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
St Pancras 1897
Annual report from the chairman of the health committee on the business of the department
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68
It is provided in the Model Bye-laws of the Local Government Board with
respect to houses let in lodgings to members of more than one family, that the
landlord or owner of any such lodging-house shall provide and maintain in connection
with such house, water-closet, earth-closet, or privy, accommodation in the
proportion of not less than one water-closet, earth-closet, or privy, for every twelve
persons, and the same provision is made in the Bye-laws of the London County
Council, with reference to water-closets, earth-closets, and privies. In this case
the standard of one w.c. for every twelve persons applies to dwelling-houses, places
where persons may or may not work, but where they certainly live and sleep.
In the Code of Regulations for Day Schools of the Education Department, the following are the standards adopted :—
| Number of W.C.'s required. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Children. | For Girls. | For Boys. | For Infants. |
| Under 30 Children. | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| „ 50 „ | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| „ 70 „ | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| „ 100 „ | 5 | 3 | 4 |
| „ 150 „ | 6 | 3 | 5 |
| „ 200 „ | 7 | 4 | 6 |
| „ 300 „ | 8 | 5 | 7 |
| Urinals in proportion. | |||
These figures work out proportionately as follows:—
| Number. | Girls. | Boys. | Infants. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 30=1 w.c. for every | 15 | 30 | 15 |
| „ 50=„ | 25 | 16⅔ | |
| „ 70=„ | 17¾ | 35 | 23¼ |
| „ 100= „ | 20 | 33 | 25 |
| „ 150=„ | 25 | 50 | 30 |
| 284/7 | 50 | 332/6 | |
| „ 300 = „ | 374/8 | 60 | 426/7 |
| Urinals in proportion | |||
These standards are unnecessarily numerous and complicated. It is quite possible
to frame a more general and simple standard that should not be too low sanitarily,
nor too high pecuniarily. It will be observed that if the number of scholars
increases from 200 to 300, there is only one extra w.c. required for the additional
100 children.
For years past in St. Pancras one water-closet for every twenty persons in workshops
and factories has been regarded by the Officers of the Sanitary Authority as
the standard provision, and in many other districts of the metropolis the same
standard appears to have been adopted.