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Photo shows: Miss Evyline Nichol and her ATS friend Audrey Towend wheeling a pram
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Photo shows: Miss Evyline Nichol and her ATS friend Audrey Towend wheeling a pram
Photo shows: Miss Evyline Nichol and her ATS friend Audrey Towend wheeling a pram load of bedding to their new home in Duchess of Bedford Walk, West Kensington.
September 8th 1946.
Story: In heavy rain, 1500 Londoners converged on Kensington High Street in a well-planned operation to take over a block of flats in Duchess of Bedford Walk, West Kensington. The block housed refugees from Gibraltar during the war and was next a hostel for a local building trades school. After being repaired and decorated the building was to be handed back to the owners by the Ministry of Works and luxury flats were to be let at a minimum rent of ten guineas a week. More people arrived seeking homes than could be accommodated. The police arranged for hot drinks to be served and among those present at the invasion were a number of Councillors for Kensington and other boroughs including Stepney, from where a party of squatters had come seeking homes. Mr. Denis Goodwin of the London District of the Communist Party hoped the action taken by 1500 Londoners would call attention to the existence of places such as these.
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Pram Transport Bedding Belongings Improvise Mattress Pushing Squatters Squatting Takeover Wheeling
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EDITORS COMMENTS
This historical photo captures the resilience and determination of Miss Evyline Nichol and her ATS friend Audrey Towend as they navigate through heavy rain, wheeling a pram loaded with bedding to their new home in Duchess of Bedford Walk, West Kensington. The date is September 8th, 1946. On this day, approximately 1500 Londoners gathered on Kensington High Street for a well-coordinated operation to occupy a block of flats that had previously housed war refugees from Gibraltar. After serving as a hostel for a local building trades school, the Ministry of Works decided to return the building to its owners. However, before doing so, it was repaired and decorated with plans to rent luxury flats at an exorbitant minimum price of ten guineas per week. The demand for housing far exceeded the available accommodations, leading to overcrowding and frustration among those seeking homes. Despite these challenges, the police ensured hot drinks were served while various councilors from boroughs such as Stepney joined in solidarity with squatters who had traveled seeking shelter. Mr. Denis Goodwin from the London District Communist Party expressed hope that this act by 1500 determined individuals would shed light on similar neglected spaces across the city. This poignant image serves as a reminder of both the struggles faced by post-war Londoners searching for suitable housing and their unwavering spirit in fighting against social injustices.
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