Shrublands Estate

Photographs of 'prefabs'
By John Layton

Prefabs (short for 'prefabricated' houses) were built out of necessity after the Second World War as relief housing, as they were very quick and easy to erect, being made out of prefabricated concrete and asbestos sections, and were relatively cheap to build.

One of the prefab 'estates' in the Yarmouth area was the Shrublands Estate near Magdalen Way in Gorleston, two photographs of which can be seen here.

Photo:Photograph of a child outside a prefab on Shrublands Estate

Photograph of a child outside a prefab on Shrublands Estate

Courtesy of Mr D Caton

Photo:Photograph of a couple outside a prefab on Shrublands Estate

Photograph of a couple outside a prefab on Shrublands Estate

Courtesy of Mr D Caton

Audio transcripts

This page was added by John Layton on 27/02/2008.

Comments about this page

I lived in South London during and after WW2 and remember seeing prefabs being delivered on the backs of lorries. They came in two ready-built halves which were lowered onto foundations already provided, after which the two halves were quickly joined together. The gas & water pipes and the electricity cables were already built in when the units were delivered and just needed connecting up to provide a ready made dwelling.

By Richard Beckett
On 07/05/2008

I was married in 1951 and I was in the Regular Army and our first house was a pre-fab. We lived in Berberis Green until a few years later we were moved on to the Magdelan Estate where we still live. In a gale the pre-fab's roof used to bang up and down and was full of asbestos. Did not harm us or our kids. We enjoyed the indoor toilet and a nice bathroom.

By Ivor Steadman
On 12/05/2008

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