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7
County Borough of Croydon,
REPORT
of the
MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH
For- the Year 1919.
SECTION I.
NATURAL AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS OF THE DISTRICT.
Physical Features and General Character of the District.
The town lies immediately south of London, the northern
boundary being the southern boundary of the metropolis along
that part extending from the Crystal Palace to western end of
Streatham Common. The shape of the town is that of a pear with
the stalk as the southern extremity. The acreage is 0,012.
The soil is of clay, river gravel, chalk and sand. The clay
lies chiefly in the northern and north-eastern parts of the Borough,
the gravel in the central and western, and the chalk in the southern
parts. The elevation extends from 135 feet above sea level at the
lowest point to 379 feet at the highest.
Climate.
The climate of Crovdon is mild. The meteorological returns are given
in Tables VII. and VIIa.
Social Conditions.
Croydon is very largely a residential town. A large part of the population
goes daily to work in London. The local industries are mainly those arising
out of domestic needs, e.g., shopkeeping, laundries, etc. There are several
breweries and steelworks, an extensive business is carried on by the Croydon
Gas Company which not only supplies gas to the town, but to large adjoining
areas of the county of Surrey, and there is also a noted clock and bell making
firm in the town. The recent establishment of the continental air-terminus
at Croydon will probably considerably influence the development of the neighbouring
areas. None of the works in the town, however, are of such extent
as to have a noticeable influence either on the general character of the district
or of the wellbeing of its inhabitants from the public health point of view.