Britain’s history of squatting

Squatting, or the unilateral occupation of at least temporarily vacant property, has been a rite of passage for Britain’s young, down at heel and artistically inclined since at least the psychedelic 1960s.

5 Seconds

00:00

A group of young people sitting outside their squat on Piccadilly in London. A poster reading ”London Policemen are Wonderful” has been put up by the window they are using as an entrance.

/ Evening Standard via Getty Images

March 18, 1974

A family of squatters settled down in a block of seven empty flats on Dover Street in London.

Keystone-France / Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

Circa 1975

A squatter looking out of the balcony window into Regents Park, in a house in London’s Cornwall Gardens. In the 1970s, high-profile locales in central London became home to squatter hives linked to punk and radical labor movements.

Frank Tewkesbury / Getty Images

Sept. 15, 1969

Squatters occupy a building on Piccadilly in London.

/ Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

March 15, 1977

A meeting being held by squatters at the Squatters Action Council headquarters in London. The squatters’ code here has almost always carried an anti-capitalist message, with empty property portrayed as the moral equivalent of wasting food.

/ Evening Standard via Getty Images

Jan. 28, 2009

A squatter stands on the roof of one of the two Mayfair mansions, estimated to have a combined value of £23 million, that were taken over on London’s Park Lane. Armed with legal codes that bound the hands of police and forced landlords into cumbersome civil suits to evict unwanted dwellers, squatters became the bane of the British homeowner.

Dan Kitwood / Getty Images

July 11, 2009

Squatters clean up broken glass outside the West London home of married parliamentarians Ann and Alan Keen, which was taken over by squatters who claimed the house is left unoccupied.

Geoff Caddick / AFP/Getty Images

January 28, 2009

Squatters dance in the street as they leave one of the two mansions, estimated at £15 million, that they had taken over on central London’s Park Lane.

Ben Stansall / AFP/Getty Images

Oct. 11, 2011

A squatter prepares a meal at the house where she and others reside in London. Five people live in the brick and stucco 19th-century rowhouse on a street of $950,000 homes. While the government does not keep hard numbers, it cites an estimate of 20,000 squatters nationwide. A new law criminalizing the practice came into effect this month that is upending the rebellious and politically charged British subculture.

Lefteris Pitarakis / AP

Oct. 11, 2011

Rueben Taylor, a 25-year-old squatter, is seen at the house where she resides in London. For the first time since the 1970s, squatters at residential properties are facing forcible evictions without court orders, as well as penalties of up to $8,000 and six months in jail.

Lefteris Pitarakis / AP

Sept. 17, 2012

Richard Broadbury, a 34-year-old fashion photographer in London is interviewed by a Washington Post reporter in a commercial property taken over by squatter friends in North London. Broadbury entered life as a squatter last year as his economic situation worsened. He now fears eviction as a result of Britain’s new anti-squatting laws.

Karla Adam / Washington Post

FEATURED PHOTO GALLERIES

epa03714567 A Thai Buddhist family take an offering of lotus flowers to pay respects to a giant Buddha surrounded by more than 1,000 smaller Buddha statues at a Buddhism Park, on Vesak or Visakha Bucha day, in Nakhon Nayok, north of Bangkok, Thailand, 24 May 2013. Buddhist devotees throughout the world offer blessings at temples to mark one of the holiest days in Buddhism, commemorating the birth, enlightenment and the death of Buddha. EPA/BARBARA WALTON

Photos of the day

Buddhist Wesak festival, prisoners-of-war reunion, bridge collapse, world’s largest Lego model and more.

A portion of the Interstate 5 bridge is submerged after it collapsed into the Skagit River dumping vehicles and people into the water in Mount Vernon, Wash., Thursday, May 23, 2013 according to the Washington State Patrol. (AP Photo/Skagit Valley Herald, Frank Varga)

I-5 bridge collapse in Washington state dumps vehicles, passengers into river

No fatalities reported; collapse over Skagit River shuts down main route between Seattle and Canada.

