Wolverhampton and World War II

Building a New Britain

After the war ended there was a need to replace bombed housing and also improve existing housing. Across the country over 200,000 houses had been destroyed by bombing. The collection of council contracts which survive amongst Wolverhampton's archives reveal the scale of new housing requirements. Contracts were signed in 1945 for over 250 houses to be built on the Willenhall Estate, and over 160 houses on the Bushbury Housing Estate the following year. In some areas prefabricated houses were erected as cheaper, quicker alternatives for improved housing. Here is an example of post war prefabricated housing at East Park Estate:

East Park prefabs, 1946 (N3/EAS/1)

In Bilston the housing problem was particularly acute. Over 13% of families in the town were living in overcrowded conditions, compared to 3.2% in Wolverhampton:

Table of overcrowding, Bilston Borough Council minutes 1945 (LB352)

The local politicians vented their anger at the lack of progress in providing adequate housing:

Bilston Borough Council minutes 1945 (LB352)

The Council even hoped to use German prisoners of war to help build the new houses:

Bilston Borough Council minutes 1945 (LB352)

A great deal of energy went into the planning for reconstructing and redesigning urban areas. As early as 1943 Wolverhampton Council formed a committee to look at ideas for the reconstruction of the town after the war. Bilston and Wednesfield also had reconstruction committees.

Opinions were sought from the residents of Wolverhampton about what they would like their town to look like. The surviving papers of the Reconstruction Committee include a list of suggestions for improvements sent by residents to the Express and Star. There were some ambitious ideas: a subway from the railway station to Darlington Street, a new theatre, demolition of the Market Hall to make way for a garden of remembrance, and the provision of a tube railway. Other ideas included special flats for spinsters, extra public conveniences, extra tree planting, and provision at the back of houses for leaving groceries.

Another suggestion was the removal of the Retail Market and the building of a civic centre.

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Extract from Express and Star, 25th January 1945

In June 1944 the Council produced its report which came up with a number of recommendations. These included the building of a central ring road, a central bus station, the removal to new sites of the wholesale and retail Markets, the building of a civic centre, a new central library and extensions to the Queen's and Central shopping arcades.

An exhibition entitled 'Wolverhampton of the Future' opened at the Wulfrun Hall in Januray 1945. It showed the proposed developments in the town, including details of new housing schemes.

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Model of proposed Wolverhampton town centre, 1946 (A8/CIV/5)
(shown are designs for St Peter's Square and Civic Centre)

Many of the ideas were eventually put in place some decades later, including the construction of the ring road and bus station.

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Ring Road c.1960 (C4/6/2)

The retail and wholesale markets were relocated and the Civic Centre was built.

Though the town lost some architectural gems in the second half of the 20th century, such as the Central and Queen's shopping arcades, the Central Library was not rebuilt and remains to this day one of the City's major public buildings.