The immediate postwar period was one of major change in UK industry and society. The restructuring of the coal industry involved large-scale population movement from declining areas to more productive areas including Cannock Chase. New housing estates were constructed to house these migrants. In this paper we review aspects of the location and design of these estates, and discuss a long-term study of the experiences of miners and their families in a new physical and cultural context. The long distance of their move led to cultural isolation, which was reinforced by the location and design of the estates. The lack of estate facilities persisted for years after their construction. Several of the estates are now problem estates requiring massive investment. But the cohesion of the mining community distinguishes these estates from other studies of migration to new suburban estates.
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