Nick Hedges’ photographs for Shelter 1969-72
In 1968, Shelter employed Nick Hedges to document the oppressive and abject living conditions being experienced in poor quality housing in the UK. We commissioned the work in an effort to raise consciousness about the extent of unfit living conditions and to illustrate, in human terms, what the real cost of bad housing was.
A number of Nick Hedges’ images are on display on large billboards in St Andrews Square in Edinburgh this month, if anyone recognises the people photographed or know what happened to them they are encouraged to contact Shelter – you can do by emailing [email protected]
Couple in a Leith tenement flat Edinburgh © Nick Hedges/Shelter 1972
Family living in an overcrowded tenement flat Glasgow © Nick Hedges/Shelter 1971
Mother living with her children in an overcrowded single end tenement flat Glasgow © Nick Hedges/Shelter 1971
The thing about people living in slum housing is that there is no drama…it’s about the absolute wearing down of people’s morale in a quiet and undemonstrative way.
Nick Hedges
View of Glasgow tenements © Nick Hedges/Shelter 1971
Unemployed colliery worker Glasgow tenement © Nick Hedges/Shelter 1971
Teenage girls waiting in backyard of tenement block Maryhill © Nick Hedges/Shelter 1971
See a link here on the Shelter website for Nick Hedges’ honest and striking account of his time photographing in Scotland for Shelter.