By 1978 Ann's husband Hugh, who ran a family building business in Walthamstow, had created a range of money box houses based on houses and pubs in Shepherdess Walk, a street in Hoxton, London. They were constructed out of hardboard and wood and produced by a local business that created professional instrument boxes (for doctors, surveyors etc) out of wood. The roofs were covered in hessian, a ridged fabric that provided a 'tiled' look.