On 29th Oct 2011 1:36pm, NeilsYard said:
Just reviving this after I noticed the thread. I too have been around the National Trust Back to Backs in Birmingham - very interesting and highly reccomended. I think I'm right in saying that is the sole surviving courthouse block in Brum. Agreed its a shame none were ever saved in our beloved town.
I've been reading the health pamphlets about the slum clearances and one of the policies in the late 1800s, early 1900s was to do away with the back to backs because the arrangement impeded air flow. Some of the back to backs survived for longer than it seemed because they were merged into larger properties with a front and a back - 2 to 1.
