Back Yard Gates

[Ray H]

One of the options I'm considering for the back of a layout plan currently on the table is to have terraced house backs as the backscene. I'm currently undecided whether they will be at ground level - effectively right up against the railway fence - or at a higher level to cover some extra storage sidings behind them - i.e. out of view.

 

It strikes me that in either situation it would be inappropriate to have back garden gates in the brick wall at the end of the garden. Both Metcalfe and Scalescenes models provide for a gate (although I assume this can be ommitted if desired). Did terraced house back yards have walls without gates in the same way that many houses with gardens had a fence at the bottom of the garden with no gate in it?

 

I'll need to extend the back wall downwards if I have the houses over the storage tracks. What kind of strengthening is needed for that wall?

[Gruffalo]

One of the options I'm considering for the back of a layout plan currently on the table is to have terraced house backs as the backscene. I'm currently undecided whether they will be at ground level - effectively right up against the railway fence - or at a higher level to cover some extra storage sidings behind them - i.e. out of view.

 

It strikes me that in either situation it would be inappropriate to have back garden gates in the brick wall at the end of the garden. Both Metcalfe and Scalescenes models provide for a gate (although I assume this can be ommitted if desired). Did terraced house back yards have walls without gates in the same way that many houses with gardens had a fence at the bottom of the garden with no gate in it?

 

I'll need to extend the back wall downwards if I have the houses over the storage tracks. What kind of strengthening is needed for that wall?

In my dim and distant memory, I recall some relatives lived in terraced houses in towns. There was a common lane that ran the length of the properties and each garden had a wooden gate through which this lane could be accessed.

My daughter bought a terraced place in South Wimbledon and there were signs of a gate at the bottom of the garden existing many years before.

[Fat Controller]

There was a very good reason for that gate in the back wall- it was to allow access for the coalman, and egress for the dustbin (and in earlier days, the night-soil collector). Even if there wasn't a proper road at the back, there would almost always be a path. The sort of house that had a garden (rather than a yard) at the back would either have a path/drive at the side or, as I remember from a friend's terraced house in Bourneville, an entrance to the back via a passage in the middle of the terrace.

[chaz]

I live in a terraced house in Eastleigh. The terrace is one continuous unbroken line (with no gaps or alleys from front to back) of about 50 houses. there is what everyone calls "the back track" running along the back of the houses which is just wide enough for a single vehicle. When we first moved in this was a cinder track so the centre and sides were grass and weeds with two lines of wear. A few years back a tarmac surface was added by the borough (lucky that, as the back track is jointly the property of all the house-owners).

 

As has been said above a track was, and still is essential, There are quite a few streets of terraced houses in Eastleigh and they all have a "back track".

 

My advice is don't build your line of houses without one - a cinder track, complete with weeds, would be a nice feature to model.

 

Chaz

[allan downes]

You might like to try the Slaters station gates pack complete with mounting posts and strap hinges and hardly any different to a standard house gate - cross braced, runners and palings.

 

Cheers

Allan

[PatB]

I spent most of my later teens and twenties living in a variety of 19th and 20th century terraces and exploring the surrounding urban landscape and I never saw one without at least the remains of rear access.  I do, however, remember a few streets in Bristol where individual householders had, presumably without authority, extended their rear yards/gardens across the alleyway, leaving little abandoned islands of path without means of external access.

 

One arrangement which I've seen in North Wales slate villages is an access path running the length of the terrace immediately adjacent to the house backs, with the coal shed, privy and yard/garden on the other side.  Haven't seen it in urban areas though.

[allan downes]

I spent most of my later teens and twenties living in a variety of 19th and 20th century terraces and exploring the surrounding urban landscape and I never saw one without at least the remains of rear access.  I do, however, remember a few streets in Bristol where individual householders had, presumably without authority, extended their rear yards/gardens across the alleyway, leaving little abandoned islands of path without means of external access.

 

One arrangement which I've seen in North Wales slate villages is an access path running the length of the terrace immediately adjacent to the house backs, with the coal shed, privy and yard/garden on the other side.  Haven't seen it in urban areas though.

 

Like this maybe?

 

[Guest stuartp]

One arrangement which I've seen in North Wales slate villages is an access path running the length of the terrace immediately adjacent to the house backs, with the coal shed, privy and yard/garden on the other side.  Haven't seen it in urban areas though.

 

It happens in some of the hillier parts of the West Riding, everyone wanders past your kitchen window on their way in and out.

