Cottingley Prefabs - Cottingleyites 1947-1975

scrabblerz · Post by **scrabblerz** » Mon 31 Mar, 2014 3:01 pm

The Cottingley Prefabs all 565 of them were built in 12 months between 1946-1947 as temporary accommodation after the war . The only houses pre-war on Cottingley were the 12 private houses at the bottom of Cottingley Drive . In Leeds Library there are many photographs of new housing construction , roadwork improvements , sewerage etc but nothing of the building of this estate . Considering this to be an advance type of housing construction for its day , prefabrication of houses all the associated roadworks and services required , you would think the powers that be would have maintained a photographic record of the progress . There is a photographic record of Quarry Hill Flats both the Building and Demolition but nothing of Cottingley . I have spoken to people who remember seeing the house sections on lorries whilst on their way to work in Leeds each morning and the next day the next batch waiting . There seems to be thought that the houses were assembled in South Yorkshire maybe the Rotherham area in what must have been a rather large factory . Has any body ever seen or know of any publications/photographs that may shed some light on this . There was an aerial photograph of the estate in the YEP dated March 15th 2014 and plenty personal memories on Leodis but nothing related to construction .

uncle mick · Post by **uncle mick** » Mon 31 Mar, 2014 3:22 pm

scrabblerz wrote: There was an aerial photograph of the estate in the YEP dated March 15th 2014 and plenty personal memories on Leodis but nothing related to construction .

Post by **chameleon** » Mon 31 Mar, 2014 4:25 pm

Already quite a bit on prefabs in this thread:http://www.secretleeds.com/forum/Messag ... sage=0Have a look in there.

scrabblerz · Post by **scrabblerz** » Mon 09 Jun, 2014 10:07 pm

Since the publication of this article many people have sent in stories / memories of life on Cottingley that times past YEP are hoping to do a follow up articles of ex-residents memories . Perhaps some of you secret Leeds readers may have been prefab residents ( on Cottingley) and recall the past here e.g The Iron Bridge , The milky way , Cubs and Scouts in the little white church Mrs Lague Arkela (dib dib dib) , The Transport Cafe on Gelderd Rd mug of tea 3d where all the military ranks used to meet on a Sunday morning after shooting rabbits (or At rabbits ) since 3.00 a.m or as soon as it was daylight . Mr Coombes and Sunshine Corner at the Olivet Church . Paddling in the beck by the Dyeworks to get a pop bottle to take to Bill Leafs Offy for 3d refund . Then a few years later taking a pop bottle back to get filled with draught cider about 2 bob the muckier the bottle the better the taste . Years later a Churwell native swore blind he had seen us drinking Vodka the bottle definitely said Vodka ( more likely Ben Shaws Dandelion & Burdock ) as drunk as lords . Mr Coombes sunshine followers had a Treasure Hunt one night where cards were placed round the estate with cryptic messages leading to the next they had a list where they had to fill in the locations , unfortunately me and whoever had found the last notice not knowing what it was , found some of the followers who explained all , so to prevent cheating we went and took it down and hid it then found somebody we knew told them what the last sign was they won we shared the spoils .Have looked in the Archives to see if I can find anything to do with the construction of the prefabs but very little no photographs , although I talked to a chap in Whitby who remembers seeing them being built when he used to walk down to Elland Road from Morley but of Course nobody had cameras in 1947 .