ABSTRACT
The long and intricate history of the house reflects its close relationship with English culture; the much shorter history of the flat, on the other hand, reflects how far it was alien in the English scene, always second best to the house and allowable only in exceptional circumstances. The purpose-built flat, and still more the maisonette, were minority dwellings, which together comprised seven per cent of the housing stock in 1964 and only twice that amount by 1990. Converted flats and ‘rooms’ in houses contributed a further five per cent at the latter date. While these were mainly in the private sector, purpose-built flats and maisonettes were disproportionately represented in the public sector, where they made up over a third of council owned stock in 1990 (GHS, 1971, 1990).