[Fat Controller]

I spent most of my later teens and twenties living in a variety of 19th and 20th century terraces and exploring the surrounding urban landscape and I never saw one without at least the remains of rear access.  I do, however, remember a few streets in Bristol where individual householders had, presumably without authority, extended their rear yards/gardens across the alleyway, leaving little abandoned islands of path without means of external access.

 

One arrangement which I've seen in North Wales slate villages is an access path running the length of the terrace immediately adjacent to the house backs, with the coal shed, privy and yard/garden on the other side.  Haven't seen it in urban areas though.

I've seen that arrangement with the 'facilities' on the other side of the road/path somewhere, but I can't remember where; perhaps the bit of Bristol near the bottom of Ashley Down bank?

We had a funny arrangement at Clara Vale. The council adopted the former 'ash middens' between the house backs, and surfaced them, but the fronts on our street (Edington Gardens) faced on to an unmade road. As most people only used the front doors when leaving for the last time, this didn't really matter..

Here's a Google link showing what I mean:-

http://goo.gl/maps/Ni4XQ

[Gruffalo]

I spent most of my later teens and twenties living in a variety of 19th and 20th century terraces and exploring the surrounding urban landscape and I never saw one without at least the remains of rear access.  I do, however, remember a few streets in Bristol where individual householders had, presumably without authority, extended their rear yards/gardens across the alleyway, leaving little abandoned islands of path without means of external access.

 

One arrangement which I've seen in North Wales slate villages is an access path running the length of the terrace immediately adjacent to the house backs, with the coal shed, privy and yard/garden on the other side.  Haven't seen it in urban areas though.

The house in which my wife was dragged up was in the small town of Kidwelly, South Wales. At the rear of their and adjacent houses there is a small shared path for each house to access a common passage running between two of the row of terraced properties and access is enshrined in the deeds and on the Land Registry details.

That means you could use a pathway at the rear of the buildings or install a pathway at the rear of the gardens / yards. Scenically  I would prefer the second option although a railway running along it is perhaps a little to much!

[allan downes]

I've seen that arrangement with the 'facilities' on the other side of the road/path somewhere, but I can't remember where; perhaps the bit of Bristol near the bottom of Ashley Down bank?

We had a funny arrangement at Clara Vale. The council adopted the former 'ash middens' between the house backs, and surfaced them, but the fronts on our street (Edington Gardens) faced on to an unmade road. As most people only used the front doors when leaving for the last time, this didn't really matter..

Here's a Google link showing what I mean:-

http://goo.gl/maps/Ni4XQ

 

That Google map was amazing, I coild play with it for hours - and that little man, was that you?!!

 

Anyway, here are a few more photo's of housebacks that I hope might be of help but I'm affraid the quality's not that good - my attempts at photography as you can see!

 

[Ray H]

Thanks for all the comments.

 

I grew up in west Essex, in an end terrace house from where the GE line (later LTE's Central Line) could clearly be seen across the far side of a field which around that tme was an (London) LEA  playing field and had previously been used during the war for AA guns (so I am led to believe by my Gran who owned the house before we lived there - she actually still owned it when we lived there but the story is too complicated to relate!).

 

The houses were built in the 1930s. I do remember that the coalman went through the front door as there was no other means of access to the back for most people.

 

We (and one neighbour) shared a drive (from the road) but our other neighbour and several others had no rear garden access other than climbing over a very tall chain-link boundary fence. There were over 80 houses on our side of the road grouped in blocks of (about) eight. To the best of my knowledge only the end of terrace dwellings had the side access and none had rear access.

 

It was different on part of the other side of the road where rear access was provided for a small number of houses (with similar length back gardens). However, the rest of the road and most of the adjoining two roads were similar to our side of the road with no rear access.

 

We did have a garden, probably about 60ft in length, rather than almost zero length back yard.

 

I think I might just have space on the layout to be able to squeeze in a cinder track.

[DonB]

One arrangement which I've seen in North Wales slate villages is an access path running the length of the terrace immediately adjacent to the house backs, with the coal shed, privy and yard/garden on the other side.  Haven't seen it in urban areas though.

 

One of my Aunts lived in a terraced house in Wolverhampton (near the GWR loco works) built originally with such an arrangement, although by 1934, when she moved in, they all had WC facilities attached to the house.

