Photographer Nick Hedges documented the life of poverty-stricken Britain’s slums from 1968 to 1972. He traveled across the country for the housing charity Shelter, taking pictures of families living in run-down homes in Glasgow, Leeds, and Birmingham. He donated 1,000 prints from his Shelter work to the National Media Museum in 1983.
He found families who slept with the lights blazing to keep the rats away, children sleeping on wet floors and mothers cooking over an open fire, sewerage water on the streets, and children playing in the trash. It’s heartbreaking to see that the people had to live under these miserable conditions.
Here below are some heart-wrenching photos of poor families living in Newcastle-upon-Tyne from the 1970s.
#1 Street of terraced housing Newcastle upon Tyne 1969
#2 Children playing in a derelict playground, Newcastle upon Tyne 1971
#3 Families wlking across slum clearance site Newcastle upon Tyne 1972
#4 The result of dangerous play, the little boy fell on a rusty nail which punctured his liver, Newcastle 1971
#5 Newcastle housewife in her kitchen 1972
#6 Mother and son reflected in mirror West End Newcastle upon Tyne 1971
#7 Mother and family Newcastle upon Tyne
#8 Children walking home on a council estate Newcastle upon Tyne 1972
#9 Family in slum housing Newcastle upon Tyne 1971
#10 Living room of a Newcastle house 1971
#11 Newcastle housewife 1971
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This is not 1971. This lady lived on my street, and this picture would have been late 70’s
