Excalibur Estate of Dreams
Digital footage and 16mm film
2013
32 minutes
Excalibur estate of dreams tells a selection of stories about Excalibur estate in Lewisham in Catford. The footage was collected as part of a research project, Prefab Archive, which aims to document the estate which is notable for the residents attachment to their homes. Rose's footage is interwoven with video, sound and animation taken from a protest video made by Jim Blackender of the "The Worried Tentants Group" against the demolition of the 70 year old site and his home.
Excalibur Estate, Catford is one of the last prefabricated housing estates left in Britain and is due for demolition at the end of 2012 . The prefabs were initially built after the Second World War to satisfy the housing crisis and the majority were let to the returning servicemen. The estate was built by German prisoners of war. Under the Decent Homes programme all council-owned properties should be dry, safe and warm, have a modern bathroom and kitchen and be in a good state of repair. According to a Lewisham Council survey, none of the 187 bungalows on the Excalibur Estate meet the standard. The residents on Excalibur Estate have fought for their homes for many years with mixed success. Two years ago six prefabs were saved by English Heritage. However, this year the remaining residents lost their fight. Lizzy Rose's grandparents were original tenants of the estate.
