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Last edited 19 Apr 2025

HOUSING IN THE UK: Further ongoing research

• Cover (left): AD 10/72 "Complexity" with Royston Landau peering through and Cover (right) AD 5/76 "Birkin Hayward lifts the lid off the systems approach"

1 FOREWORD
2 INTRODUCTION
3 FURTHER ONGOING RESEARCH
4 Some placeholder notes
5 CONCLUSION
6 APPENDIX - DATASET 1666-1968
7 References - Roderick Lawrence
8 References - still for a movie
9 Further reading
10 Related articles in Designing Buildings

[edit] FOREWORD

• Fig. 1: Facsimile of the opening page of 'Cedric Price Supplement No.4'

[edit] INTRODUCTION

[edit] FURTHER ONGOING RESEARCH

• Screenshot: AEX webpage advertising Housing Standardisation

Notes

According to Housing Standardisation:—

"The layout and construction of subsidised houses in England continue to be traditional and highly standardised. Housebuilders often use their development standards and standardised layouts, especially for houses, as homes on large development sites can be easily replicated. In contrast, apartment blocks in urban areas face more constraints. While dwelling sizes may vary by tenure, housing market, and local standards – and exteriors may differ – the basic layouts typically remain the same."
[*]

• Affordable and private house types by the same builder

Housing Standardisation (2023) undertook a three-year study of recently built affordable and subsidised housing in England, Chile, China, the Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland,

A study of the recommendations and legislation produced since 'Space in the Homes' was published in 1968 indicates:—

... that there is no last member in the series of recommendations and legislation which started with the Tudor Walters Report in 1918.

Thus this article finds:—

... that the design theory applied to housing in the UK is objectionable.

[edit] Some placeholder notes

Premise 1:—

... that there are official recommendations standards and legislation in the domain.

Premise 2:—

... that for any instance of official recommendations, standards or legislation there is another which stands in relation to it.

Premise 3:—

... that there are no nfinite descendint chains.

Conclusion:—

... that at some point there is a first R outside D

Premise 1:—

... that there are objects in the Domain.

Premise 2:—

... that there is always something that stands in relation to it (an object)

Premise 3:—

... that there are no infinite descending R chain.

Conclusion:—

... that at some point there is a first R outside D

[edit] CONCLUSION

TO BE CONTINUED

[edit] APPENDIX - DATASET 1666-1968

Year

Type

Title

Published by

Notes

1666	• Rebuilding of London Act 1666. Source: Wikipedia	Rebuilding of London Act 1666	Parliament of England	"The Act proposed that all new buildings had to be constructed of brick or stone for fire safety. It also imposed a maximum number of storeys per house for a fixed number of abodes to eliminate overcrowding." (Lucia Alonso, 2023) Learn More
1774	• Fires Prevention (Metropolis) Act 1774. Source: Wikipedia	Fires Prevention (Metropolis) Act 1774	Parliament of Great Britain	"Categorised urban houses into different rates defined by the value of the property and its total floor area. It standardised the quality and construction of buildings and made the exterior of a building as fire-proof as possible, by restricting any superfluous exterior timber ornamentation except for door frames and shop fronts. Appointment of District Surveyors to supervise the Building Laws." (Lucia Alonso, 2023) Learn More
1844	• The Metropolitan Buildings Act 1844. Source: Internet Archive	The Metropolitan Buildings Act 1844
1851	• Common Lodging Houses Act 1851. Source: Wikipedia	Common Lodging Houses Act 1851	UK Parliament	"Considered by some as the first housing legislation. It gave boroughs and vestries the power to raise funds via local rates or Public Works Loan Commissioners to build lodging houses for unmarried working people." (Lucia Alonso, 2023) Learn More
1885	• Housing of the Working Classes Act 1885. Source: Wikipedia	Housing of the Working Classes Act 1885	UK Parliament	"Consolidated and amended Shaftesbury, Torrens, and Cross Acts. Lodging houses were redefined to include separate dwellings for labouring classes. The interests for Public Works Loan Board lowered." (Lucia Alonso, 2023) Learn More
1890	• Act. Source: Internet Archive	The Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890	UK Parliament	"It enabled local authorities to build on cleared land. The Act did not allow authorities to build their own housing on land remaining vacant prior to 1890, but it allowed them the swap land so that a cleared site could be sold commercially if there was another site close by that could be used." (Lucia Alonso, 2023) Learn More
1890	• Act. Source: Wellcome Collection	The Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890	UK Parliament	"The housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890, annotated, with appendices containing the Incorporated Statutory Provisions, the Working Classes Dwellings Act, 1890, the Standing Orders of Parliament related to Provisional Orders, and the Circulars, Memoranda and ...". (Charles Allen, 1890) Learn More
1894	• London Building Act, 1894. Source: Internet Archive	London Building Act, 1894	London County Council (LCC) / Banister Fletcher
1909	• Act. Source: Internet Archive	The Housing & Town Planning, etc. Act 1909 Learn More	UK Parliament	"Considered UK's first town planning Act. It prohibited the ‘back-to-back’ housing. It was less on town planning, and more about the sanitary and aesthetic improvement of housing and focused on the prevention of future slums in new peripheral suburban developments." (Lucia Alonso, ib.) Learn More
1918	• Report. Source: HathiTrust	Report of the committee appointed ... to consider questions of building construction in connection with the provision of dwellings for the working classes in England and Wales, and Scotland, and report upon methods of securing economy and despatch in the provision of such dwellings ... (Tudor Walters Report)	Tudor Walters Committee	"The report published five model plans. These designs were specifically to set minimum expected building standards and facilities (such as bath in every house) and provide house designs that would have good living quality and efficient building materials. Authorities could design their own houses... (Lucia Alonso, ib.) Learn More
1919	• Act. Source: Gov.UK	Housing, Town Planning, &c. Act 1919 (Addison Act)	UK Parliament	"The Act was passed to allow the building of new houses after World War I. Provided subsidies to local authorities to help finance the construction of 500,000 houses within three years [...] . This legislation subsidised the cost of council housing from three sources: rents, local authority rates, and a grant from the state (previously there had not been no subsidies)." (Lucia Alonso, ib.) Learn More
1919	• Manual. Source: Internet Archive	Manual on the Preparation of State-Aided Housing Schemes	Local Government Board	"The manual was intended as a guide to local authorities on the preparation, design and construction of housing schemes with the recommendations from the Tudor Walters Report." (Lucia Alonso, ib.) Learn More
1944	• Manual. Source: HathiTrust	Housing Manual	Ministry of Health / Ministry of Works	"The Dudley Report's recommendations were used to write the Housing Manual. Housing based on new employment centres. Redefined density from the number of dwellings per acre to the 'number of persons for whom accommodation is to be provided' (assumed 2b house for 4 people)." (Lucia Alonso, ib.) Learn More
1944	• Report. Source: Internet Archive	Design of Dwellings (Dudley Report)	Central Housing Advisory Committee	"The Dudley Report was produced by a committee set up by the Ministry of Health’s Central Housing Committee to report upon the design of pre-war council house dwellings. The Report reviewed guidance on housing standards post Tudor Walter and concluded that the design of council houses was lacking in variety and offered insufficient living space." (Lucia Alonso, ib.) Learn More
1944	• Act. Source: Hansard	Housing (Temporary Accommodation) Act 1944	UK Parliament / Ministry of Reconstruction (Wikipedia)	"The Government aimed to provide enough homes for each family who required an individual dwelling, which it perceived had been the situation in 1939 prior to the outbreak of war. It also intended for the completion of the pre-war slum clearance project." (Lucia Alonso, ib.) Learn More
1961	• Report. Source: Internet Archive	Parker Morris Report, Homes for Today and Tomorrow	Parker Morris Committee / Central Housing Advisory Committee	"The report made recommendations for the total area of the dwelling as minimum standards. It was not just about square meters but about usability. It proposed better housing for both public and private sector and for-sale and for-let. Dwellings would include storage and heating (household goods were a commonplace)." (Lucia Alonso, ib.) Learn More
1968	• Design Bulletin	Space in the Home: Metric edition Design Bulletin 6	Ministry of Housing and Local Government	"The bulletin was designed to follow-up the publication of 'Homes for Today and Tomorrow'. It illustrated the main activities in a home and suggested furniture and space requirements." (Lucia Alonso, ib.) Learn More

