SMALL HOUSE MAN
One man’s defiant solution to the housing crisis became bigissue.com’s most-read story ever
In May, when The Big Issue heard about the mysterious appearance of a makeshift house on an East London pavement, we knew we had to investigate. Made of wood and just big enough for someone to sleep in, the house had a locking door, fairy lights, a fence and a sloped roof. There was even a mascot in the shape of a toy parrot. But where had it come from?
We visited, but no one was in. That evening, however, we received a call from a man named Lukas, who said he was a former London Underground worker but more importantly was the architect, builder and resident of Number 1 Bethnal Green Road.
He…
