this area when I was growing up and never ever did I consider those houses to be slums. They were homes. Some of them were humble homes. They afforded warmth and shelter and were the places we went to when all the world seemed against us.

The standards when I was growing up were far different from the standards of today.
The outside lav. The tin bath. No central heating, no wall to wall carpets.
The community were solid, they helped one another.

I am glad this area has been refurbished. I hope those who make those houses their homes have lives that are as happy as mine was.
I hope they appreciate the work that has gone to make the place comfortable, and they respect the properties.

[keep the faith]

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

I lived in this area when I was growing up and never ever did I consider those houses to be slums. They were homes. Some of them were humble homes. They afforded warmth and shelter and were the places we went to when all the world seemed against us.

The standards when I was growing up were far different from the standards of today.
The outside lav. The tin bath. No central heating, no wall to wall carpets.
The community were solid, they helped one another.

I am glad this area has been refurbished. I hope those who make those houses their homes have lives that are as happy as mine was.
I hope they appreciate the work that has gone to make the place comfortable, and they respect the properties.

I agree with you 100% Margaret. I too grew up in Woodnook in the 50's and 60's and remember how happy those days were. It broke my heart to see how the area had deteriorated. I'm glad to see the refurbishment has been a success.

[Neil]

Still say they should have knocked them down and built new homes with gardens, off road parking and somewhere for kids to play safely and I used to spend a lot of time in that area and I have lived in terraced houses like those

[Margaret Pilkington]

Well, Neil everyone is entitled to their opinion....you are no different.
These houses are well built, more so than new builds.
There is a huge chunk of land where the two mills used to be. This was ear marked for 72 shoeboxes....er, I mean houses.
The site is an eyesore...It hasn't been built on because the company who had plans to do this building went bust....the land is for sale.
It has been derelict for quite a few years now....I will look at my pictures later and tell you exactly how long.
This refurb of the area is designed to provide affordable rented housing for working people....to breathe new life into an area that is deprived....that can't be all bad.

[cashman]

I worked on so called "New Builds" late 60s and was shocked at the low quality crap they put in em,compared to the old terraced, Yer opinion may well have been different Neil, if yeh were a bit older?

[Mog]

1966 I bought an house in Royds St. Two up and Two down with an outside Lav that was a long drop. No heating or hot water just a gas geezer over the sink. I bought the house with £25 deposit and £400 loan. Yep the house was mine for £425. When Huncoat shut i moved to Nuneaton to work at Coventry Colliery. As a transferred miner I was entitled to a Coal Board house. Within 6 weeks I was living in a Three bedroom semi with a fully equipped bathroom all heated with solid fuel central heating and a driveway with a garage and massive front and back gardens. I sold my house in Royds St for less than £300 as I wasn't coming back. Living in the Woodnook area was ok though and as others have said it was a cracking community with some real good pubs as well. Nevertheless I made the best choice.

[Neil]

Originally Posted by cashman

I worked on so called "New Builds" late 60s and was shocked at the low quality crap they put in em,compared to the old terraced, Yer opinion may well have been different Neil, if yeh were a bit older?

I live in a terrace now and have lived in several others as will as detached and town houses. The worst of all was mid terraced front door opening onto the street ones like those they have tarted up.

They are rubbish modern family homes, like I said no off road parking and nowhere for kids to play safely. Maybe if you were a bit younger you would have a different opinion. You have to either carry your recycling through your house or round the block. Terraced houses were ok when they were built in the 19th century but not now.

I'll give it 10 years and it will back in the state it was before.

If you don't like my idea for knocking them down you really wouldn't like my idea for how to improve the roads around here because a lot of demolishing needs to be done to build decent roads

[Margaret Pilkington]

Neil, I live in a terraced house too. Have done for over forty years.the difference is we have a little garden at the front.....ok so it is paved(I am no earthly use with green things).
We have a large backyard too and this is fine for us.
Not everyone can live in their ideal home....which is what you describe. Sometimes you have to compromise to get a roof over your head.
The houses they have refurbished are well built and they have turned some of them into larger family homes.
There will be people out there who would snap your hand off for one of these properties. It just happens that you are not one of them.

[Eric]

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

no wall to wall carpets.

We were posh ... we had wall-to-wall floors

[Neil]

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

Neil, I live in a terraced house too. Have done for over forty years.the difference is we have a little garden at the front.....ok so it is paved(I am no earthly use with green things).
We have a large backyard too and this is fine for us.
Not everyone can live in their ideal home....which is what you describe. Sometimes you have to compromise to get a roof over your head.
The houses they have refurbished are well built and they have turned some of them into larger family homes.
There will be people out there who would snap your hand off for one of these properties. It just happens that you are not one of them.

We lived in a 2 up 2 down private rented in Accy then moved to the end of an L shaped block of 5 town houses with a housing association. It was less money and had off road parking, a garden front and rear for the kids and a safe place to play. In other words a family home which is what they are pretending this done up terraces are. They are not, they are a relic of the past.

[Margaret Pilkington]

Neil, with the greatest respect, because they do not suit your family needs does not mean that they are unsuitable for families.
Some families will not require off road parking as they may not possess a vehicle.
Gardens are a luxury, some families need the basics rather than the luxuries. This does not mean that they will not aspire to such things, but these homes may provide something in the short term.
I would certainly rather have one of these than some of the houses which are up for rental.
I am pretty sure they will be snapped up by people who are willing to compromise so that they get a roof over their head.
There are plenty of green spaces locally where children can play, supervised by parents of course.

[Neil]

All that money for "short term" houses when they could have done the job properly.

Thats the problem with the narrow minded people at HBC/LCC. To worried about upsetting a few residents to do whats needed. It's like this stupid road junction at Church Commercial. What it really needs is a much bigger junction with two lane each way from there down to the lights at the bottom of Dill Hall Lane. Yes that would mean knocking a few houses down but they are the few that would moan, the thousands that would find the new road system better would be happy with it. The usual listen to a few moaners mentality applies. I'll stop ranting now sorry

[Margaret Pilkington]

I didn't mean that they were 'short term' houses, just that the tenants may want them as short term lets until they can get something better.
I was under the impression that this refurbishment work was a partnership between HBC, business and some money from other sources(I can't think now whether it was lottery money or the ESF).
Not everyones need for housing is similar to yours. If you have small children then ideally you would want something with a garden or a safe area to play(these houses have back yards - we played in back yards and my friends father had a lovely bit of garden in his back yard)...but there are places where children can play (with adult supervision).
People who have older children may not be so fussed about having somewhere for children to play, teens rarely want to 'play out'....these are good houses, brought up to a more modern standard...ready to move into......they already enhance what was a very run down area....they look clean, are well maintained and in my opinion(i know that it counts for little) are a vast improvement to what they were.

Now if someone would just get to grips with the deictic site where the two mills were, then that would be another huge improvement to the area.

Yes Neil, I hope you feel better after your rant.

[IRENE BAINBRIDGE]

I agree Margaret,I walked through on the way to Woodnook C.S.school they were nice family houses.