It is thought around a quarter of Birmingham’s population lived in what is known as back-to-back housing in the past, so these type of homes are an important part of the city’s history.
This type of housing has all been demolished in Birmingham apart from one court at 50-54 Inge Street and 55-63 Hurst Street. This court was taken over by the National Trust, restored and opened as a museum in 2004. The houses have been set out to represent four different time periods from the 1840s to the 1970s. Rooms have also been decorated in different ways to demonstrate the lifestyles, jobs, cultures and religions of the families who would have lived there. The open fires are even lit to give visitors a smell and atmosphere that makes them feel they really have stepped back in time. A 1950s sweet shop has also been established at the corner of the court, and is open to the public. Tour guides explain to visitors how residents would have cooked, cleaned and slept in the buildings. During guided group and school tours, children are even given the opportunity to dress in historic costumes and play games that the house occupants would have played.
Back-to-back housing was built in the 19th century and was, as the name indicates, literally houses built back-to-back in a court. They were usually three storeys high, with one room on each level. The homes were small and suffered poor sanitation. Working class families would have been squashed into them.