Storage

“Refuse could be left in the tenant’s delivery cupboard for collection by the estate porters; this cupboard would be provided, in most cases, near to the flat entrance door. It would be designed with doors both internally and externally (controlled with suitable locking devices); these two-way doors would facilitate trade deliveries and the occasional dry refuse collection when tenants are not at home.”

Chamberlin, Powell & Bon, Architects “Barbican Redevelopment” April 1959

Hatches

Apart from your letterbox, you should have one or two hatches outside the entrance door of your flat, usually as part of the entrance structure. If you have two, one was intended for deliveries such as milk, bread and groceries; and the other was meant to be used for dry rubbish (the wet stuff being destined for the Garchey).

If yours is a hatch which goes straight through without a bend (so that a small burglar could squeeze through) have a bar installed. I once got burgled that way. You should consider additional security to these access doors in any event. The local Crime Prevention Officer can advice you.

Special deliveries can be made to the porters’ offices or the car park attendants and collected later.

Cupboards

Some storage was generally provided inside each flat when it was built, according to the needs of flats of different sizes. This is what Chamberlin, Powell & Bon, said about it in their April 1959 report:

“Inside each flat the following storage has been generally provided, according to the needs of flats of different sizes.

    • A linen cupboard with adjustable shelves, either separate or combined with an airing cupboard, which is adjacent to the 30 gallon water storage heater.
    • Household equipment, such as vacuum cleaners, cleaning materials, ironing boards have a separate cupboard with shelves and racks.
    • Cupboards the clothing in use, overcoats, raincoats, outdoor shoes are provided with rails and racks in a space near the entrance, and personal clothing is stored in separate cupboards in or near the bedrooms.”

External storage

This is Chamberlin, Powell & Bon again in their April 1959 report:

“Adequate storage is all too rarely found in modern flats. It is particularly important that flats of the standard envisaged should have sufficient storage of the right kind for all the tenants’ belongings, with the exception of the large objects which are only required occasionally, such as boxes, trunks, and cases. To provide for these there are a number of large public lock-up stores, as well as smaller individual stores, which tenants may hire in the basement areas.”

I guess that the idea of a large public lock-up for boxes and trunks (as if for boys on their first day back at boarding school) was dropped before construction of the estate.