The life-time of the houses in the Bottoms was to be relatively short as the local council considered that Derwent View was damp and the whole area at the Bottoms had vermin troubles. Ladysmith was therefore condemned as early as the thirties under the 1930s slum clearance measures, and would have been demolished then had it not been for World War II.
Thereafter, the streets and houses in the 'Bottoms' were demolished over a considerable length of time: approx. 1957 - 1966. Strathmore Terrace and Towneley Streets were the first to be knocked down - Derwent Street being the last to go. The rehousing of those living in the Bottoms was a gradual process - most being allocated new council housing in nearby Highfield on the 'New Estate' and Engels Street. (Source; Rowlands Gill Facebook page) |