Social Housing Sound Archive is a collection of audio recordings made by myself A.J. Holmes
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Although I have a keen interest in the history of social housing in general my primary concern for this website is British council housing, prioritising estates in London which have been identified as part of the local council's 'regeneration' schemes and are currently undergoing / under threat of full or partial demolition. My aim is to document these environments and most importantly the communities that live there and their campaigns to save their homes.
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’Social Housing’ is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which is owned and managed by local authorities or by non-profit organisations (such as housing associations) initially built to house the ‘deserving poor’, working class and now intended to be let at low rents to those who are most in need.
I’m aware that many of the people visiting this site would have found it via the brilliant London Sound Survey (LSS) website. I was extremely saddened by the news that it’s founder Ian Rawes recently passed away. I felt it only right to acknowledge him here and to express my gratitude for all the support he gave to me and Social Housing Sound Archive (SHSA).
I didn't know Ian well, but he was always extremely kind and encouraging about my work whenever we met or had contact. He opened doors for me via sharing or re-tweeting my posts, featuring SHSA on his home page and even voluntarily proofread my site at the start. He was an exceptionally generous man and of course a great artist. He was an inspiration to me; and a great many others I would imagine. I learnt a lot from him. What an amazing resource he created for people with London Sound Survey.