Cardboard City was the name for an

informal settlement Informal housing or informal settlement can include any form of housing, shelter, or settlement (or lack thereof) which is illegal, falls outside of government control or regulation, or is not afforded protection by the state. As such, the info ...

consisting of temporary cardboard shelters that occupied a site near

Waterloo station Waterloo station (), also known as London Waterloo, is a central London terminus on the National Rail network in the United Kingdom, in the Waterloo area of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is connected to a London Underground station of ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England. Cardboard City, was lived in by

homeless Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are: * living on the streets, also kn ...

people from around 1978 until 1998, and was eventually closed after a High Court order led to its redevelopment.

History

Cardboard City was first occupied in 1978. In the mid-1980s the site, in the pedestrian underpasses under the Bullring roundabout near Waterloo station, was home to up to 200 people sleeping in cardboard boxes. By early 1998, fewer than 30 people remained there. These were officially evicted by the

London Borough of Lambeth Lambeth () is a London borough in South London, England, which forms part of Inner London. Its name was recorded in 1062 as ''Lambehitha'' ("landing place for lambs") and in 1255 as ''Lambeth''. The geographical centre of London is at Frazier ...

in February 1998, and forced to leave before the end of March 1998. All were offered free housing by the Borough, although there was concern as to whether the residents would be able to cope with housed life. The area is now the site of the

BFI IMAX The BFI IMAX is an IMAX cinema in the South Bank district of London, just north of Waterloo station. It is owned and operated by the British Film Institute. From 2012 until 2022, it had been operated by Odeon Cinemas. The cinema is located in t ...

cinema.

In popular culture

* The song "Cardboard Box City" by

The Levellers The Levellers were a political movement active during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms who were committed to popular sovereignty, extended suffrage, equality before the law and religious tolerance. The hallmark of Leveller thought was its popul ...

(on their first album

A Weapon Called the Word ''A Weapon Called the Word'' is the debut album by the Levellers, released in April 1990. The album contains re-recorded tracks from the band's first two E.P. recordings: ''Carry Me E.P.'' (upon which the tracks "Carry Me" and "England My Home ...

from 1990) is about this site and most people's ignorance about those living conditions. * The song "Victoria Gardens" by

Madness Madness or The Madness may refer to: Emotion and mental health * Anger, an intense emotional response to a perceived provocation, hurt or threat * Insanity, a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns * ...

(on their 1984 album Keep Moving) refers directly to the plight of the homeless residents of Cardboard City. * The song "Cardboard City" by Skyclad (on their 1997 album

Prince of the Poverty Line ''Prince of the Poverty Line'' is the fourth full-length studio album by British folk metal band Skyclad. It is a loose concept album about urban decay in post- Thatcherite Britain. According to Kevin Ridley, producer and, from 1997, a ful ...

) is about the residents of Cardboard City being marginalised. * The main character of ''

Rebuilding Coventry ''Rebuilding Coventry'' is a 1988 novel written by Sue Townsend about a woman from Middle England who is accused of murdering her neighbour and goes on the run to London, and captures the zeitgeist of England in the 1980s. The protagonist is a ...

'' by

Sue Townsend Susan Lillian Townsend, FRSL (née Johnstone, 2 April 194610 April 2014), was an English writer and humorist whose work encompasses novels, plays and works of journalism. She was best known for creating the character Adrian Mole. After writing ...

is described as living in Cardboard City for a time. * The film ''Tax City'' was based on a true account of the Taxing Squad, a group of criminals who preyed on homeless people sleeping at Cardboard City. *The documentary photography of artist Moyra Peralta featured the last days of Cardboard City and captured many of the realities of life in the underpasses of the Bullring. The book includes an introduction by renowned art critic

John Berger John Peter Berger (; 5 November 1926 – 2 January 2017) was an English art critic, novelist, painter and poet. His novel '' G.'' won the 1972 Booker Prize, and his essay on art criticism '' Ways of Seeing'', written as an accompaniment to the ...

References

{{SquatE&W 1983 establishments in England 1980s in London 1990s in London 1998 disestablishments in England Former buildings and structures in the London Borough of Lambeth Shanty towns in Europe Squats in the United Kingdom Former squats Evicted squats

History

In popular culture

See also

References