Demolishing old terraced housing in Emmanuel Street, Cambridge, while a shop remains open at the other end. Early 1950s. BRITAIN???S decade of transformation in the 1950s after the austerity caused by the Second World War has been showcased in a new book. Incredible images show the low-cost housing that sprung up all across the country as the government undertook a huge building programme. Other shots show children playing in the street in a new community, builders laying the foundations for the new homes and a hotel with tens of cars parked up outside it, displaying the new-found wealth people were enjoying. The stunning pictures are included in a new book, The 1950s Home, by Janet and John Shepherd and published by Amberley.