[Ashcombe]

The house in which my wife was dragged up was in the small town of Kidwelly, South Wales. At the rear of their and adjacent houses there is a small shared path for each house to access a common passage running between two of the row of terraced properties and access is enshrined in the deeds and on the Land Registry details.

That means you could use a pathway at the rear of the buildings or install a pathway at the rear of the gardens / yards. Scenically  I would prefer the second option although a railway running along it is perhaps a little to much!

 

For my sins, I'm an avid follower of "Coronation Street" so I thought I'd just add a little bit of trivia to this thread - up North such shared paths are known as ginnels.

[Oldddudders]

Do I not recall visiting a model shop in Clitheroe with a comparable arrangement?

[Oldddudders]

For my sins, I'm an avid follower of "Coronation Street" so I thought I'd just add a little bit of trivia to this thread - up North such shared paths are known as ginnels.

Your sins must be considerable. I think in Sussex such a path would be called a twitten.

[allan downes]

Your sins must be considerable. I think in Sussex such a path would be called a twitten.

 

So what's a 'Ten foot ' then ?

[Oldddudders]

So what's a 'Ten foot ' then ?

The only ten-foot I know of is the wideway between pairs of tracks in a 4-track railway. Sorry!

[allan downes]

The only ten-foot I know of is the wideway between pairs of tracks in a 4-track railway. Sorry!

 

 I heard that it referred to the alley way that ran down between back to back terraced housing - Sally - "Pride of our alley" - didn't she live down one?!

 

Cheers.

Allan

[allan downes]

 

Hi Guys, just found this on google.

 

ten-foot

 

Term used in Hull to describe the wide alley bewteen houses of the city. Named so because of its width.

 

A ten-foot ran between our house and his

 

Good ennit !

[Worsdell forever]

For my sins, I'm an avid follower of "Coronation Street" so I thought I'd just add a little bit of trivia to this thread - up North such shared paths are known as ginnels.

 

In Whitby an alley/ginnel is known as a yard.

 

There is an old saying about someone who is bow-legged from having rickets that they 'Couldn't stop a pig in a ginnel'... 

[figworthy]

In Whitby an alley/ginnel is known as a yard.

 

There is an old saying about someone who is bow-legged from having rickets that they 'Couldn't stop a pig in a ginnel'... 

 

Or for someone who is a poor shot, "couldn't hit a pig in a ginnel".

 

Adrian

[Captain Kernow]

Many years ago, when I was doing my training with British Rail, my mate and I were sent over from Bristol to South Wales for what was called 'freight train training'. This involved spending a lot time in and around Radyr Yard, the signal boxes, and accompanying the men of Radyr Depot on freight trips, all to get a feel for what 'real' freight traffic was all about - there was hardly any left in the sanitised, namby-pamby Bristol Division in the early 1980s... 

 

Anyway, one day I was given the chance of riding up to Penallta Colliery with a driver and guard on a pair of Class 37s, to pick up a loaded train of MGR wagons for Aberthaw power station. The run up the valley with just the two light engines was uneventful enough, and once at the colliery, we found our train, attached the locos and with the brake test done and the right away from the guard back to the main line, we were ready to depart. At the last minute, another driver popped his head into the cab and asked if he could 'have a lift home' with us.

 

Naturally my driver agreed, and I (being all politeness and deferential in those days) gave up the secondman's seat for the newcomer.

 

We got going and found our way back onto the 'main' line, both drivers chatting away as we went along. We weren't booked to stop anywhere before Aberthaw, and I began to wonder how far this other driver was going with us.

 

Anyway, after a few more minutes, the train driver started to apply the brakes and the train slowed to a stop, right in the middle of the section, no where near any official 'railway location'. From memory, the line was on a slight embankment, and on the left-hand side running was the back of a row of terraced houses. Our guest said his cheerios and descended from the driver's side cab door to the cess, and with a friendly wave popped down the bank to a small gate in the fence line, opened it, and was thus home!

 

The rest of the trip went well and was a fascinating insight into the freight workings of the day...

[allan downes]

The late Collin Massingham, remember him and a great friend of mine who owned El Crappo Kits?

 

Well he knew every driver on the the BR network and they all knew him, and in fact, would often let Collin drive their train, on his own, while they  took their wives shopping or wherever !!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, absolutely true.

 

Anyway, BR released an advertising poster as large as a barn door showing a diesel approaching a road over bridge, from where the photo was taken just outside Slough, and guess who was sitting there in the cab at the controls ?

 

Yes, you got it in one.

 

Collin Massingham !!!!!