SILVER SPRING MD: MAY 18
from left to right, Bodybuilders Jorge Villatoro, Sidney Bumbrey, Eric Holmes and Ron Coleman show off their most muscular poses for the judges at the 2013 Musclemania - Capital Tournament of Champions Contest held at the Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center in Silver Spring, Maryland on May 18, 2013.
(Photo by Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

Flexing their muscles

Dozens of bodybuilders came out to Silver Spring to compete in the 2013 Musclemania Capital Tournament of Champions.

epa03714543 US actress Carmen Electra arrives for the Life Ball gala, at the airport Schwechat, in Vienna, Austria, 24 May 2013. The 21th Life Ball, an annual fundraising charity event for HIV and Aids projects, takes place at the Vienna City-Hall on 25 May 2013. EPA/HERBERT NEUBAUER

Eye on entertainment

Carmen Electra, Barbara Eden, Sharon Stone, Goldie Hawn, Jaden Smith and more.

A police forensics officer investigates a crime scene where one man was killed in Woolwich, southeast London May 22, 2013. British Prime Minister David Cameron has called a meeting of his government's emergency Cobra security committee after the killing of a man in south London, his office said on Wednesday. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth (BRITAIN - Tags: CRIME LAW POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Terrorism cited in London cleaver attack

Two assailants hacked to death a British soldier on a busy southeast London neighborhood street Wednesday afternoon before delivering an apparent...

MOORE, OK - MAY 22: A street of tornado destructed homes is reflected on a puddle of water on May 22, 2013 in Moore, Ok. (Photo by Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)

Assessing tornado damage in Oklahoma

Amid great destruction, residents of the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore begin to assess the severity of the twister that hit Monday.

WASHINGTON DC: MAY 22
Contestant Travis Rumans, 31 dances with his beloved glow sticks for talent at Penn Social in Washington, DC on May 22, 2013. The contestants help raise over $15,000 for the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
The Mr. DC pageant is a fundraising event to benefit Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
The qualifications for the Mr. District of Columbia finalists is that they must live, work and attend school in the District of Columbia between the ages of 21-30 who are unmarried, intelligent, and dapper in a suit.
(Photo by Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

Mr. D.C. Pageant contestants compete for charity

Contestants in the Mr. D.C. Pageant, a fundraising event, helped raise more than $15,000 for the Children’s National Medical Center.

A Burrowing owl tries to perch on a protective rope in a public park in Cooper City, Fla. Monday, May 20, 2013 as rain falls. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

Animal views

Fun and fascinating creatures around the world.

Back to Previous Gallery

Discussion Policy | FAQ | About Discussions

Comments

Add your comment

Read what others are saying About Badges

SuperFan Badge

SuperFan badge holders consistently post smart, timely comments about Washington area sports and teams.

More about badges | Request a badge

Culture Connoisseur Badge

Culture Connoisseurs consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on the arts, lifestyle and entertainment.

More about badges | Request a badge

Fact Checker Badge

Fact Checkers contribute questions, information and facts to The Fact Checker.

More about badges | Request a badge

Washingtologist Badge

Washingtologists consistently post thought-provoking, timely comments on events, communities, and trends in the Washington area.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Writer Badge

This commenter is a Washington Post editor, reporter or producer.

Post Forum Badge

Post Forum members consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on politics, national and international affairs.

More about badges | Request a badge

Weather Watcher Badge

Weather Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on climates and forecasts.

More about badges | Request a badge

World Watcher Badge

World Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on international affairs.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Contributor Badge

This commenter is a Washington Post contributor. Post contributors aren’t staff, but may write articles or columns. In some cases, contributors are sources or experts quoted in a story.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Recommended

Washington Post reporters or editors recommend this comment or reader post.

You must be logged in to report a comment.

Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.

All comments are posted in the All Comments tab.

More about badges

Get a badge

To pause and restart automatic updates, click "Live" or "Paused". If paused, you'll be notified of the number of additional comments that have come in.