An audio recording of the panel discussion which took place at Bilston Craft Gallery on 18 March 2015, which considered the development of social housing in Bilston during the mid to late 1940s.

The event brought together local historians, city council officers, consultants and curators from Austria and the UK, including representatives from the City Museum of Vienna and English Heritage.

Panellists consider how architecture, craft and social policy have shaped post-war culture in Britain, and reveal the important connections between Bilston and Vienna. The debate centres on issues of happiness and social housing, with an emphasis on how Bilston’s local and international heritage can provide a model for future living in the Black Country and beyond.

The panel was chaired by Dr Sabrina Rahman, Research Fellow in Art and Design History, Northumbria University. Panel members were: 

Dr Andreas Nierhaus – Curator of Architecture, Vienna City 
Elain Harwood – historian and architectural investigator with English Heritage, specialising in post-war architecture
Paul Quigley – Black Country Echoes Curator / Project Researcher on Block Capital project funded by HLF
Simon Lucas – Development and Regeneration officer and project manager for Bilston Urban Village 
Frank Sharman – member of Black Country Memories Club, who conducted his own research into Otto Neurath and his involvement in the Stowlawn Estate 


Bilston's Happy Housing Panel Discussion

Wolverhampton Arts