In the late 1960's an area of Nottingham known as St Ann's was set for demolition. This involved the wholesale clearance of houses, shops, pubs, churches and businesses. Most of the houses were built in the mid 1800's and of very poor quality, having no internal toilets, bathrooms, poor sanitation and damp problems. This process of demolition meant that upwards of 30,000 people would be rehoused in different parts of the city.
Typical of this era, what St Ann's did have, was a great sense of community which was about to be lost along with a way of life that we would never see again. To many residents, although being rehoused in better modern homes was something to look forward to, the loss of the community was to be sadly missed.
During this time, I was at Derby College of Art embarking on a course of photojournalism and so decided to try and capture the demise of this community, and the end of a way of life that was on the point of disappearing forever. Many people had to continue living amongst the demolition work and these photographs portray a snapshot of their way of life during this upheaval.
After almost fifty years I have decided it is time to share these images as I consider them to be of both historical and social interest. I have not attempted to make any social comment with the pictures, just to merely capture what I saw around me. I hope no one is offended by the images but can enjoy the nostalgia of looking back on this period of our history.