Pete emailed us about locations of prefabs in Southampton in early July 2017. He grew up in a prefab at 51 Valentine Avenue, Sholing, on the Pleasant View estate. We already had some prefabs marked on our map, but there were many more to come from Pete!
“I married a girl who previously lived in a prefab in Leaside Way and her sister married a boy who previously lived in Mortimer Road all of us miles apart but we “prefabbers” liked to stick together. Even now it amazes me how often I meet somebody who grew up in a prefab.”
Pete also sent some lovely photos of the prefabs which unfortunately we can’t share as although they were found in the public domain we don’t know who owns the copyright, but they have helped to identify the prefab types. Please note they may not all be the same type on different roads.
We decided to share the valuable information that Pete researched and compiled as it doesn’t fit on the map markers but provides more detail about the roads and house numbers of the prefabs. Sometimes roads have disappeared or have been renamed, so we describe the original locations.
The old maps for Southampton provide enough detail to show most of the house numbers, and roads which may have disappeared or changed names. We hope the following table may help you in tracking down the prefab you, your relatives or friends lived in, or that you remember! And if you can help us fill in the gaps in our knowledge, all the better – please leave a comment on this blog post or email us at prefabmuseum@gmail.com
| Location | No of prefabs | House numbers | Type if known |
| Landseer Road
Landseer Close Constable Close Canterbury Avenue Valentine Avenue Heathfield Road Orpen Road Whistler Road, SO19 |
29
17 17 1 11 12 141 12 |
1-15, 2-36
1-17 1-17 25 50-54, 51-65 45-57, 54-62 10-24, 40-72, 82-94, 106-120, 1-121 2-10, 1-13 |
AIROH |
| Wallace Road
Bower Close Scott Road Doyle Road Bacon Road Deeping Close, SO19 |
45
32 44 10 14 15 |
18-58 evens, nos 11-57 odds
18-34 evens, 17-29 odds 32-92, 15-27 & 45-55 1-19 odds only 2-16, nos 1-15 2-12, nos 1-17 |
|
| Parry Road
Quilter Road Sullivan Road, SO19 |
15
14 1 |
1-29 odds only
1-45 odds only 5 |
|
| Drove Road
Gladstone Road, SO19 |
7
4 |
25-37
94-100 |
|
| Mortimer Rd
Drummond Road Poole Road Manor Road Ludlow Road Radstock Road Radstock Walk Radstock Crescent, SO19 |
26
19 8 7 14 4 11 9 |
30-52, 29-55
2-14, 1-23 1-15 odds only 7-19 odds only 1-27 odds only 26-32 odds only 2-18 evens only |
Arcon |
| Butts Road
South East Road, SO19 |
33
2 |
133-177, 44-62
204,206 |
|
| Dale Valley Road, SO16 | 48 | 89-141, 86-126 | Arcon |
| Portsmouth Road
Botley Road, SO19 |
25
16 |
401-449
50-80 |
|
|
Hounsdown Avenue Hounsdown Close Powell Crescent Meadow Close Totton, SO40 |
26
11 26 23 |
32-68, 21-33
1-11 1-39, 2-12 1-19, 2-26 |
|
| Valley Road, SO40 | 13 | 1-13 | |
| Bassett Green Road
Binstead Road Brightstone Way Bembridge Gardens Bembridge Close Bonchurch Road Bonchurch Way Brading Close Brading Way Brading Gardens Leaside Way, SO16
|
14
25 7 11 13 18 12 1 16 14 65
|
81-107 odds only 2-24, 1-25 1-5, 2-8 1-11, 2-10 1-19, 2-6 2-20, 1-15 1-13, 2-10 2 2-16, 1-15 2-16, 7-17 45-149, 64, 78, 92, 100, 102, 112-124
|
Arcon |
| North East Close, SO19 | 6 | 1-11 | |
| Priory Road
St Denys Close St Denys Drive, SO17 |
11
11 8 |
174-176, 180-184, 115-125
1-11, 2-10 1-5, 2-6, 10-12 |
Arcon |
| Summit Way, SO18 | 28 | 216-243 | |
| Vanguard Road
Hood Road Exeter Road Lytham Road Witts Hill Mousehole Lane, SO18 |
58
14 4 5 13 3 |
2-66, 13-57
12-26, 13-19 1-3, 2-4 2a-2c, 1a-1b 71-95 141-145 |
Arcon |
| MacArthur Crescent
Wavell Road Stillwell Road Montgomery Road Tedder Road, SO18 |
38
35 17 34 7 |
1-29, 2-46
2-6, 12-22, 30-40, 1-39 1-13, 2-20 1-5, 19-59, 10-52 1-7, 2-6 |
|
| Red Hill Crescent
Red Hill Way, Red Hill Close SO16 |
21
6 17 |
2-20, 1-21
1-6 8-11, 14-22, 29, 32-35 |
|
| Irving Road
Irving Close Irving Walk Redbridge Hill, SO16 |
67
22 11
|
2-12, 1-97, 36-42, 76-90
1-15, 2-30 2-22
|
|
| Nelson Road
Firgrove Road Albany Road, SO15 |
14
3 3 |
45-49, 31-35, 32-38, 2-8
22-26 36-40 |
|
| Caerleon Avenue
Caerleon Drive, SO19 |
11
14 |
1-11, 2-10
1-14 |
|
| Barnes Road
Barnes Close, SO19 |
24
12 |
1-29, 2-18
2-8, 1-15 |
|
| Auckland Road
Auckland Close, SO15 |
54
11 |
1-21, 2-32, 34-36, 31-69
1-11 |
AIROH |
| The Close
Upper Northam Rd Hedge End, SO30 |
15
5 |
1-15
9-17 |
Universal |
| Arnheim Road
Arnheim Walk Arnheim Close Caen Walk Dunkirk Road Dunkirk Close Falaise Close Coxford Road
Aldermoor Road Salerno Road Tarento Road Lordswood Road, SO16 |
31
15 10 6 30 13 21 9 53 8 32 26 4 |
1-43, 2-8, 16-24
1-13, 2-16 1-10 1-5, 2-8 1-51, 34-36 1-13 1-17, 2-24 269-285 327-431 261-275 2-64, 1-49 2-28, 1-23 15-21 |
AIROH |
| Heathfield Close
Heathfield Road, SO19 |
11
4 |
1-21
61-67 |
AIROH |
| Heath Gardens, SO31 | 18 | 1-18 | |
| Grantham Close
Beech Road Hamble-le-Rice, SO3 |
50
4 |
1-50
3-9 (still lived in) |
Hawksley BL8 |
| The Hundred, Chestnut Avenue, Eastleigh SO50 | 100 | 1-100 |
Additional information supplied by Peter Wookey about the Pleasant View estate. Many thanks!
