Note: This story includes discussion of protest, discrimination, racism, and threats of violence. These topics are included to help understand how people in Kirklees responded to injustice and worked for social change. Teachers may wish to introduce this section carefully and allow time for discussion or questions.

After the Second World War ended in 1945, Kirklees, like much of Britain, faced the huge task of rebuilding homes, schools, and roads damaged during the war. Many houses had been destroyed by bombing, and others were overcrowded as soldiers returned home. To help families quickly, the council built prefabricated homes, or “prefabs,” which were made in factories and put together on site. These homes were small but modern, with indoor toilets and gardens, giving families much-needed space while permanent houses were being built.  

Rationing, which had begun during the war, continued for several years after 1945.

People still had to queue for essentials such as sugar, meat, butter, and eggs, with some goods not fully available until 1954.

This meant families had to carefully plan meals and make the most of limited supplies while the country slowly recovered. 

At the same time, new housing estates were built across towns like Lindley, Batley, and Dewsbury. These modern homes offered more space, better sanitation, and gardens, improving quality of life for families. However, some older streets were demolished, which changed local communities and sometimes displaced residents. 

Despite early building efforts, Batley still had serious housing problems. In 1954, a government report showed that a third of the town’s homes were unsafe. Over the 1950s and 1960s, slum areas in parts of central Batley and Batley Carr were cleared, replaced by safer, modern housing. 

Schools were expanded to accommodate the “baby boom” generation, a term used for the large number of children born in the years after World War II. In the 1960s, Huddersfield experienced its biggest redevelopment in recent history, with new civic buildings, including the council offices off Castlegate.