Wessex Archaeology was commissioned by Vistry North East Midlands to undertake a historic building record of a group of 50 postSecond World War bungalows located at The Bungalows, Stonebroom, Chesterfield, DE55 6LH. This record was prepared in accordance with Historic England guidance Understanding Historic Buildings - A Guide to Good Recording Practice (2016), to provide an enhanced Level 2 historic building record in advance of proposed demolition and residential redevelopment at the site (planning application ref: 24/01001/MFL). The site comprises 50 singlestorey, twobedroom bungalows arranged within the mid20thcentury Birkinstile estate located on the western fringe of Stonebroom village. Each dwelling includes associated front and rear gardens and is sited along three interconnecting access roads: The Bungalows (north-south aligned), Brierley Road (east-west to the north), and Cleveland Road (east-west to the south). Construction of the bungalows commenced in 1945 as part of an urgent housing programme by Chesterfield Rural District Council to rehome people living in condemned mid-19th-century colliery workers housing known as the Blocks. Aerial imagery dated 11 August 1945 shows the site under construction. All 50 bungalows are fully illustrated on the 1955 Ordnance Survey map. The dwellings have been identified as Tarran Mark IV prefabricated bungalows, constructed under the Housing (Temporary Accommodation) Act 1944. Though designed as temporary homes, many remained occupied at the time of survey, approximately 80 years after the date of original construction. Each unit followed a repeated layout with a central hallway, two bedrooms positioned to one side, a living room and kitchen to the other, and a combined bathroom and WC at the rear. To the rear of each dwelling stood a singlestorey outbuilding of brick construction, comprising a coal store and a wider utility space. Of the 50 bungalows, seven dwellings were accessed for internal recording: numbers 28, 30, 36, 37, 42, 43, and 45. All were recorded photographically inside and out, with bungalows 43 and 45 selected for measured survey due to visible variation in external fabric. The development history of the bungalows reflects three phases: Phase 1 - Original Construction (1945-49) Dwellings were constructed to a standard Tarran Mark IV design, which probably consisted of prefabricated concrete panels and a lightweight internal timber frame. Internally, original features included timber floorboards, builtin cupboards, and a fixed plan layout. Phase 2 - External Refabrication (Late 20th century) During the later 20th century, original panels were either removed or clad in stretcherbond brickwork. The type, finish, and bonding style of this new brick fabric varied widely, suggesting that works were completed in stages as occupiers sought to modernise or improve on the aesthetic of their homes. Bungalow 43 was faced in smooth yellow brick, while bungalow 45 featured a red textured brick with a wavepatterned finish. Around windows and doors, variations in mortar and bonding indicated that new joinery was inserted separately from the main cladding works. Chimneys were replaced or reconstructed in red brick, with occasional use of bluebrick top courses and ceramic pots. Outbuildings to the rear were of singlebrick construction, and appear to have been built as a new addition or replaced previous original models. Phase 3 - Internal Modernisation (Late 20th - early 21st century) Internal modifications included the removal or covering of original fireplaces, insertion of modern gypsum board wall linings, vinyl and carpet floor coverings, surfacemounted electrical sockets, and new plumbing and boiler systems. Bathrooms were refitted in a wetroom configuration with walkin showers and dual rear windows, possibly retained from an earlier partitioned layout.
Ethan Ellis (Wed,) studied this question.