Children of brum's back-to-back homes

Jul 1 2008

IT'S hard to imagine that these scenes of squalor in the heart of Birmingham were captured little more than 40 years ago.

Until the slum clearance in the late 1960s, a quarter of the city's population lived in back-to-back houses.

Noisy, crowded and smelly, they had sprung up around factories and workshops in inner city areas like Aston and Hockley.

It was a tough life for all who lived there, yet they inspired a tremendous sense of community; people in similar situations pulling together to overcome the hardships and poverty.

For children born into a back-to-back family, they knew nothing different. The courtyards and entries were safe playgrounds to kick a can with your mates, race around on scooters, or cuddle a peg dolly.

Today's Nostalgia special features photographs from the Sunday Mercury's archives and provide a fascinating insight into life in Birmingham's back-to-back homes.

Were you brought up in a back-to-back house? We would love to read about your memories. Share your memories on our forum.