Not all of us have the opportunity to build something that endures for over 50 years but this was the case back in the 1950s for a number of Perkins workers.

This post-war period will be remembered for the severe shortage of good housing, strict controls on the amount of building materials available, and housing allocation by local councils based on the needs of each case. It must be remembered that Peterborough at the time was a relatively small market town with a number of growing industries and considerable competition for what housing existed.

A group of Perkins employees in their thirties, with wives and dependents but unsatisfactory accommodation, got together to discuss what could be done. Someone got to hear of a self-build housing development in Birmingham, the group’s interest was aroused and a bus hired to go and view the scheme one weekend in 1951.

Although the idea and organisation attracted the group, the houses themselves did not – they were of concrete block construction and not pleasing enough in appearance. The group returned and discussed, planned and made contacts around Peterborough and with Perkins management. Eventually they negotiated with the City Council to build a group of 28 houses, in pairs, in Eastern Avenue on the Dogsthorpe estate, which was then in the early stages of construction. The group selected a design based on a police house. A loan of about £43,000 was obtained from the Council while Frank Perkins donated £500 to get them on their way. The group formed a company named Peterborough Self Build Society, with formal contracts arranged through the Perkins lawyers committing every member to a minimum weekly work period on the site.

Since the houses would be completed in sequence there was some discussion over allocation: each member completed a questionnaire about their circumstances and these were then sent to the housing department at Birmingham City Council. They assessed the forms and decided order of priority based on their own rules for housing. There was no dissent over the results.

The building work started on 12^th March 1953, with a semi-retired builder, Mr Setchfield, acting as ‘site engineer’ while professional bricklayers, using locally-sourced Fletton bricks, constructed the house walls. The scheme members handled the rest of the work, from sewers through roofing, plumbing to decorating, at first according to their own expertise but then with abilities developed and perfected as the scheme progressed.

The work continued in the evenings and weekend, come rain or shine and under arc lamps at night. The first pair of houses was completed in August 1953 and a special opening ceremony took place, with grass laid and flowers planted by the Company gardener for the occasion.

GROUP IN FRONT OF 120 AND 122, AUGUST 1953

Throughout the building period Frank Perkins and his wife were frequent visitors at weekends, taking a cup of tea round a brazier with the workers and giving moral support. Other Company involvement came from the Personnel department and from Mr R F Mead, the Finance Director, who assisted in tracking the accounts of the Society.

MRS. PERKINS OPENS DOOR TO No. 120

The last pair of the twenty-eight houses was completed on 7^th September 1955, with another ceremony involving dignitaries from the City Council and Perkins, plus the presence of the BBC who recorded interviews. It is interesting to note that seven of the original occupants of the houses still live there: all the houses were eventually purchased by the tenants and the Council loan repaid.

The success of the scheme was such that there was a waiting list for the second group, which was formed as the Secundus Self Build Society. Agreement was reached to build a further 24 houses on plots on a new estate at Walton, grouped on Arundel Road and Corfe Road. Construction started in November 1955, with the members contracted in a similar manner to put the necessary time in on the project. The last of the houses was completed in November 1957, again with a ceremony and local publicity.

Although the housing shortage had eased, there was some enthusiasm to start a third group, but before this got much beyond the stage of committing potential members to a deposit there was a scandal involving misappropriation of money and materials during the latter stages of the Secundus scheme. A meeting was held at which the Perkins representatives sought to wind up the embryo society.

Six members of the new group decided to continue the project independently however, and approached Charles Shelton who was building a small estate close to the Eastfield factory. They agreed to purchase six plots on which Sheltons would build the shells and do the basic drainage work. The team worked with local merchants and with Sheltons to acquire the necessary materials at the cheapest price, and were successful in keeping the cost of each house to about £1,900. The group started work in August 1958 and had completed all six properties by September 1959, as before working about 30 hours a week with time off only on Friday night! At the time mortgages were available through the City Council at a fixed rate of 6.5%, so that when the Group was wound up there was no difficulty for members in financing their new properties.

Many things may be different today, but I hope this article shows that for Perkins employees there has always been 'a will and a way'. Vision and teamwork have always been a keynote of working practices – in this case inside and outside work!

Article © David Boulton. April 2004.

With grateful thanks to Ken Tinkler and Bert Saville, who are well-known long service employees and were members of these schemes.