The Dorlonco Houses of Runnymede Road

There are two houses near the start of Runnymede Road which are very different to their neighbours and are interesting historically as they may have a possible connection with the building of the Tyne Bridge as well as being early examples of pre-fabricated houses.

Numbers 5 and 7 Runnymede Road were built in the 1920’s using the Dorlonco System. This was developed by the Middlesborough based Steelmakers and Bridge builders, Dorman Long and Co. They developed a prefabricated steel-frame house-building method which long pre-dated the prefabs which many people remember from after the Second World War.

Dorlonco houses were generally built on council estates, so it is a little unusual to find that there were some built on what was even in the 1920’s, an expensive private estate. The probable reason for this is that Dormon Long and Co. won the contract to build the Tyne Bridge at the end of 1924 and these houses were probably built to house key personnel employed in building the bridge.

Unlike the later pre-fabs with their flat roofs and USA inspired design, these earlier ones were more traditional in their outward appearance which has ensured their survival. From the outside, they look almost indistinguishable from conventional houses.