Comments about this page
As i get older(73 now) the memories of Southampton which i visit regularly from Kent become clearer. Reading these comments help so thank you all.still looking out for some about the estate off Basset Green road.
We grew up in a prefab in Rossington Avenue, Bitterne, moving in there in the early 40s.
Our name was McNally. We were 4 sisters.
I lived in, no 4 Constable close, Sholing. We moved to there in 1953. They were good times, we use to play at the dip as it was called, you could ride your bike down a slope, then leap up and take off the other side. We would mark each leap to see who went the furthest. Scrumping was also a regular occupation, as Apple, pears and plums were redely available to us crafty kids. There were also many open areas, where we could spend hours playing many different games, with all of the children from the prefabs.
I lived in a prefab in Balfour Rd Sholing for 4 years from 1960-1964, then moved to another prefab in St Denys Close, where I lived for 10 years. There was a wonderful community spirit, with great neighbours and lots of children to play with, very sad to see the prefabs in St Denys being demolished in 1977.
I think I lived next door to Anthony Goodman in St Denys Close, my maiden name was June Van Gemert and I lived there for several years before we moved to Dagenham in Essex about 1957.
I lived in St Denys Close in the early 1950s until about 1957 and there was a boy called Anthony who I played with who lived next door. Think it may have been Anthony from a previous post. We moved to Australia in 1962.
My dad and his family he was the youngest of three boys surname Lever and was born in 1949 lived at no. Landseer road and he had amazing stories to tell us before he passed – never seen a photo though so would love to see one, if anyone has anything. His favourite stories included being a toddler and going over to help the builders building the Julienne road bungalows by moving one stone at a time with his tiny spade, and my nan chasing their chickens down the road and onto a bus when they got out of the yard 😍
Thank you for your lovely memories. best wishes, Jane
We used to live at 8 St Denys Close for 14 yrs between 1954 / 1968
They were the best days of my childhood being able to play outside on the green and in the summer swim in the river by the paint factory or jump into the river from the railway bridge. (Against my parents orders not too)
They were so well designed with plenty of space for all our needs and although cold in the winter as a child we never really felt always to busy getting into trouble with all my mates in the close and the drive.
Our family lived in Landseer Close which had a little island of grass in the middle. All prefabs, I was actually born in ours. We moved out in 1964 (or was it 1965?) just before they were all demolished. We moved to Sullivan Road which was quite close.
My grandparents, Archibald and Emily .Rouse lived in 21 Auckland Road, Southampton, definitely between 1964-1966. They must have moved there between 1960-1964 and Archibald died there in 1966 at which point or soon after, my grandmother was moved elsewhere.
I was very little when they lived there, but I think number 21 was on a corner.
Would love to see a photo if anyone has one!
We lived in 16 bower close in a prefab then moved to 26 Valentine ave
I spent my first years in Barnes Close, Bitterne before the city boundaries were extended in 1954 and Thornhill developed. We were then moved to Somerset Avenue on the Harefield Estate and flats built where our bungalow had been. At the time apart from a few private residences along one side of Deacon Road, the whole of the area from Barnes Close to the Deacon Road/Bitterne Road junction was woodland. Barnes Close actually had 15 prefabs as opposed to the 12 shown above – 10-14 backed on to 2-8 and faced the back gardens of 1-5 Barnes Road, most of which has now been re-named Keats Road and has had its prefabs replaced with houses. The current Barnes Road being the original part of the road serving 19-29 and a similarly-sized new extension to the east on which bungalows have been built
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I lived in Deeping Close, Weston for the first 12 years of my life and loved it. How I would have liked to stay there! I would love to see a photo of the road, I lived in number 4. Thank you for the lovely memories.
I lived at no 1 Bonchurch Way as it was then called.Located off Basset Green road from about 1952 to 1958.When we moved in it was new and a wonderful home.It seemed so luxurious with a large garden.I can remember most of the neigbours.We were a close community.
We still own one in Hamble , 95% original. If you would like a look ? Drop me a line 😉
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