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138
The following are the works which were carried out:—
Ventilation of rooms improved; ventilation under floors
of ground floor rooms improved; new floors to ground
floor rooms; roofs repaired; roofs of w.c.'s renewed; new
dust-bins provided; yard repaved; sash cords to windows
renewed; rooms papered and ceilings whitened.
The Public Health Committee inspected these properties on
April 28th, and approving the action which had been taken,
resolved that no further steps were necessary at present in respect
to the matter. The property has since changed ownership.
Area C was Providence Place, a blind court on the east side of
Baker's Row, Farringdon Road. It consisted of ten houses, five
on each side. In the front of each house was a small fore-court,
railed in. A high wall existed at the end of the court opposite
to the entrance. The houses contained two rooms, one above the
other. There were no back windows and no through ventilation
to any of the houses. At the back of each house stood business
premises. The water-cistern was at the end of the court, opposite
the entrance, and at its side stood two metal dust boxes. These
were for the common use of all the houses in the court. In the forecourts,
which were unpaved, there were small subterranean cellars
with approaching stone steps. In these places were situated the
sanitary conveniences for each house. The only means of light
and ventilation was derived from the staircases which lead down to
them. There were 52 persons resident in Providence Place.
The structural conditions of the houses in this Place were of
such a nature as to make palliative alterations of no avail. The
only improvement that could be made was closure and
demolition.
I approached the owners and laid before them all the facts,
stating that unless they would take action themselves it would be
necessary for me to do so, and that with promptitude and