On Friday I spent an enjoyable afternoon at Urban Studies’ seminar: The (Scottish) ‘Blues’ Revisited: new town and high rise neurosis amongst women in the post-war decades.
Lynn Abrams and Linda Fleming (School of Humanities) were presenting on their recent study of the impact of housing upon the wellbeing of women in the post-war period. Their study focused on two areas: the new town of East Kilbride and the high rise flats in Glasgow.
As part of their research, Lynn and Linda spent time in Archive Services consulting the records of the Homes in High Flats study. This study was undertaken in the fifties and sixties by Pearl Jephcott, a researcher in the University’s Department of Economic and Social Research.
By studying the comments which the interviewees made in response to questionnaires, Lynn and Linda have drawn some conclusions as to the impact this new, high-rise, living had on women and their health. In particular, they have been able to identify that feelings of isolation were often commented upon.
If you are interested in the Homes in High Flats study, you can find out more about the collection on our online catalogue. Alternatively, you could look at the published results which are held in the Library.
You can also find illustrations from the associated Time of One’s Own study on our flickr pages.
Categories: Library
Tags: archive services, collections, health, homes, Homes in High Flats, housing
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