Model dwellings company
Model dwellings companies (MDCs) were a group of private companies in
Background
The precursor to the aims of MDCs was the work of
Model dwellings
![Peabody Square Model Dwellings in Blackfriars Road, in Southwark, London. These buildings, which still exist, are typical of early Peabody Trust developments, and of pre-World War I social housing in London in general.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f8/Peabody_Square_Model_Dwellings%2C_Blackfriars_Road.jpg/220px-Peabody_Square_Model_Dwellings%2C_Blackfriars_Road.jpg)
Out of this environment, various societies and companies were formed to meet the housing needs of the working classes. Improved accommodation was seen as a way of ameliorating overcrowding, as well as the moral and sanitary problems resulting from that. The movement started in a small way in London, with the
The middle of the century saw the peak in MDC building, with around twenty-eight separate companies operating in London prior to the 1875
Companies
The Society for Improving the Condition of the Labouring Classes
The first of these companies was formed out of the Labourer's Friend Society, which in 1844 agreed to change its name and purpose towards building houses for labourers that might be adopted by others as a template.[1] Their first urban building project was completed in 1846 at Bagnigge Wells, Pentonville, designed by Henry Roberts.[3]
Although the
The Metropolitan Association for Improving the Dwellings of the Industrious Classes
The Metropolitan Association for Improving the Dwellings of the Industrious Classes (MAIDIC) was formed in 1841, earlier than the SICLC, but spent several years acquiring capital to begin its building projects. These commenced after the company obtained a royal charter which established the company on more commercial grounds, guaranteeing a minimum return of five per cent on investment.[1] This was outlined in the company's resolution:
That an association be formed for the purpose of providing the labouring man with an increase of the comforts and conveniences of life, with full return to the capitalist.[1]
The first MAIDIC blocks were completed in 1848, constituting twenty-one two room apartments and ninety three room apartments in Old St Pancras Road, again on an 'associated' model - that is, with shared amenities such as lavatories and kitchen. This type of large, block residence with shared facilities became the norm for model dwellings companies.
The MAIDIC was one of the largest MDCs and by 1900 housed over 6,000 people.[5]
The Peabody Trust
The Peabody Trust was founded after an unprecedented donation in 1862 of £150,000, by the American banker George Peabody for the good of the poor in London. A committee was set up to choose the most appropriate way to spend the money, and it was decided to build a number of block dwellings for the very poorest of the city. These apartments were of similar design to other companies, but rents were offered at lower levels, leading to complaints from other MDCs.[6] Tenancy in a Peabody Dwelling came with strict rules: rents had to be paid weekly and punctually, and many trades were not permitted to be carried on at the dwellings. There was also a night-time curfew and a set of moral standards to be adhered to.[7]
The Improved Industrial Dwellings Company
The largest MDC working in central London was the
The Artizans', Labourers' and General Dwellings Company
The Artizans' Company became one of the largest of the MDCs, concentrating on suburban, low-rise estates rather than the central, high-rise model of other companies. It was founded by a former labourer, William Austin, in 1867 and immediately set about building and selling model dwellings first in
By 1900, the Artizans' Company provided dwellings for 42,000 people in over 6,400 residences[5]
East End Dwellings Company
The EEDC was founded in 1882 by a committee from the parish of St Jude,
Following
Four Per Cent Industrial Dwellings Company
The Four Per Cent Company was founded by a group of Anglo-
The company later renamed itself the Industrial Dwellings Society (1885) Ltd., and is today known as IDS.[11]
Other companies
There were a large number of companies operating in the nineteenth century, particularly in London, around twenty-eight at the time of the Cross Act. Other names include the
Outside of London, the Pilrig Model Dwellings Company and Edinburgh Co-Operative Building Company were active in Edinburgh, Scotland, building a number of what have come to be referred to as colony houses. Other companies, such as the Chester Cottage Improvement Company and the Newcastle upon Tyne Improved Industrial Dwellings Company built in specific areas only. Other buildings were erected by individuals, such as Hugh Jackson's New Court, in Camden Town, London, and Sir James Gowans' Rosebank Cottages in Edinburgh.
The Newcastle upon Tyne Improved Industrial Dwellings Company was set up by James Hall of Hall Brothers Steamship Company, Tynemouth, after visiting Sir Sydney Waterlow's establishment in London.[12] It built 108 flats at Garth Heads between 1869 and 1878; the chairman, directors and shareholders were mostly prominent local businessmen. The company was wound up in 1968 and the buildings at Garth Heads are currently used for private student accommodation.[13]
Other schemes
Baroness Burdett Coutts
Baroness Burdett-Coutts was a private philanthropist who gave to many and varied charitable endeavours. One of the most significant private inputs into the provision of working class housing was
Criticism and support
Contemporary
The MDC movement was strongly supported by individuals like Lord Shaftesbury,
Other
In the twentieth century and beyond, opinions over the MDC movements have tended towards two positions. The first, adopted by
Further reading
- Dennis, R. (1989) The Geography of Victorian Values: philanthropic housing in London, 1840–1900. Journal of Historical Geography 15(1), pp. 40–54
- Morris, S. (2001) Market solutions for social problems: working-class housing in nineteenth-century London. Economic History Review54(3), pp. 525–54
- Stedman Jones, G. (1984) Outcast London: a study in the relationship between classes in Victorian society. London: Penguin
- Tarn, J.N. (1973) Five Per Cent Philanthropy. London: Cambridge University Press
- Wohl, A.S. (1977) The Eternal Slum: housing and social policy in Victorian London. London: Edward Arnold
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Tarn, J.N. (1973) Five Per Cent Philanthropy. London: CUP
- ^ White, J. Rothschild Buildings: life in an East End tenement block, 1887-1920, p.19
- ^ Goold, David. "Dictionary of Scottish Architects - DSA Architect Biography Report (April 11, 2017, 1:07 am)". ScottishArchitects.org.uk. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
- ^ Archives, The National. "The Discovery Service". NationalArchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Wohl, A.S. (1977) The eternal slum: housing and social policy in Victorian London. London: Edward Arnold
- ^ Dennis, R. (1989) The Geography of Victorian Values: philanthropic housing in London, 1840-1900. Journal of Historical Geography 15(1), pp.40-54
- ^ a b c Stedman Jones, G. (1984) Outcast London: a study in the relationship between classes in Victorian society. London: Penguin
- ^ Archives, The National. "The Discovery Service". NationalArchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
- ^ Tarn, J.N. (1968) The Improved Industrial Dwellings Company London:s.n.
- ^ Connor, JE and Critchley, BJ (1984) The Red Cliffs of Stepney: History of Buildings erected by the East End Dwellings Co. 1885-1949, Connor and Butler
- ^ "IDS Housing Association - Hackney & elsewhere in London". IDS.org.uk. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
- ^ Hayward, William (1896). James Hall of Tynemouth: A Beneficent Life of a Busy Man of Business. American Libraries. Internet Archive: Hazell, Watson and Viney, London. pp. 327.
- ^ "Garth Heads". Newcastle Residential Areas. 2 June 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
- ^ Archives, The National. "The Discovery Service". NationalArchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
- ^ Welch, Caroline (2006) Noel Park: A Social and Architectural History. London: Haringey Council Libraries, Archives & Museum Services
- ^ Engels, F. The Housing Question, Der Volkstaat 26 June 1872
- Economic History Review54(3), pp. 525–54
- ^ Whelan, R. (2008) British social housing and the voluntary sector. Journal of Economic Affairs 28(2), pp. 5–10
- ^ Gauldie, E. (1974) Cruel habitations: a history of working-class housing 1780-1918. London: Allen & Unwin