These Ghosthouses are a response to the inability of the local authority to preserve the beautiful housing stock of Chapeltown. By making public sector organisations operate as if they are businesses the Government has fostered many evils. Not least is the selling off of locally owned property for investment. Short term business gains are often long term social losses, which eventually will cost us far more. Communities are made of people and the community voice is one of those voices sometimes very hard to understand. Its accent is not received, its tone is rough and unpolished. People in communities are often not very politic, they will however know what works in their street and what doesn't.
These models are a reminder of how difficult it is for people to articulate their concerns when their neighborhood is crumbling. Sometimes an image is worth far more than words.


The Coach House, Number 9 Newton Grove, Chapeltown. The building collapsed May 2008 after several years of community activism and landlord inaction. Built in the 1840s, this coach house was a last reminder of the time when horses were the main form of transport in the area.