• Edited extract from 'DATASET: Housing Standards, Manuals and Acts in England' compiled by Lucia Alonso. Source: Housing Standardisation

[edit] References - Roderick Lawrence

Roderick Lawrence (1985) 'Design by legislation: The ideological nature of house planning in the United Kingdom, 1918–1961' at ResearchGate. Also in Habitat International, Volume 9, Issue 2, 1985, Pages 123-140 https://doi.org/10.1016/0197-3975(85)90014-1

Bowley. M. (1945) ‘Housing and the State 1919-1944‘, University Press, Cambridge.
E. Gauldie (1974) ‘Cruel Habitations: a History of Working Class Housing, 1700–1918‘, New York : Barnes & Noble.
E. Chadwick (1965) ‘Report on the Sanitary Condition of the Labouring Population‘, Edited, with an introduction by M.W. Finn; pp. 219-254. University Press. Edinburgh.
M. Swenarton (1981) ‘Homes Fit for Heroes — The Politics and Architecture of Early State Housing in Britain‘, Heinemann, London.
Local Government Board (1918) ‘Report of the Committee … to Consider Questions of Building Construction in Connection with the Provision of Dwellings for the Working Classes in England and Wales and Scotland‘, cd. 9191. The Tudor Walters Report. H.M.S.O., London.
E. Howard (1902) ‘Garden Cities of Tomorrow‘, see revised edition with introduction by F. Osborn (1944). Architectural Press, London.
Local Government Board (1919) ‘Manual on the Preparation of State Aided Housing Schemes‘, H.M.S.O., London.
Ministry of Reconstruction (1919) ‘Report on The Women’s Housing Subcommittee Appointed by The Minister of Reconstruction To Consider The Plans Of Houses From The Point Of View Of Convenience For The Housewife’, cd. 9166. H.M.S.O., London.
B. Parker (1919) ‘The Joseph Rowntree Village Trust’, in Housing pp. 254-255. 29th March 1920, H.M.S.O., London.
E. Layton (1961) ‘Building by Local Authorities‘, George Allen and Unwin, London.

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Ministry of Health (1944) ‘Design of Dwellings‘, the report of the Dudley Committee. p. 8. H.M.S.O., London.
Ministry of Housing and Local Government (1944) ‘Housing Manual‘, H.M.S.O., London.
Ministry of Housing and Local Government (1952) ‘Housing Manual 1952’, H.M.S.O., London.
Department of the Environment (1961) ‘Homes for Today and Tomorrow‘, the report of the Parker Morris Committee. H.M.S.O., London.
Ministry of Housing and Local Government (1967) ‘Housing Standards Costs and Subsidies’, M.O. H. L.G. Circular X/37. H.M.S.O., London.