ONLINE: A Zoom invitation link will be sent one day before class begins.
During the 19th century, tens of thousands of artisans, skilled and unskilled workers, flooded into the rapidly growing industrial city of Birmingham to seek a living. The ensuing housing crisis was solved by building thousands of courts of back-to-back houses where families lived in cramped conditions and shared the most basic of facilities. This virtual tour of the last remaining court of back-to-back houses, sympathetically restored by the National Trust, will bring to life the experiences, joys and sorrows of some of the families who lived there until they were demolished in the 1960s. Pat Butler was the Elderwise Administrator until retiring back home to the U.K. in 2017. Her childhood spent in a similar court of houses until age 12 led her to volunteering as a tour guide at this historic museum. Pat also enjoys presenting social history classes to members of Britain’s University of the Third Age.
