Posted on 27th Feb
A council property built in 1920 in Southwell has been celebrated as one of the oldest council houses in the district.
The home on Allenby Road, which has been occupied by two different generations of the same family since it was built, has had a plaque installed with the name ‘Addison House’ to commemorate the centenary of the Addison Act and council housing as we know it today.
The house, which is currently occupied by Mrs Shirley Rickett, was first tenanted by the parents of her late husband, David Rickett. David was born in 1935 and grew up in the property with his mother and father, Hilda Mary Rickett and David Rickett. Following the death of his parents, David remained at the property and in 1975 married Shirley, and she subsequently moved in. David sadly passed away in 2013.
Council tenant Mrs Rickett commented: “My late husband David would have been especially thrilled to know the family home has been commemorated as one of the oldest council properties. He had such fond memories growing up here with his parents and I am proud to live here.”
As part of the Newark and Sherwood District Council 100 years of council housing celebrations, chairman of homes and communities, Coun Timothy Wendels and ward member for Southwell, Coun Penny Rainbow, led the plaque unveiling ceremony.
Coun Timothy Wendels said: “As we continue to celebrate the centenary of council housing, stories such as Mrs Rickett’s remind us of the enormous value council housing has for the people in our district and how important it is that we continue to invest in building more warm, family homes.
“We are already over half way through our five year development programme to deliver an additional 335 new, high-quality homes throughout the district and I am pleased we are able to celebrate one of our oldest council properties here today.”
