Review of Prefab Days - A Community Remembers

The book is the combined memories of the Belle Vale Prefab community, sometimes poignant, often funny but always with passion. It recalls the memories of this unique community from the time of the first dwellings in 1947 through to the demolition program of 1969.

There were over 1000 dwellings on this site which, whilst cetainly the largest in the UK, may also have been the biggest in post war europe. No single book can hope to capture the memories of a thousand families over two decades. It's simply the way of things that communities everywhere eventually change, grow old, take different shape and often disappear. The unique tapestry that evolves over years from the experiences and interactions of hundreds of individuals and families begins to unravel as soon as the bulldozers move in, as if someone has pulled on a loose thread. In a matter of a few months, all that is left are a few photographs, diaries, journals and stories to be passed to children.

These stories of the "Tin Palaces" told by the occupants and their children is related with both enthusiasm and nostalgia all of which is evident throughout this book.