Austin Village
Encyclopedia
Austin Village is a World War I
housing estate of prefabs
between Longbridge
and Northfield, Birmingham, England.
Herbert Austin
, who created the Austin Motor Company
at Longbridge
in 1905, had to take on more workers during the First World War when his factory became involved in making tanks and aircraft. In 1917, he built a new estate for his employees in Turves Green on land bought for £7,750.
He imported 200 red cedar wood
pre-fabricated bungalows from The Aladdin Company, Bay City, Michigan
. They were shipped across the Atlantic and survived potential loss by U-boat
attack.
These were erected with twenty-five conventional brick-built semi-detached
houses at intervals to create firebreak
s.
They were fitted with coke-fired central heating, gas cooker, gas water boiler, sink and drainer, and a bathroom with bath.
The external size of the bungalows was 20 in 6 in (6.25 m) wide by 35 in 3 in (10.74 m) deep with an additional porch at the front and boiler room at the rear. The three bedrooms were each 9 in 7 in (2.92 m) square.
The brick houses were also fitted with two gas fires.
Two octagonal children's shelters were built in the islands in Rowan and Laburnum Way but these have now gone. Hawkesley Farm buildings were converted to a village hall and club room.
Mature trees were planted along the roads: Central Avenue, Hawkesley Crescent, Hawkesley Drive, Coney Green Drive, Cypress Way, Cedar Way, Laburnum Way, Rowan Way and Maple Way. The village was completed in eleven months and rented to Austin workers with seven in each bungalow and twelve in each house.
A wooden Baptist church (now demolished) was built opposite the north end of Central Drive and a Church of England church (Church of the Epiphany, now gone) was built on the corner of The Oak Walk.
After the war the requirement for workers reduced and the bungalows sold. The estate is now occupied and surrounded by conventional suburban housing. It forms the Austin Village Conservation Area
.
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
housing estate of prefabs
Prefabricated home
Prefabricated homes, often referred to as prefab homes, are dwellings manufactured off-site in advance, usually in standard sections that can be easily shipped and assembled....
between Longbridge
Longbridge
Longbridge is an area of Birmingham, England. For local government purposes it is a ward within the district of Northfield.Since 1905, the area has been dominated by the Longbridge plant, which produced Austin, Nash Metropolitan, Morris, British Leyland, and most recently MG Rover cars...
and Northfield, Birmingham, England.
Herbert Austin
Herbert Austin, 1st Baron Austin
Herbert 'Pa' Austin, 1st Baron Austin KBE was an English automobile designer and builder who founded the Austin Motor Company.-Background and early life:...
, who created the Austin Motor Company
Austin Motor Company
The Austin Motor Company was a British manufacturer of automobiles. The company was founded in 1905 and merged in 1952 into the British Motor Corporation Ltd. The marque Austin was used until 1987...
at Longbridge
Longbridge
Longbridge is an area of Birmingham, England. For local government purposes it is a ward within the district of Northfield.Since 1905, the area has been dominated by the Longbridge plant, which produced Austin, Nash Metropolitan, Morris, British Leyland, and most recently MG Rover cars...
in 1905, had to take on more workers during the First World War when his factory became involved in making tanks and aircraft. In 1917, he built a new estate for his employees in Turves Green on land bought for £7,750.
He imported 200 red cedar wood
Juniperus virginiana
Juniperus virginiana is a species of juniper native to eastern North America, from southeastern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, east of the Great Plains...
pre-fabricated bungalows from The Aladdin Company, Bay City, Michigan
Bay City, Michigan
Bay City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 34,932, and is the principal city of the Bay City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Saginaw-Bay City-Saginaw Township North...
. They were shipped across the Atlantic and survived potential loss by U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
attack.
These were erected with twenty-five conventional brick-built semi-detached
Semi-detached
Semi-detached housing consists of pairs of houses built side by side as units sharing a party wall and usually in such a way that each house's layout is a mirror image of its twin...
houses at intervals to create firebreak
Firebreak
A firebreak is a gap in vegetation or other combustible material that acts as a barrier to slow or stop the progress of a bushfire or wildfire. A firebreak may occur naturally where there is a lack of vegetation or "fuel", such as a river, lake or canyon...
s.
They were fitted with coke-fired central heating, gas cooker, gas water boiler, sink and drainer, and a bathroom with bath.
The external size of the bungalows was 20 in 6 in (6.25 m) wide by 35 in 3 in (10.74 m) deep with an additional porch at the front and boiler room at the rear. The three bedrooms were each 9 in 7 in (2.92 m) square.
The brick houses were also fitted with two gas fires.
Two octagonal children's shelters were built in the islands in Rowan and Laburnum Way but these have now gone. Hawkesley Farm buildings were converted to a village hall and club room.
Mature trees were planted along the roads: Central Avenue, Hawkesley Crescent, Hawkesley Drive, Coney Green Drive, Cypress Way, Cedar Way, Laburnum Way, Rowan Way and Maple Way. The village was completed in eleven months and rented to Austin workers with seven in each bungalow and twelve in each house.
A wooden Baptist church (now demolished) was built opposite the north end of Central Drive and a Church of England church (Church of the Epiphany, now gone) was built on the corner of The Oak Walk.
After the war the requirement for workers reduced and the bungalows sold. The estate is now occupied and surrounded by conventional suburban housing. It forms the Austin Village Conservation Area
Conservation area
A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
.