Slum Clearance and Re-Housing By the Council of the Metropolitan Borough of Hackney (1935)

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• published: 21 May 2015
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An official film on the need for public housing in Hackney and its provision. The film documents slum clearing and re-housing by the Council of the Metropolitan Borough of Hackney, in 1935. Initially concentrating on the conditions of the slums, the film goes on to show the rejuvenation to the area made by the new housing sites that were built by Bethnal Green Housing Association. The film opens with council inspectors taking measurements on a residential street. An extensive sequence captueres the slums exteriors, rows of narrow terraced housing, and moving inside the squalid and cramped conditions are illustrated by inspectors, who demonstrate the tiny dimensions of the properties. The residents are shown with one particular shot capturing a boy in bed infested with bugs. A Cyanide Fumigation Chamber at Hackney's Disinfecting Station follows. There are views of a trailer of Hackney residents' possessions being backed into the cyanide fumigation chamber at the disinfecting station (described as the first of its kind to be built in England). The final sequence shows the new housing sites. This film is from the Hackney Archives. (The full catalogue record for this film, LSA0323, is available at www.londonsscreenarchives.org.uk.) before showing a Cyanide Fumigation Chamber at Hackney's Disinfecting Station. There are views of a trailer of Hackney residents' possessions being backed into the cyanide fumigation chamber at the disinfecting station (described as the first of its kind to be built in England). A pedestrian door at the side of the chamber is painted with the words This film is from the Hackney Archives. (The full catalogue record for this film, LSA0323, is available at www.londonsscreenarchives.org.uk.)