A 1930's must have

You might not have one but your parents and grandparents are highly likely to have had one. 

I am talking of course about a timber and asbestos panel built garage. 

These appeared in significant numbers in the UK in the 1930’s as a direct consequence of the increase in private car ownership. Those fortunate enough to be able to afford a motor car later on in the immediate post war years, most likely to have been doctors, accountants, bank managers and businessmen, were understandably  proud of the fact and keen to keep it under cover and protected against the inevitable British threats of corrosion from rain and malicious activities of jealous neighbours. 

Furthermore the structures were relatively cheap being either on a supply and erect basis by contractors or as a kit form DIY project. 

That wonder material asbestos was hardwearing and strong and required little maintenance with even a lick of paint being optional onto the distinctive cement grey surface. Preparation of a bit of a driveway accessible from the public highway or at the back of the house from a ten foot, snicket or ginnel, to give local names to an unmade private track or lane was also straightforward. 

In many cases the dismantling of the World War 2 bomb shelter from the garden gave up the rubble and hardcore on which to cast a base and then the vertical sheet panels could be positioned and topped with a corrugated asbestos sheet roof. Hang on a couple of doors at the front and there you had it- a neat little garage in which to keep the family pride and joy safe, dry and clean. 

The timber and asbestos garage ruled supreme well into the late 1960’s and 1970’s until the emergence of sectional concrete garages by the likes of Marley and Pudsey and then with the expansion of modern housing estates the brick and flat roof or pitched tiled garage became a must have and the high volume spec house builders charged them out accordingly. 

There are still many thousands of these old garages in existence and in my home city of Hull, Yorkshire, UK a high proportion of the housing stock from the 1930’s to the 1950’s still retain examples of these structures. 

Many are however in a sorry state of repair and the implied risks associated with asbestos cement products have caused many owners to simply abandon or ignore their garages. There are cost implications for safe removal and disposal to a Licenced Waste Site and small fortunes have been made by those offering such a service but if left in situ, undisturbed and with no risk of abrasion or damage then there can be an extended usefulness. 

I would not personally use a timber and asbestos garage to store valuable or perishable goods but as a storage space or depository for odds and ends there is nothing better. 

I came across this beautiful example just today and felt compelled to make a record of it for posterity and as a piece of social and housing history. 

It is the original garage for a late 1930’s built semi detached in a quiet suburban street. The asbestos roof was replaced a few years ago in basic mineral felt on timber decking and although unsympathetic as a finish it does lend some colour and texture.

The lower white painted panels are of distinctive asbestos sheet dimpling, these having been very well maintained and with no fracturing or holes. A wayward football or cricket ball can play havoc with this material.

The south side windows are quite distinctive in five six paned frames giving good natural light to the interior which if not taken up with a car also provides good working space for a bench or small lathe.

I would not however enjoy the painting of the frames which would be required on a five yearly rota to protect the woodwork.

The guttering is now in plastic with two angled downpipes to the back but will originally have been in timber or metal.

The interior is similarly well preserved.

There is some cracking and heave to the cast floor slab where the rubble used for hardcore has swelled from sulphate content but not affecting stability or function.

Size wise I would say that the largest car that could have fitted in would have been an Austin Saloon or Morris Minor with a bit of room for a bike or two, Tansad, wooden step ladders, gardening tools and to take advantage of the southern aspect, a few plant pots with early season bulbs and seedlings.

Originally there would not be any electric light or power supply laid on but this is now run from the house to a socket for the electrical garden equipment and a courtesy light.

It is a fine and individual piece of architecture but unfortunately its days are numbered as the house it belongs to is shortly to be sold and chances are that the new owners will not want to keep or preserve it.

I would certainly offer to take it if it could at all be dismantled and relocated but such are the materials that it would not take kindly to being moved.