Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Report for the year 1904 of the Medical Officer of Health
This page requires JavaScript
24
BY-LAWS AS TO HOUSES LET IN LODGINGS.
At the end of the year, 767 houses were registered under these by.laws. Of these 410 are in
St. Giles and Bloomsbury, and 357 are in the Holborn Division.
During the year 28 houses let in lodgings, all in the Holborn Division, have been added to the
register. During 1903, as many as 296 houses all in the Holborn Division were added to the register.
Other houses formerly on the register have been closed for demolition during the year, and some are now
occupied by members of only one family.
During the year there were 1,228 inspections of these premises, excluding a very large number
of frequent periodical inspections and re.inspections. Notices were served for 67 cases of overcrowding
and for 117 other broaches of the by.laws, exclusive of more than 600 formal notices that were served
for annual cleansing as required by the by.laws.
The number of prosecutions was 26, 11 of which were for overcrowding and the remaining 15
for other breaches.
OVERCROWDING.
The number of dwelling rooms found to be overcrowded during the year, was 123, 67 of which
were dealt with as breaches of the by.laws as to houses let in lodgings. A midnight inspection was
made of Leather Lane Buildings in the early morning of the 23rd November, and 22 rooms were
found to be overcrowded. During a day inspection of these buildings on the 7th November, 11 of the
rooms were found to be overcrowded. Summonses were therefore taken out for these 11 rooms. The
owner at once took steps for the abatement of the overcrowding, and the summonses were withdrawn on
the payment of costs. A midnight inspection was also made in the early morning of the 3rd December,
of the houses in Red Lion Passage in which overcrowding was considered most probable. Overcrowding
had been found on several occasions during the year and had been abated. At the night inspection,
overcrowding was only found in one room of each of two houses, and was abated soon after service of
the notices.
COMMON LODGING HOUSES ACTS 1851 AND 1853.
The Secretary of State by a Provisional Order which came into operation on the 1st November,
1894, transferred to the London County Council the powers of the Commissioner of Metropolitan
Police in respect of common lodging.houses.
The following is a list of the Common Lodging.houses registered in this Borough at the end of the year 1904:—
| Of these 25 are in Bloomsbury and St. Giles for | 1,402 lodgers. |
| ,, 14 „ Holborn District for | 966 „ |
| Total 47 in the Borough for | 2,368 „ |
Bloomsbury and St. Giles.
| Situation of Common Lodging House. | Authorised No. of Lodgers. | Sex of Lodgers. | Situation of Common Lodging House. | Authorised No. of Lodgers. | Sex of Lodgers. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6, Betterton Street | 83 | M | 14, Lumber Court | 68 | M |
| 16, Castle Street | 31 | M | 1-7, Macklin Street | 96 | M |
| 25, Drury Lane | 34 | W | 19, do. | 40 | W |
| 9, Dyott Street | 28 | M | 21, do. | 26 | W |
| 25, Great Queen Street | 26 | M | 8, Parker Street | 26 | W |
| 36, Parker Street | 83 | M | 10, do. | 46 | W |
| 2, Kennedy Court | 8 | M | Parker Street Municipal | 345 | M |
| 3, do. | 10 | M | 20 & 21, Queen Street | 113 | M |
| 4, do. | 19 | M | 22-25, do. | 159 | M |
| 5, do. | 8 | W | 3, Neal's Yard | 39 | M |
| 6, do. | 8 | W | 6, Wild Court | 28 | M |
| 7, do. | 9 | w | 7, do. | 35 | M |
| 8, do. | 34 | w |
A total of 25 Common Lodging.houses registered for 1,402 lodgers.