Tanhouse
Encyclopedia
Tanhouse is a residential area of Halesowen
in the West Midlands
of England
. It is situated in the west of the town near the border with Stourbridge
, and was developed in the 1960s by the local council for a development of houses and flats.
The newly-completed estate consisted of three multi-storey blocks of flats - Kipling House, Byron House and Chaucer House. Along with the rest of the homes on the estate, they were praised by residents on their completion for offering a far higher standard of living than the older properties which many of their occupants had been rehoused from.
But a decline soon set in, and by 1980 Tanhouse was one of the most troubled estates in the Midlands. Drug abuse, burglary, vandalism, graffiti, litter, car crime and violence were just some of the many problems plaguing the area. The tower blocks were the centre of much of these problems. These started to improve by the 1990s.
In July 1999, Kipling House and Byron House were demolished in controlled explosions. Chaucer House was retained after a renovation scheme, and since then the area has improved (although a man was stabbed the week it was finished) and announced a much improved area.
Kipling and Byron House also incorporated a row of shops, which were also demolished in the explosion. A Chinese
takeaway existed within the block, as did an off-licence. Due to crime being particularly rife at night, the off-licence did not open its doors in evenings during the shop's final years, and the retailer served his customers through a hatch in the window instead.
Halesowen
Halesowen is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands, England.The population, as measured by the United Kingdom Census 2001, was 55,273...
in the West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is situated in the west of the town near the border with Stourbridge
Stourbridge
Stourbridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands of England. Historically part of Worcestershire, Stourbridge was a centre of glass making, and today includes the suburbs of Amblecote, Lye, Norton, Oldswinford, Pedmore, Wollaston, Wollescote and Wordsley The...
, and was developed in the 1960s by the local council for a development of houses and flats.
The newly-completed estate consisted of three multi-storey blocks of flats - Kipling House, Byron House and Chaucer House. Along with the rest of the homes on the estate, they were praised by residents on their completion for offering a far higher standard of living than the older properties which many of their occupants had been rehoused from.
But a decline soon set in, and by 1980 Tanhouse was one of the most troubled estates in the Midlands. Drug abuse, burglary, vandalism, graffiti, litter, car crime and violence were just some of the many problems plaguing the area. The tower blocks were the centre of much of these problems. These started to improve by the 1990s.
In July 1999, Kipling House and Byron House were demolished in controlled explosions. Chaucer House was retained after a renovation scheme, and since then the area has improved (although a man was stabbed the week it was finished) and announced a much improved area.
Kipling and Byron House also incorporated a row of shops, which were also demolished in the explosion. A Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
takeaway existed within the block, as did an off-licence. Due to crime being particularly rife at night, the off-licence did not open its doors in evenings during the shop's final years, and the retailer served his customers through a hatch in the window instead.