John Taylor born 1911. His first job after leaving school was working for Frank Moore & Co. He worked on the slum clearances and also the building of the Ryelands Estate, first on the slum clearances: "In 1928 we demolished some of the old slums in the centre of town, round the St. Leonardgate area. There were lots of small terraced two up two down type houses and the worst of them only had one tap between four houses." In the early 1930s, John Taylor was working for Nicholson and Wright on the building of Ryelands. Here is what he recollects from this period. " One of my jobs was to show people into their new houses when they were available and show them how to work the boilers ect. A lot of the ladies had tears in their eyes. They were so pleased, they almost tried to kiss me and I was only nineteen! They said `Wait till I show my husband this house, it's lovely.` "

In the 1930s and 1940s, council house tenants were subjected to a far greater degree of social control than nowadays. A certain Miss Baines is here remembered by Audrey: " She was a good housing manager. We moved from Skerton to Ryelands and we had to have our beds stoved (fumigated). If your house wasn't clean, you'd get two weeks to clean it or you were out. She didn't knock, she just used to walk in, and give you a certain time to clean up otherwise you were evicted. Couples had to have a marriage certificate to get a house as well. She was fearless. Even though we were poor we were always clean. there was no rent arrears then - she collected them as well. (Audrey Ryelands Tenant from the 1930s, and still is)

Gwen, Ryelands Tenant in the 1930s says about Miss Baines: Your house was clean when she was around. Everybody was frightened of her. Your gardens and hedges even had to be perfect as well.

Maureen Knowles nee Bowers Ryelands Tenant 1970s: When we first got married I lived at home. with me mam and dad on Lune Street. I lived at home for six months or something and then I got that house on Ryelands. You see, when I got married I was having Tracey. And Tracey was six months old when I got the house on Ryelands - it'd be like seventies, cause I had Tracey in 1970 - and I've lived on Ryelands ever since.