"The Boswell system of house construction was developed by M. A. Boswell and Co Ltd of Wolverhampton during the late 1920s, and was used by Birmingham Corporation, Liverpool Corporation and Wolverhampton Corporation Housing Authorities to provide 1370, 1500 and 1050 dwellings respectively. All these dwellings are believed to have been completed prior to 1928."
more...
So it would appear that a. my Dad was six when the last of these was finished and b. that this attempt no doubt at cost-cutting was a contractor/supplier idea.
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I’m sure the very existence of chlorides in the ash (for that was the cause) was unknown. As was the effect of chlorides on no-doubt iron reinforcement/wall ties (outside of battleship technology). It probably seemed a very effective use of a plentiful resource. Perhaps they didn't use brick because they couldn't afford brick.
Whatever... whatever the contract said, clearly Liverpool Corporation and its successors carried the can as...
“In 1999, the city council responded to bitter complaints from residents by saying the clapped-out homes would be demolished. The majority of the Boot houses were of reinforced concrete construction and inherently faulty. They were made with clinker residue from power stations, which immediately started attacking the non-stainless steel tie wires. With the cost of refurbishment put at more than the value of the houses, demolition and rebuilding was reluctantly accepted by the community as the best option.”
But then:
“CDS HOUSING/PETRA Pinehurst Estate, Anfield, Liverpool Scheme summary A three-year £17 million refurbishment programme, following the resident-led stock transfer from Liverpool City Council to CDS Housing in 1999. The area had a vibrant community, but the houses were unfit. Residents feared the houses would be demolished. In partnership with CDS Housing, they were able to establish a new structural solution that saved most of the homes... All of the homes were extensively renovated during a two and a half year period.”
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So what happened to you and your mates? It seems that whoever was at fault, it would appear that tenants/new owners did not carry the can or are you saying different from your personal experience? I know that some houses didn't fair so well...
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liver...0252-22123293/
[Edit: Google is your friend but the middle bit is all mine from a report in 2008. Unfortunately I didn't have the terms of the procurement contract to hand then either]
---------- Post added at 09:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:50 PM ----------
You have to draw a distinction between actual ownership and beneficial ownership (renting). My parents rented there council house for thirty years. They always called it 'theirs' and they always looked after it (then they bought it).
---------- Post added at 09:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:00 PM ----------
"I still can't get an answer to the Boswell question..." I answered you last night! (same day). We were at the Planetarium all day today, all right!? What did your last servant die of?
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An architect's responsibilities depend on the terms of his appointment. It seldom (well, never) includes liability for every single building component/material for which suppliers are normally required to provide warranties/guarantees or, for the performance of the builder.
Wouldn't it be convenient for the architect to be responsible for the performance of every nail? But how could he be? For the promises and performance of every single supplier and sub-supplier up the supply chain and every Monday-morning brick laid. Sure.
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But anyway - you tell us what was wrong with "Cantril Farm, Netherley, Queen's Road, Longview, Croxteth, Kirby and the Radcliffe estate" that
can be put at the architect's door. And you'd better be bob on with Longview - that one's a bit close to home (just round the corner). I guess you'll be telling me the architect pulled the trigger in The Quiet Man.
It just doesn't do to drop poop on the doorstep and run away without explaining yourself - what is this? Knock and Run?
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