The road to Wigan Pier

[lazarus 68]

I am just reading this book,'Road to Wigan Pier'

Orwell mentions Sheffield a lot.

One chapter talking about the deplorable housing condition mentions caravans in Sheffield.

From the description little more than chicken coops holding as many as 6 people,this would be between 1930-1940

I could not find any trace of Orwell's references to caravans in Sheffield.

Does anyone know if these existed?

There was an article in the Stars Retro supplement under Where Thi Ells That which had an accompanying photo of such a caravan and the unfortunate people who lived in it. It was a caravan as we know today it was a much smaller cart not unlike a farmers cart, with wooden roof and sides.

If you look on picture Sheffield you should be able to find it.

 

---------- Post added 27-04-2016 at 08:30 ----------

 

Re caravans, maybe he was referring to the pre fab estates of which there were many around the Sheffield area

 

They were carts covered with wooden sides and a roof, they were not Gypsies and they were not prefabs.

[Ms Interpret 10]

http://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;u01684&pos=10&action=zoom&id=37022

This is a sad story cant belive it was in 1950 sounds like a Dickenson Tale.

[samssong 10]

http://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;u01684&pos=10&action=zoom&id=37022

This is a sad story cant belive it was in 1950 sounds like a Dickenson Tale.

And just a few miles away there were people living in unbelievable luxury .

Just recently one of those had an attic clear out of which the auction brought in millions of pounds to add to the untold wealth already accumulated.

[retep 68]

Are we talking about Gypsies (and those Caravans) who weren't exactly Sheffield . Yorkshire or English indeed even British !

 

Were talking about the caravans that were on the Cambridge ground some were fairground some were not, Whitings had the Cambridge at one point he was a fairground person.

As you should see here some left Sheffield others went into council housing, put Cambridge * in search

http://www.sheffieldindexers.com/SchoolsIndex.html

 

---------- Post added 27-04-2016 at 11:30 ----------

 

http://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;u01684&pos=10&action=zoom&id=37022

This is a sad story cant belive it was in 1950 sounds like a Dickenson Tale.

 

In the 1950's I can remember people living on allotments, how times change.

[sweetdexter 10]

http://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;u01684&pos=10&action=zoom&id=37022

This is a sad story cant belive it was in 1950 sounds like a Dickenson Tale.

 

I think this is what Orwell saw,sad wasn't it!

I used to have a girlfriend in 1954

She lived in a back to back 3 room house somewhere around London Rd/ Napier St as far as I can remember

[Walkley0 Mum 10]

There is a more complete account of Orwell's stay in his books of published essays which includes excerpts from his diaries of the time. I believe descendants of the Searle's, with whom Orwell lodged are still living in the Sheffield area. I understand the Searle's didn't know exactly who Orwell was (he used his actual name Eric Blair) when he stayed with them and weren't made aware until their son Gil, showed them the diary extracts sometime in the early eighties.

[lazarus 68]

I am just reading this book,'Road to Wigan Pier'

Orwell mentions Sheffield a lot.

One chapter talking about the deplorable housing condition mentions caravans in Sheffield.

From the description little more than chicken coops holding as many as 6 people,this would be between 1930-1940

I could not find any trace of Orwell's references to caravans in Sheffield.

Does anyone know if these existed?

 

Go on picture sheffield put Caravan in the search box and look for picture No 01684 and read the accompanying text. This is the type of caravan Orwell was referring to.