After the Second World War, homes were destroyed across the country and so the government imported prefabricated buildings from Sweden.
Some of these still stand to this day, including some in Pool-in-Wharfedale, one which has remained in a single family for 50 years.
Gillian Midgley still lives in the old Swedish house which originally belonged to her parents and describes it as a wonderful place to live.
For more property news go to our dedicated section
She said: “I came back here to look after my mum for six years and I just couldn’t face leaving because I love it so much.”
She went on to say: “How it feels, the design of it, I’ve never been anywhere quite like it and I’ve been in posher, more expensive houses. I’ve been in every kind of house there is but I’m sitting here in my sitting room, it’s not huge but it’s just so nicely laid out.”
Sweden remained neutral during the Second World War and so as the war began to close, in 1944, the British government authorised the Ministry of Works to purchase 30,000 prefabricated timber houses which would be suitable as permanent houses in rural areas.
The homes were distributed in small numbers to rural areas and their wooden construction means they stand out among the more traditional brick homes of rural England.
According to research conducted by Neil Midgley, Gillian Midgley’s brother, alongside the Prefab Museum, the houses were only given a life span of about 60 years.
Almost 80 years from the end of the Second World War, many of the homes still stand.
Many of the residents of the houses originally believed the homes were gifts from the Swedish government but around £7 million were paid to Sweden for the houses.
Historic England also reports almost 160,000 homes were constructed under the Temporary Homes Scheme with only 2,444 Swedish homes built, making them rare nationally.
The Swedish houses at Pool were officially opened on 3rd October 1947 and Neil and Gillian Midgley’s parents moved in to them in the early 1970s.
With housing being increasingly expensive and the construction of new homes across the country being a priority for the government, Ms Midgley says there is a lot to learn from these Swedish homes.
She said: “I think people look at them and think they can’t be much good because they’re wooden but if you look abroad at countries like Finland and Sweden they still have lots of wooden houses.”
She added: “They are able to be made, transported and put up so that’s very practical and they’re attractive.”
To get the latest email updates from LeedsLive, click here.
