Only 1 in 20 British Homes Had Central Heating in 1960 — How Did Families Survive Winter?
Before Britain
10 views
This video goes into the cold houses of the 1950s and 1960s: the single warm room, the fire that also heated the water, the hot brick in the bed and the ice that many people remember on the inside of the bedroom window. It follows the changes that ended the open fire in council housing, from the Clean Air Act of 1956 to the Parker Morris standards of 1961, and asks who actually decided.
It also asks what came after. Central heating reached almost every home. Warmth became a bill instead.
Which room in your family home was the warm one? Tell us in the comments.
Before Britain — the things you think have always been here all have a history.
SOURCES & FURTHER READING
Kuijer & Watson — "That's when we started using the living room" (Energy Research & Social Science, 2017)
The evolution of energy demand in Britain (The Historical Journal, 2018)
Only 1 in 20 British Homes Had Central Heating in 1960 — How Did Families Survive Winter?
Before Britain
10 views
This video goes into the cold houses of the 1950s and 1960s: the single warm room, the fire that also heated the water, the hot brick in the bed and the ice that many people remember on the inside of the bedroom window. It follows the changes that ended the open fire in council housing, from the Clean Air Act of 1956 to the Parker Morris standards of 1961, and asks who actually decided.
It also asks what came after. Central heating reached almost every home. Warmth became a bill instead.
Which room in your family home was the warm one? Tell us in the comments.
Before Britain — the things you think have always been here all have a history.
SOURCES & FURTHER READING
Kuijer & Watson — "That's when we started using the living room" (Energy Research & Social Science, 2017)
The evolution of energy demand in Britain (The Historical Journal, 2018)