Resources

Eastlea and Queensdale

Zimbabwe has an impressive collection of historic rammed earth housing, both pre WWII and particularly from the forties and fifties. The later buildings were a political football at the time, with an Act of Parliament to allow their construction but demanding they be demolished within ten years. Later this act was repealed but the houses had to have a series of changes made to make them appear more ‘modern’. These included brick corner and window details, or total rendering of all walls to conceal the original rounded corners. Also the high pitched thatch roofs were replaced with ‘modern’ asbestos, such was the concern that these houses might set a precedent to African house builders.
However they remained, and in all major cities in Zimbabwe, and continued to get bonds or mortgages while banks and building societies offered them.
This finally allowed us to talk to the building societies about bonds for new builds in the late nineties.