are provided with large gardens (say 2000 plus square feet) fall within the top 10% of the residential price range.
As table 1.1 indicates the three house types, terraced, semi-detached and detached, account for almost 80% of the housing stock. On the assumption that fewvof the remaining 20% of
dwellings have access to gardens since they are flats or maisonettes and*as already discussed, many of the pre 1919
terraces do not qualify as having gardens, then an estimate of 75% of the housing stock having access to a private garden seems reasonable. This estimate is generally supported by the
Contimart survey C O which concluded that there was 80% garden provision and by SillitoeTs survey (2) which estimated 70% garden provision.
Such estimates do not imply however that provision is uniform over the whole country or that the supply of gardens is shared equally between tenures. Contimart for example showed that Wales and the South-West had the highest level of provision at 87% whilst the lowest level, 58%*was found in the North-West. Similarly dwellings in the countryside are much more likely to have a garden than those in urban areas. Ward and Best (3) put
the relative figures at 38% of urban dwellings and 9% of rural
dwellings not having gardens. ( T h e i r information is based on
a social survey of 1944 which estimated total garden provision at 66%. Regardless of the accuracy of their figures the
disparity between urban and rural dwellings is surely so large as to be significant). So far as is known no subsequent work has been undertaken to measure this disparity.
The f i n a l and most s ig n if ic a n t d is p a r it y concerning supply o f gardens is th a t r e la t in g to te n u re . A ccording to the N a tio n a l D w e llin g and Housing S u rvey, 1978, 56% o f d w e llin g s are owner- o ccu p ied , 30% are re n te d from L o cal A u th o r itie s o r New Town C o rp o ra tio n s , 12% p r iv a t e ly re n te d and th e re m a in in g 2% owned by v a rio u s bodies such as housing a s s o c ia tio n s , HM fo rc e s e tc . The v a s t m a jo r ity o f re s id e n ts in ow ner-occupied housing have access to a garden. Houses f o r s a le a re alm ost in v a r ia b ly b u i l t w ith gardens a tta c h e d and houses, as opposed to f l a t s , a re the
predom inant d w e llin g type acco u n tin g f o r about 95% o f d w e llin g s in t h is s e c to r. (4)
In the p u b lic re n te d s e c to r the p ic tu r e is somewhat d if f e r e n t . About 50% o f d w e llin g s a re f l a t s most o f which a re n o t p ro v id e d w ith any g a rd e n s .(5) These f l a t s a re n o t e v e n ly d is tr ib u te d s p a t ia lly . The m a jo r ity occupy in n e r c i t y s it e s , o fte n to the e x c lu s io n o f any o th e r d w e llin g ty p e s . Thus th e re is n o t o n ly an undersupply o f gardens in L o cal A u th o rity housing as compared w ith o w ner-occupied, b u t th e re a re s p e c ific areas o f d e p riv a tio n w ith in the cores o f most la rg e towns and c i t i e s .
R e la tiv e le v e ls o f garden p ro v is io n were c a lc u la te d by S i l l i t o e whose r e s u lts a re shown in ta b le 1 .2 below . W ith m inor v a r ia tio n s these le v e ls o f p ro v is io n agree w ith my e x tra p o la tio n s from the N a tio n a l D w e llin g and Housing S urvey. A n o ta b le fe a tu r e is the v e ry low le v e l o f p ro v is io n in th e p r iv a te re n te d s e c to r.
Th is stems from the v e ry h ig h in c id e n c e o f f l a t s , many r e s u lt in g from conversions o f fo rm er la rg e o ld houses, and from