This film shows the construction of the Shepherd Group building firm’s Spacemaker system-built low-rise flats. A site in the centre of York is transformed by the building of a block of modern family sized flats. The film shows the manufacture of prefabricated structures, the assembly of the components and the attractive interiors of the new building. The film opens overlooking an empty plot of land. A road runs past the site and a large church stands opposite with older terrace housing...

This film shows the construction of the Shepherd Group building firm’s Spacemaker system-built low-rise flats. A site in the centre of York is transformed by the building of a block of modern family sized flats. The film shows the manufacture of prefabricated structures, the assembly of the components and the attractive interiors of the new building. The film opens overlooking an empty plot of land. A road runs past the site and a large church stands opposite with older terrace housing nearby. A general view follows over roofs of old terraced housing looking drab and out of date, illustrating the commentary’s assertion for the nationwide need for new housing stock. More general views follow of old town housing in poor condition or semi-derelict. The film next shows a high street and shop window display. A woman stands close to a push chair and throws bread for some swans in a river or canal as her children watch. General views follow of pedestrians walking along a street. Title: The Shepherd Building Group presents Title: Spacemaker Low-Rise Flats. Credit: Made By Cyril Randell Productions In Association With Film Producers Guild London The film shows a plot of land In York cleared and ready for building to commence. This is the beginning of a pilot project for a new type of housing which meets local authority requirements. Specifically, according to the commentary, the new Spacemaker system for low-rise flats developed by the Shepherd Building Group. The film cuts to a brick gatepost which makes part of a gateway to an old building which serves as offices for the builders. On the gatepost a sign reads, Shepherd Design Group. The film cuts to a view of a mobile cement mixer making a delivery to the new building site. A sign on the vehicle reads, Ready Mixed Concrete Phone 71240. A colleague guides the driver as he reverses to deliver the mixed cement. Men work near a site cabin to level the concrete on one of the new foundations. A chute from the cement mixer is guided by one worker as the delivery of the mixed cement is poured onto one of the new foundations. Oher workers level off the cement with spades. A man feeds something which looks like a pipe into the new cement, the device ensures there are no air pockets left in the concrete, which may impede its strength. Other workers lay steel reinforcing mesh in the levelled mixture. Formwork is prepared in other parts of the new structure. Two men use a large plank, to tamp down the newly laid bases. Another man finishes off a layer of screed which goes on top of the cement, with a trowel to give a smooth finish, floor tiles will be added later. Formwork is removed and the foundations are ready for the next building stage. The film changes to a view of a factory which makes the precast concrete components for system building. Two men help guide a large concrete slab as it lifted a way from a covered work shed. Two others work on one of the moulds used for making these large sections. A crane hoists a bucketful of sand or aggregate at the site plant which manufactures concrete. The concrete is delivered by a large hopper which is positioned over a mould, a worker pulls a lever to release the concrete into the mould. The mould is levelled off using a tamping bar, while vibrations from the table ensures full compaction of the concrete. Trained plasterers use trowels and floats to create a smooth finish on another new concrete section. A mould table is moved into a vertical position so that a complete dried concrete unit can be removed easily. A gantry crane then moves the slab while two workmen help guide it to the next part of the production line. It is moved to a storage facility and stored vertically in the open air so it can cure completely before being moved on site. The slab is slowly moved to its place amongst large numbers of similar slabs. A tower crane moves a cured concrete unit from the store to a road transporter, two workers assist the move of the slab to the transporter. The film goes on to show the range of coloured and patterned aggregates and textured finishes that are available for the concrete units. A road transporter delivers concrete units to the site in York, the slabs will be erected straight from delivery into their final position. Two men place bedding material in the trough between the floor spaces where the slab will be positioned. Two workmen guide the slab into the trough, and then add temporary supports. A workman fixes a steel pin into the concrete slab towards its top edge. A steel pole is fixed to it to support it in position. The film cuts to two men positioning a textured exterior slab which forms part of a window, into position. The next sequence shows a pre-cast floor unit being placed in position on top of the ground floor vertical units. This stage in the building of the flats is arrived at on the second day of construction. The tops of other wall sections are spread with concrete in preparation for another floor stage to be placed on top, a mobile crane lowers a slab into position. General views show other slabs being placed in position by the mobile crane. The commentary goes on to explain the different types of accommodation available within the new block. As the heavy interior and exterior panels are added to the building another skilled set of workers arrive on site to work on services which will be supplied to the building, such as heating and hot water. Some move a completed cupboard unit into the building, another worker checks the level of one of the exterior slabs. A lorry delivers more floor units for the second floor, the smaller units on the second floor allow for a central corridor. Workmen put glass into prefabricated window frames. One of the workmen smooths off some of the putty used to secure the glass. A surveyor using a theodolite checks that the building is meeting accurate dimensions and tolerances as laid out in the original plans. Other workmen complete non-structural work such preparing part of the structure on the ground floor to receive a completed window frame. One of the workmen screws the frame to the surrounding concrete. The view changes showing workmen guiding a concrete slab into place as a crane lifts it into position on the top floor. The commentary states that this stage has been reached only six days after they started building. The roof is the last main task for the construction team. The roof sections which are made of timber are lifted by crane from a lorry and guided into position by workmen, roofing felt and bitumen are added to protect the roof. Scaffolding is erected on the outside of the building so that workmen have access to install windows into the new block up to the top floor. A decorative fascia is added around the building at just below roof level. In addition, a workman hangs tiles at first and second floor levels. Inside the building workmen fit a doorframe, an electrician feeds wiring through the preformed ducts in the interior walls for light switches and power sockets. A general view shows the stage of construction of the flats is quite advanced after only two weeks. The film next shows the block completed after only three weeks and ready for new tenants. Filmed from an indoor hallway with a staircase, a woman carrying shopping enters the finished building. She walks into her flat and closes the door, she then hangs up her coat and carries her bag of shopping through the fully decorated and furnished main living room into the kitchen. In the kitchen, the woman puts items of shopping into cupboards while the commentary describes the range of facilities in the kitchen. The woman walks from the kitchen to the living room and sits down on couch where she picks up a magazine from a nearby coffee table. In another part of the flat she opens a cupboard and switches on the heating system. She goes back to the living room and switches on an electric fire. She leaves the living room and goes to the main bedroom and sits at a dressing table, door opens to show the interior of the bathroom. The film moves outside to show the exterior of the building, a man leaves the building through a porch doorway. A sign placed in the grounds surrounding the flats reads: Shepherd Homes Moorcroft Flats. General views of the completed flats follow from different viewpoints and the images end the film. Title: The End Shepherd Credits: Director Peter Neville Cook Cameraman Jonah Jones Editor Patrick Ashton Produced By Cyril Randell Film Producers Guild London