How Enfield's streets were built
A village of quarter-acre blocks
George Hickox set up Enfield in 1843 as 44 quarter-acre blocks. Pine Forest on Gurney Terrace, built in the 1850s, and Barton Vale on Walker Court are both on the state heritage register.
Clearview's 1950s houses
Neighbouring Clearview, partly once called Enfield Heights, was largely built in the 1950s, many of its homes in the economical postwar austerity style.
Imported prefabs
Between 1950 and 1954 the Housing Trust imported 3,832 prefabricated timber houses from Britain and Germany, and the first ones were let at Clearview. Brick and iron were short, so timber and fibro were used widely.
Young, and renting
In 2021 the median age was 34. 77.0% of occupied homes were separate houses, 40.1% were rented and 33.7% mortgaged.
Common electrical jobs in Enfield
Renovating a 1950s house. Renovations here usually start with the kitchen and bathroom. That's the time to replace an old board, add circuits and get the original wiring tested. Switchboard upgrades in Adelaide and old wiring cover both.
Keeping rentals safe. For landlords, safety switches on every circuit are the baseline. If a tenant reports a shock or tingle, SA Power Networks wants a call on 13 13 66 straight away, and any wiring fault it finds is the landlord's to have repaired.
Postwar materials. Fibro (asbestos cement) was common in this era. Mention it to your electrician if your house has fibro walls or eaves, so they can plan the cable routes.
Signs an older Enfield house needs an electrician soon
- A fuse box with ceramic fuses, or no safety switch at all
- Power points that feel warm or have scorch marks
- Lights that flicker when the fridge or washing machine starts
- Two-pin power points or old round switches still in use
- Extension leads run permanently from room to room
What we'd do in a postwar Enfield house
If we'd just bought one, we'd book a test of the whole installation before the renovation is designed. It heads off the nasty surprises, and it tells the builder and the electrician what they're working with from the start.
Want a specialist to sort it?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match the licence-checked local electrician who does this kind of work, and they call you. No ring-around, and your number goes to them alone.