Social Housing Sound Archive Alexander Holmes London Social Housing Sound Archive is a collection of sound recordings made by musician and recordist A.J. Holmes. ’Social Housing’ is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which is owned and managed by local authorities or by non-profit organisations (such as housing associations) initially built to house the ‘deserving poor’, working class and now intended to be let at low rents to those who are most in need. Although I have a keen interest in the history of social housing in general the primary focus of the of this page is British council housing, prioritising estates in London which are current being demolished or under threat of demolition. My aim is to document these environments and the most importantly the communities that they are home to; if only for posterity. I have a great personal affinity with such environments, as for most of the my life I have lived in council housing. I grew up on a estate in the London borough of Barking and Dagenham, called Marks Gate, which is much like many post-war council estate all over Britain. It is modest in design and scale, consists mostly of timidly modernist houses, low rise flats and one Scandinavian style, system built, tower block, charmingly named High View House. It is a 1950’s (completed in 1959) appendage to the Becontree Estate; the inner-war housing project often referenced to as the largest ‘Public Housing’ (an earlier, international term for council or state own housing) estate in the world. In this respect it is ‘on the periphery of the periphery’, as Barking and Dagenham is located on far edges of east London (the exotic far east, if you will) and Marks Gate is on the furthest edge of that, sandwiched between the A12 trunk road and Hainault Forest, green belt. I currently live in a very pleasant 1930s built Neo-Georgian block of flats on an LCC (London Country Council) estate in the London borough of Hackney. I’m very proud to say that I’m a council tenant and extremely sad and infuriated by the decline and current state of social housing in the UK. I was burn in 1971 so most of the childhood was lived in the ‘pre-right to buy’ council housing area. Which was an extremely pleasant environment to grow up in. Though out my life I have observed the top down systematic erosion of these environments, through wilfully neglect, to the stage where a horrific tragedy like Grenfell Tower was - whoever shocking - unsurprising. Totally eradication of social housing now seems to be official government policy, with hundreds of council estates - in London alone - subject to ‘regeneration schemes‘ resulting in particle or full demolition and thousands of families losing their homes and / or secure tenancy, with communities being displaced and dispersed all the country. In the wake of the terrible tragedy of Grenfell my only hope is that we have all turned a corner in our understand of the severity of the current housing crisis in the UK. Acknowledge that is not acceptable and that it must changed for the good of us all. I also hope that the inhumane ‘social cleaning’ that is currently taking place under the guise of so called ‘regeneration’ schemes can be radically re-considered. In the mean time I intend to continue documenting these environments and communities, in the hope that most of them will still be there for future generations to benefit from. If they are not, then may these records at least provide some indication of what was lost. Social Housing Sound Archive’s popular tracks Excalibur Estate Margaret Speaks of Helpful Ghosts by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-10-28T10:30:47Z Gascoigne Estate, Barking 15th Oct 2017 by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-12-01T21:23:38Z Aylesbury estate, Ecuadorian volleyball games by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-11-04T20:27:24Z Woodberry Down by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-12-03T17:11:14Z Regents Park Estate - Construction by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2018-02-03T17:45:05Z The Carpenters Estate - Central by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2018-02-25T20:50:03Z Excalibur Estate Margaret and George 'To us there our homes' by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-10-29T10:55:13Z Excalibur Estate Zain and Margaret - My Coffin by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-10-29T21:46:53Z Aylesbury Estate - Centre - early evening 23/09/17 by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-11-04T20:32:02Z Chrisp Street Market entrance by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-11-26T17:56:12Z Dagenham Sunday Market Sweets 15th Oct 2017 by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-11-28T16:59:31Z Dagenham Sunday Market Thoughts by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-11-28T19:25:57Z Kings Crescent Estate by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-12-03T12:29:22Z South Lambeth Estate, Kibworth Street, between Broadstone House and Lulworth House by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-12-03T13:11:18Z South Lambeth Estate, Lulworth House, 02/12/17 by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-12-03T14:50:37Z South Lambeth Estate, Near Stockwell Station by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-12-03T14:58:01Z Thamesmead, South, Lake 3pm 17/11/17 by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-12-03T16:14:25Z Gascoigne Estate - life - Barking 07/01/18 by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2018-01-20T13:23:12Z The Lighterman Public House, Thames View Estate, Barking - squeaking Sign by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2018-01-20T14:18:24Z The Carpenters Estate - Life - Saturday midday by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2018-02-25T20:56:13Z Colville Estate - life by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2018-03-06T17:47:24Z Knight's Walk - Calm by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2018-04-06T16:14:48Z Excalibur Estate Margaret 'He took all the flags down' by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-10-29T21:05:03Z Excalibur Estate Margaret speaks of living with ghosts by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-10-31T15:30:29Z Excalibur Estate Margaret speaks of the deeds by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-10-31T16:07:29Z Excalibur Estate Margaret 'that's why I like money' by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-10-31T16:20:36Z Margaret And Zain speak about Excalibur Estate and English Heritage by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-10-31T16:35:40Z Excalibur Estate - Margaret and Zain - the council by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-10-31T16:52:15Z Aylesbury Estate, Burgess Park Lake by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-10-31T17:22:18Z Aylesbury Estate Kids Coming Around The Corner 27/10/17 by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-11-04T20:39:47Z
Excalibur Estate Margaret Speaks of Helpful Ghosts by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-10-28T10:30:47Z
Gascoigne Estate, Barking 15th Oct 2017 by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-12-01T21:23:38Z
Aylesbury estate, Ecuadorian volleyball games by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-11-04T20:27:24Z
Excalibur Estate Margaret and George 'To us there our homes' by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-10-29T10:55:13Z
Excalibur Estate Zain and Margaret - My Coffin by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-10-29T21:46:53Z
Aylesbury Estate - Centre - early evening 23/09/17 by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-11-04T20:32:02Z
Dagenham Sunday Market Sweets 15th Oct 2017 by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-11-28T16:59:31Z
South Lambeth Estate, Kibworth Street, between Broadstone House and Lulworth House by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-12-03T13:11:18Z
South Lambeth Estate, Lulworth House, 02/12/17 by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-12-03T14:50:37Z
South Lambeth Estate, Near Stockwell Station by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-12-03T14:58:01Z
Thamesmead, South, Lake 3pm 17/11/17 by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-12-03T16:14:25Z
Gascoigne Estate - life - Barking 07/01/18 by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2018-01-20T13:23:12Z
The Lighterman Public House, Thames View Estate, Barking - squeaking Sign by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2018-01-20T14:18:24Z
The Carpenters Estate - Life - Saturday midday by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2018-02-25T20:56:13Z
Excalibur Estate Margaret 'He took all the flags down' by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-10-29T21:05:03Z
Excalibur Estate Margaret speaks of living with ghosts by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-10-31T15:30:29Z
Excalibur Estate Margaret speaks of the deeds by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-10-31T16:07:29Z
Excalibur Estate Margaret 'that's why I like money' by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-10-31T16:20:36Z
Margaret And Zain speak about Excalibur Estate and English Heritage by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-10-31T16:35:40Z
Excalibur Estate - Margaret and Zain - the council by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-10-31T16:52:15Z
Aylesbury Estate, Burgess Park Lake by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-10-31T17:22:18Z
Aylesbury Estate Kids Coming Around The Corner 27/10/17 by Social Housing Sound Archive published on 2017-11-04T20:39:47Z