The Media Archive for Central England is the public screen archive for the East and West Midlands. An independent charity and company based at the University of Lincoln, MACE acquires, catalogues, preserves and makes widely available moving image materials that inform our understanding of the diverse cultures and histories of communities between the Lincolnshire coast and the Welsh border.
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Balsall Heath Slum
Vincent Crescent in Balsall Heath is dead. 'Shelter' condemns the condition of 33 terraced houses in the street. Would Ј30 per head really be enough to fix things?
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Overview
Outside toilets, rubbish piled up along the 'backs', poor wiring and damp conditions. This is what the housing and homelessness charity 'Shelter' found in Vincent Crescent, Balsall Health. Jeffrey Watson goes in search of the residents of this Birmingham street to find out what it is like to live in such conditions.
Vincent Crescent, like many other similar streets in Birmingham, was not redeveloped, as is suggested in this film, but was demolished.
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