Workers' Housing in Essex

Abstract

This paper derives from a survey carried out to identify and quantify surviving sites and structures, and assess their historic and architectural significance. The information gathered has been used to enhance the County Historic Environment Record by providing detailed records of each site and structure, a comparative assessment of their significance and prioritised recommendations for their future management and statutory protection. When a site or structure becomes the subject of development proposals, an informed response can, therefore, be made. Through such management strategies and statutory protection, landscapes and structures of significance and hence the historic and architectural character of the County can be protected for present and future generations to understand and appreciate. The survey report considered the sites and structures on an individual basis; the aggregation of structures in a particular settlement for the purposes of considering Conservation Area status; and takes a county-wide view on the comparative significance of individual sites within a local, regional and national context. This article, however, will analyse the results of this survey in order to learn more about the reasons behind why the accommodation was built, where it was built and its design.