The new combination fire in Mrs Dawsons home at number 44 Alliance Street was considered to be efficient and modern.
This photograph was taken as part of the Alliance Street Tour called ‘The Stockton Test’ an experiment in housing renovation. In the 1950s Britain had several million houses that were considered sub-standard. These houses had been built during the late Victorian era and, although well constructed, had no hot water supply, no bathrooms and no inside toilets. It was evident that most of these houses were too good to be demolished but the implications for renovation weren’t known. A block of houses in Alliance Street were renovated as part of The Stockton Test to see what could be achieved to improve the nations housing stock.
There is a film of it on the BFI web site, it is incredible. Just listening to the comments make you realise how lucky we are today.
Does anyone remember the next wave of refurbishments in the 1970’s. I seem to remember the council doing one show house up completely (in Alliance or Hind street) as a example to encourage others. It was open for the public to look around for a while then I think they raffled it off or something like that. One lucky winner got a newly fitted out terraced house.
I was born in 22 Alliance Street in 1946, was 22 one of the houses involved in the Test ?