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Mr. H. Stephens, his wife and three young children, who have been living for 11 months
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Mr. H. Stephens, his wife and three young children, who have been living for 11 months
Mr. H. Stephens, his wife and three young children, who have been living for 11 months in a small unventilated garage, approximately 10ft by 20ft, in Lloyds Way, Beckenham, Kent, have been told by the Beckenham Borough Council to find new accommodation immediately. The Council told the Stephens that they could not be placed on the Housing Register because they had not lived in the district before the war. Mr. Stephens applied to his own home Council at Tunbridge Wells, who said that he was not eligible for a house because he works outside the district. They have told us to get out, Mr. Stephens said, and we just haven t anywhere to go. We are all sleeping together in the garage and the children are very poorly. Photo shows Mrs. H. Stephens feeding baby Joan while Geoffrey (left) and Rosalie were at play in their garage home. - 6th January 1947.
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Media ID 10973477
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Accommodation Crowded Deprived Doll Eviction Homeless House And Home Housing Living Conditions Need Quality Of Life Shelter Adequate Eligible Existing Loss Mother And Child Policy Squashed Stoic Temporary Too Small Want Worldly Goods
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EDITORS COMMENTS
This heartbreaking print captures the dire living conditions of Mr. H. Stephens, his wife, and their three young children in Beckenham, Kent during January 1947. Forced to reside in a small unventilated garage measuring only 10ft by 20ft for the past eleven months, this family has been dealt a devastating blow by the Beckenham Borough Council. Despite their desperate need for suitable accommodation, they have been told to find new housing immediately. The council's decision was based on an unjust policy that denied them placement on the Housing Register due to their lack of residency before the war. In search of assistance from his own home Council at Tunbridge Wells, Mr. Stephens faced further disappointment as he was deemed ineligible for a house since he worked outside the district. With nowhere else to turn and facing eviction from their meager shelter, Mr. and Mrs. Stephens are left with no choice but to endure these cramped quarters alongside their sickly children who suffer greatly from these inadequate living conditions. In this poignant image captured within their garage "home" we witness Mrs. H. Stephens feeding baby Joan while Geoffrey and Rosalie play nearby with stoic determination despite their deprived circumstances. This photograph serves as a stark reminder of how policies can fail those most in need and highlights the urgent necessity for adequate housing solutions that prioritize human dignity and well-being over bureaucratic red tape.
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