A series of images taken of a forgotten slum estate in Greater Manchester capture a community surviving in squalid conditions as late as the mid 1970s.
The still images were taken from ITN news reports shot in the Spring and Summer of 1974 in Lower Broughton, Salford.
The news report highlighted the conditions people in the area were still living in seven years after the council had made a compulsory purchase order on 1,600 houses in 1967.
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The demolition was deferred for seven years, and despite spending over £280,000 on repairs in the interim, the homes were still in the most “dreadful state”.
Rats, rising damp, leaking rooves, pealing walls and floors with large holes were some of the problems people were forced to endure.
Outside the homes, the whole area resembled a classic slum. Rows of crumbling back-to-back terraces, alleyways heaped with rubbish, blocked drains on potholed streets strewn with debris from torn down buildings on which children played.
With 1,000 of the properties still occupied by the time of the report in 1974, many tenants complained of suffering health conditions like bronchitis.
Described in one of the news reports as “the worst slums in Britain” here are some of the most startling images taken from the ITN news footage.
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Slum housing in Lower Broughton, Salford. 1974
(Image: ITN/Getty images)The startling images were taken from ITN news reports
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(Image: ITN/Getty images)Bricked up homes waiting for demolition
(Image: ITN/Getty images)The reports highlighted the squalid conditions people were still living in
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(Image: ITN/Getty images)The reports were filmed on the streets of Lower Broughton in Salford
(Image: ITN/Getty images)Children playing with a tricycle in a back alleyway
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(Image: ITN/Getty images)Around 1,000 of the homes were still occupied
(Image: ITN/Getty images)The playing areas were filled with construction debris
(Image: ITN/Getty images)Pealing wallpaper caused by damp
(Image: ITN/Getty images)Basic living conditions
(Image: ITN/Getty images)The Stanton family had to live with a kitchen with large holes in the floor
(Image: ITN/Getty images)Children playing in the street outside a doorway
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(Image: ITN/Getty images)The piles of bricks and mortar became the playgrounds
(Image: ITN/Getty images)With streets left resembling a demolition site
(Image: ITN/Getty images)But without any alternative families were forced to stay
(Image: ITN/Getty images)Rubbish strewn alleyway
(Image: ITN/Getty images)71-year Annie Skear’s still lived in her home despite numerous health problems
(Image: ITN/Getty images)The 71-year old told the reporter her home was infested with rats
(Image: ITN/Getty images)Secretary of the tenants group, Miss Lilian Bowers (left) speaking to a neighbour
(Image: ITN/Getty images)Collecting signatures to send to the Prime Minister to conduct an independent inquiry into Salford’s housing problem
(Image: ITN/Getty images)
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
