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The workshops are fairly evenly distributed over the
borough, but the trades vary according to the locality. Most
of the laundries are in North-West Battersea, while the dressmakers'
workshops are chiefly situated in the Bolingbroke and
Broomwood Wards, where they are to be found in localities
where their presence is little suspected. The occupiers of the
latter class of workshops are often anxious to conceal the fact
that work is done on the premises in order to escape the
attentions of the Home Office and Borough Council Inspectors,
and some ingenuity has to be exercised by the Inspectors to
bring these workshops to light.
Very few workshops have been specially constructed for
use as workshops; in nearly all cases the work is done in
premises more or less imperfectly adapted for it.
Dressmaking and tailoring are carried on in ordinary
dwelling houses and usually the number of persons employed
is small. Laundries are generally dwelling houses more or
less badly adapted for laundry work. The yard is often
covered in, thus adding to the difficulties of ventilation.
Cleanliness.
In certain trades, chiefly in laundries, and in tailors,
bootmakers, and cycle makers' workshops, it was found a
matter of some difficulty to maintain a reasonable standard
of cleanliness. 173 workrooms were in a dirty condition at
the time of inspection.
Air Space
Twelve workrooms, nearly all of which were in dressmakers'
workshops, were found to be overcrowded. In this
trade overcrowding is particularly likely to occur, as the work
varies in amount according to season. In busy times there is a
temptation to crowd in as many workers as possible, and very
undesirable rooms are sometimes pressed into service as workrooms.
Bath-rooms and even water closets have been found
to be used in this way. The standard of air space adopted is,