The St. Mungo concrete wall block : advert issued by McCreath, Taylor & Co, Glasgow in The Book of Little Houses & How to Build Them ; The Rolls House Publishing Co Ltd., London, 1922
An interesting book produced in 1922 at a time when the post-WW1 slogan "Homes for Heroes" was still valid and many schemes for the more economic construction of houses, either by size, scale or construction methodolgy were being proposed. This was also the time when many municipal authorities were first seriously involved in the provision of social or council housing. This book, with a foreword by Sir Charles Ruthen, Director-General of Housing in the Ministry of Health, has a series of articles both on types and plans of 'modern cottages' but also looks at various contemporary construction methodology including 'modern methods of building' that involved either a decree of prefabrication or the use of 'labour' and cost saving materials such as concrete blocks. and the production of concrete. Many of these methods, similar to those considered in similar post-WW2 years, where not widely adopted and properties using such novel methods often displayed defects. In many ways the 'traditional' construction methods of brick and wet trades won out.
The book also has many pages of adverts for builders and suppliers, many of which allude to the construction methods discussed in the articles. This advert is for a proprietary concrete block sold by McCreath, Taylor & Co of Glasgow - the St Mungo concrete block that allowed the formation of walls 'ready equipped' for lath and plastering thanks to an in-built clip. The blocks also formed a cavity wall when constructed. The advert mentions the use of "Winget" concrete machinery that is advertised elsewhere in the book. Various construction methods using pre-formed concrete blocks have been tried over time with varying success. In theory the construction of concrete in a workshop environment rather than on site should bring benefits in terms of production and quality - sadly, often, it was a case of cost winning out over durability. Interestingly the advert notes that these blocks have been sued in the housing schemes for the Corporation of Glasgow - I wonder which ones? Glasgow, with real housing pressures over decades, would become one of Europe's largest 'landlords' and with a massive housing construction programme over decades.
The St. Mungo concrete wall block : advert issued by McCreath, Taylor & Co, Glasgow in The Book of Little Houses & How to Build Them ; The Rolls House Publishing Co Ltd., London, 1922
An interesting book produced in 1922 at a time when the post-WW1 slogan "Homes for Heroes" was still valid and many schemes for the more economic construction of houses, either by size, scale or construction methodolgy were being proposed. This was also the time when many municipal authorities were first seriously involved in the provision of social or council housing. This book, with a foreword by Sir Charles Ruthen, Director-General of Housing in the Ministry of Health, has a series of articles both on types and plans of 'modern cottages' but also looks at various contemporary construction methodology including 'modern methods of building' that involved either a decree of prefabrication or the use of 'labour' and cost saving materials such as concrete blocks. and the production of concrete. Many of these methods, similar to those considered in similar post-WW2 years, where not widely adopted and properties using such novel methods often displayed defects. In many ways the 'traditional' construction methods of brick and wet trades won out.
The book also has many pages of adverts for builders and suppliers, many of which allude to the construction methods discussed in the articles. This advert is for a proprietary concrete block sold by McCreath, Taylor & Co of Glasgow - the St Mungo concrete block that allowed the formation of walls 'ready equipped' for lath and plastering thanks to an in-built clip. The blocks also formed a cavity wall when constructed. The advert mentions the use of "Winget" concrete machinery that is advertised elsewhere in the book. Various construction methods using pre-formed concrete blocks have been tried over time with varying success. In theory the construction of concrete in a workshop environment rather than on site should bring benefits in terms of production and quality - sadly, often, it was a case of cost winning out over durability. Interestingly the advert notes that these blocks have been sued in the housing schemes for the Corporation of Glasgow - I wonder which ones? Glasgow, with real housing pressures over decades, would become one of Europe's largest 'landlords' and with a massive housing construction programme over decades.