Shilling House, 342 West Road

A concrete house constructed as a prize to encourage people to donate a shilling each to the Montague Pit Disaster Fund (the disaster happened on 30th March 1925). The money was principally used to give long term support to the families of the bereaved, the last payments being made in 1963. The Daily Chronicle of 24th April 1925 gives details of the competition. The house was built using the Porous Corcrete method, a method used fairly extensively in Holland, which was apparently put on the market in this country by the Corolite Company of 33 Henrietta Street. LOCAL LIST