Thank you Bill Gardner for mentioning our book Backyard Brighton in the centre spread headlined “Snapshot Of Life In The Slums” (The Argus, February 15).
Many people who lived in them did not call them slums; they called them home.
And they were not dirty. Many of them were spotlessly clean and polished.
Unfortunately many of these small houses were overcrowded, which meant many people lived in “slum” conditions.
Demolishing houses does not get rid of rats; they move into other houses or the drains.
Some of the houses were in good condition (William Street, for instance) and housed single families.
Unfortunately they too were swept away in the policy of wholesale demolition.
If they had survived they would still have been much in demand today.
Hanover was the next area scheduled for demolition – now many families enjoy living there.
Selma Montfort, Clermont Road, Brighton
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