The Luscotts' 10 good reasons to have a bigger home
You don't meet many families of 10 these days, and fewer still who would put up with living for years in just two rooms.
But here we go large with the Luscott family of Newport who, 70 years ago, were post-war pioneers of sorts.
In May 1947 the first of Newport Urban Council's new houses was handed over to Mr and Mrs T.J. Luscott, who had lived for the previous eight years in two rooms at 20 Station Road.
The new homes had the luxury of an upstairs bathroom and lavatory, and electric lighting in all rooms. There was even a cycle shed and, perhaps most importantly, with four bedrooms, the Luscotts at last had some extra space.
The post-war period had created a critical housing shortage, and measures taken to tackle the crisis included building pre-fabs and a surge in council house building.
Mr Luscott had spent five and a half years in the Army, serving with the King's Shropshire Light Infantry and the Army Fire Service, and at the time of his rehousing was employed at the Audley Engineering Works in Newport.
The couple had eight children. The family in this old newspaper picture are, from left: Mr Luscott, holding Bryan, aged 12 months; Mrs Luscott, with baby Janet, one month; Arthur (13); John (11); Ronald (10); Sheila (8); Margaret (6); Rose (2).
The first names of the parents were not given.
So where were those new council houses? It was called Newport Urban Council's Victoria Park housing scheme, and the Luscotts were able to move in to one of the first three completed.
The handing over of the first homes was done with some ceremony, performed by Councillor Mrs H. Stephens, the council vice chairman, who was also chairman (no "chairpersons" or "chairs" in those days of course) of the special housing committee which had been responsible for the scheme.
Amid a gathering of councillors and officials, she said that while the council's ideals had to a large extent been realised in the building of the houses, they had been handicapped in having to conform to restrictions imposed by the powers higher up.
They hoped, she said, that in time their dreams would be achieved, and that they would have housing schemes on which Newport could look with pride. They felt they were building a Newport of which its people and their children would be proud.
She then handed the key of the first four-bedroomed house to Mr and Mrs Luscott, who were present with five of their eight children.
The keys of two three-bedroomed houses were handed to a Mr and Mrs E. H. Price, who had four children, and whose home collapsed "during a recent gale", and Mr and Mrs E.J. Smith. Mr Smith worked for the council's gas department.
