Product Details
British Housebuilders is the first comprehensive account of the corporate history of the twentieth-century speculative housebuilding industry -
the firms that `supplied` those houses and the entrepreneurs who created those firms.
The transition from the local housebuilders of the 1930s, through the regional diversification of the 1960s, to the national housebuilders of
today is charted via a series of industry league tables.
The rationale for the growth in national firms is analysed. The conventional explanation of economies of scale is rejected: instead, the stock
market is found to play a key role both in facilitating acquisitions and in demanding growth from its constituent companies.
The supply-side analysis also addresses the frequent corporate failures: succession issues, lack of focus and the 1974 and 1990 recessions have
played their part in equal measure.
British Housebuilders provides the first opportunity to review the evidence drawn from a century of speculative housebuilding; it is only with
this historical perspective that sound judgements can be made on the corporate role in housebuilding.
Editorial Reviews
'The author's encyclopaedic knowledge from researching and monitoring the industry shine through, but the book also draws on company accounts and
a series of in-depth interviews with firm founders and senior directors or their relatives.' Housing Studies March 2007.
'Comprehensive in its scope and rigourous in its approach - an essential work or reference for any serious student of construction and
housebuilding' - Building Research and Information.
Biographical Note
Fred Wellings, former research partner at Credit Lyonnais Securities, is a well respected figure in the housing industry
