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
Finsbury 1903
Report on the public health of 1903
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In respect of Italy we have obtained the original home of 1,003 Italians resident in Finsbury, and the exact locality of their residence in Finsbury, as follows:—
| Italian Origin. | Finsbury Italian Quarter. | Elsewhere in Finsbury. | Total. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piedmont and Turin | 27 | 8 | 35 |
| Lombardy and Milan | 19 | 29 | 48 |
| Parma and Piacenza | 187 | 76 | 263 |
| Genoa | 9 | 1 | 10 |
| Venice | 4 | 14 | 18 |
| Tuscany and Florence | 8 | 60 | 68 |
| Rome | 46 | 45 | 91 |
| Naples, Caserta, etc | 262 | 200 | 462 |
| Other Parts | 6 | 2 | 8 |
| Totals | 568 | 435 | 1,003 |
The Italians are gregarious. This accounts for two characteristics
of their life in Finsbury. First, they live together in groups and
colonies, unassimilated with the British population ; and secondly,
they follow each other to England and to Finsbury, joining in family
life and the same occupations.
The chief residential quarter of the people from Naples, Caserta,
and Piacenza is the Italian quarter; whilst the people from Venice
and Tuscany settle in other parts of the Borough. This is due in
part to the congestion of the Italian Colony itself, and in part to
national association and family connections. Comparatively few
Romans live in the Italian Colony, nor do the natives of Florence
settle much in this district. Yet it naturally comes about that
Italians obtain shelter within a short radius of their quarter, and
many of the streets immediately surrounding Saffron Hill are now
showing marked signs of Italian residence.