Community House was set up at 213 North Gower Street in the summer of 1974 by John and Vera Wood. It was a beautiful Georgian town house but in terrible condition, as photographed by Ches Chesney in May shortly before they moved in. John and Vera renovated it themselves and called it ‘Community House’. In one room they built a workshop which any local resident was free to use, and in another room they built a grain store and ran a wholefood shop selling muesli, nutbutter, honey, grains and dried fruits. In the basement they started a bakery, which produced 30 loaves of bread every day made with handground wholemeal flour, as well as small pies and cakes. They also constructed a store room for plaster, cement, sand, recycled timber, nails and other building materials for use on repairing houses. The whole enterprise was nonprofit making and everyone was encouraged to be involved so as to break down alienation between producers and consumers; almost a return to a rural peasant economy, where craftsmanship and barter replace mechanisation and money.

Giles Herdman who lived in Tolmers Square for a while remembers John saying they had arranged with a farmer (possibly in Sussex) to grow a field of wheat (presumably organic) specially for them. And remembers seeing him grinding it by hand in the basement.

David Shlezinger who used to live at 7 Tolmers Square remembers Community House being very neighbourhood oriented and easy going and how helpful and generous John and Vera were lending their carpentry and plumbing tools to other squatters. David used to be one of the main baking volunteers in Community House and continued to bake bread there for a while after John and Vera left (in 1977 he thinks).

See the Community House collection

See all 213 North Gower Street photos

See John Wood’s where are they now profile

See Vera Wood’s where are they now profile