London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Lewisham 1901
Annual report on the vital statistics and sanitary condition of the Borough of Lewisham for the year 1901
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15
ONE ROOM TENEMENTS.
As these form both living and sleeping rooms it is
necessary that a minimum of 400 cubic feet per head should
be insisted upon, also that adequate means of ventilation are
provided. The air of such rooms is usually polluted, and
where they are overcrowded the health of the occupants must
suffer.
Of the nine hundred and seventy one-roomed homes recorded:—
| 631 | contained | 1 | person. |
| 209 | „ | 2 | persons. |
| 94 | „ | 3 | „ |
| 26 | „ | 4 | „ |
| 8 | „ | 5 | „ |
| 1 | „ | 6 | „ |
| 1 | „ | 7 | „ |
We have in Lewisham a less number of persons living
in one-roomed homes than any other London borough. The
total number of persons living in one-roomed homes amounted
to 1,488, or 1.16 per cent. of the entire population. Wandsworth
comes next in order with 1.38 per cent. ; Hampstead,
2.21; while Holborn is credited with the highest percentage 14.41
(Vide Tables 3 and 4).
Of the total one-roomed tenements in the Borough of
Lewisham 65 per cent. are occupied by one person only, 21.5 per
cent. by two persons, 9.7 by three persons, 2.5 per cent. by
four persons, and 0.82 by five persons. In one case six
persons, and in another, seven persons were returned as occupiers
of a single room.
The occupation of single room tenements by one and two
persons requires no special comment. There may, however,
be overcrowding where three and generally where four or