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Archiver > SCT-EDINBURGH > 2003-10 > 1065907056


From: My Mailinglist <>
Subject: Re: [EDB] landlordism
Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 22:17:36 +0100
References: <20031011165035.LPHW18371.mta7-svc.business.ntl.com@[213.104.228.235]>
In-Reply-To: <20031011165035.LPHW18371.mta7-svc.business.ntl.com@[213.104.228.235]>


On Sat, 11 Oct 2003 17:50:32 +0100, it was written:

>Thought this might stimulate some interesting discussion.
>
>An older person living in Edinburgh was telling my partner about the
>conditions around the time of WW2.
>
>He had lived in the Dumbiedykes area. The flats around there have long been
>replaced with a 'modern' development.
>
>He said that hundreds of tenements in Edinburgh were owned by one man, whom
>he believed was an Italian.

Might be true but I have never heard of that before. In fact the worst
of the tenements, Freer St and Freer Street Terrace were owned by the
Church Of Scotland. Thet were reckoned to be the worst in Europe.
>
>These homes were in a shocking condition and one day a building actually
>fell down, with fatalities. A man with a cart was going to take the
>surviving families to the poorhouse but the police tried to stop him because
>he had no license. Eventually they let him do this.
>
>After this collapse the city council finally tried to make this man repair
>the houses but he pulled a flanker and said, OK, I'll sell you the lot for a
>penny each. And they did.

There are many stories about tenements falling down although I never
personally saw one. Most Edinburgh people are related to the person
who was entombed in the rebble and was only rescued after calling out
"Heave awa lads, Ahm no deid yit"

I know for sure that I am.
>
>Now this has the ring of truth I think because there was a massive housing
>shortage in the UK which persisted until after WW2. I know my parents and
>their siblings had terrible trouble finding homes in the late 40s. Landlords
>didnt need to trouble to repair houses because people had nowhere else to
>go.

The shortage was caused by bombing and lack of rebuilding. Did both
thse reasons apply to Edinburgh - I think not.

>This was before the great housing programmes of the 50s, but I think
>Rackman in London was as late as the 1960s.
>
>Also, I have known for years that in some city areas in Edinburgh there are
>hundreds of council owned houses just scattered among the Victorian
>tenements.

I think that you will find that these were in tenements that had been
modernised and were highly sought after by Edinburgh people who wished
to remain in the centre of town.

>This seemed odd because normally Councils build estates or whole
>streets. But if they acquired them from a landlord or landlords that makes
>sense. Also, tenements built around the 1850s would indeed be getting into a
>right state without maintenance by the mid 20thC.

Quite
>
>Just to be a bit political, some individuals are again amassing large
>portfolios of flats in the city and thanks to the sale of council housing
>private renting is on the increase. Thankfully there are better controls now
>but it is easy to see how a greedy landlord could get his hooks into whole
>streets and the horrors that result.

Really. At least they cannot blame Westminister for that now.
>
>Very interested if anyone can comment on all this. Perhaps some of you left
>Scotland for a better life as a result of this scandal.

Perhaps. I left for a better job and a bit more sunshine.

Shirley


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