Model of a slum court, England, 1900-1920

Model of six insanitary three-storey court houses, Preston Street, Liverpool, showing central open drain and grid in long, narrow courtyard and communal water closets. The houses were built prior to 1803. They were dealt with in 1909 and subsequently demolished.

‘Slum’ was a slang word until it passed into everyday use to describe poorly built and maintained housing associated with poverty and disease. This model shows six three-storey houses surrounding communal toilets and a long open drain. The model was made to teach Sanitary Inspectors and Medical Officers of Health what to look for. The six houses in Preston Street, Liverpool, England that were used as the basis of this model were deemed ‘unfit for human habitation’ and were demolished in 1909.