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 Giles (Camden) 1876

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Giles District]

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57
Artisans and Labourers' Dwellings Act, 1875.

Table: The area contains about 5½ acres, and 227 houses stand upon it, inhabited by 3,897 persons, as detailed below :

The area contains about 5½ acres, and 227 houses stand upon it, inhabited by 3,897 persons, as detailed below :

Locality.No. of Houses.No. of Inhabitants.
1.—Great Queen Street (Nos. 47 to 58)12105
2.—Drury Lane (Nos. 124 to 154)31425
3.—Princes Street (Nos. 15 to 28)14315
4.—Duke Street (Nos. 18 to 44)13165
5.—King's Head Yard211
6.—Chapel Place668
7.—Great Wild Street58926
8.—Princes Court39
9.—Brewers' Court1140
10.—Wild Passage464
11.—Pitt's Place7195
12.—Orange Court885
13.—Lincoln Court21432
14.—Wild Court14346
15.—Little Wild Street27568
16.—New Yard643
Total2273,897

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Many of the courts and passages in the above list are approached by
a narrow passage under a house at either end, which renders ventilation
very defective. Some of the houses are built close together, and
have dark passages and staircases, others have no back yards and their
sanitary arrangements are placed in the basement, health under such
circumstances is impossible.
This part of South St. Giles has long been noted for its heavy sick
and death-rates, especially from diseases of the respiratory and pulmonary
organs, and from typhus fever and other zymotic disorders, in
their most contagious forms.
After receiving my representation, and in addition a supplementary
report asked for by the Metropolitan Board of Works, that Board
twice inspected the area, and subsequently their Works and General
Purposes Committee, included a portion of the representation in a
scheme under this Act in the following report :
"Great Wild Street Scheme (St. Giles).—This scheme relates
" to a block of courts and alleys between Great Wild Street, Drury