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
Kensington 1885
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington]
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the number of houses. The following Table, brought up to date, exhibits the growth of the Parish since the Metropolis Local Management Act came into operation in 1856 :—
| 1856. | 1885. | Gross Increase in 29 years. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estimated number of Inhabited Houses (as per ratebooks) | 7,600 | 21,420 | 13,820 |
| Population | 57,000 | 172,000 | 115,000 |
| Rateable Value of Property | £308,000 | £1,769.563 | £1,461,563 |
The increase in all respects within the last fourteen years, the period over which my official experience extends, is not inconsiderable, as the subjoined figures will show.
| 1871. | 1885. | Increase in 14 years. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estimated number of Iu-habited Houses (as per rate books) | 15,395 | 21,420 | 6,025 |
| Population | 121,000 | 172,000 | 51,000 |
| Rateable Value | £935,720 | £1,769,563 | £833,843 |
The above figures may well be said to spsak for themselves ;
nevertheless attention may be called to the fact that in little more
than a quarter of a century the rateable value of property more
than quintupled, and that in the last fourteen years the mere
increase was more than double the total in 1856. The population
trebled, and the number of inhabited houses increased nearly
threefold, in 29 years, the mere increase in the last decade alone
attaining the dimensions of a large city. The rateable value of
the parish is exceeded by that of the cities of London, Liverpool,