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256
Secondly, owing to the decline in inhabited houses being more
rapid than the decrease in population, the density of persons per
house increases. Tenements and model-dwellings abound in
Finsbury. Seventy-seven per cent, of the whole population of the
Borough live in tenements of less than five rooms; 14.3 per cent,
of the entire population live in homes of one room, and 31.2 per
cent, of the population live in homes of two rooms. That is to
say, that 45 per cent, of the people of Finsbury live in homes of
two rooms or less, and the Borough is characterised more than any
other district in London by tenement, dwellings of less than five
rooms each. Further, there are 202 blocks of "model dwellings"
containing 4,000 tenements and accommodating 16,970 persons (see
pp. 142-158.) These figures taken as a whole indicate conditions of
overcrowding. Broadly it may be said that nearly all homes of one
room and most homes of two rooms are overcrowded in the sense that
the accommodation is not sufficient to allow of a healthy life, either
of family or of individual. Further, many homes of more than two
rooms are overcrowded, and, therefore, in a general way, probably
not less than 40 per cent, of the entire population of Finsbury is
living under what are overcrowded conditions. Besides that
general fact, we have evidence that in certain parts of the district
there is a much higher degree of overcrowding than 40 per cent.,
even when judged by a much lower standard, namely, that of the
Bye-laws for Registered Houses (see pp. 142-157).
Thirdly. Whilst a fair standard of sanitation is maintained in
most of the dwelling-house property, there is a considerable
measure of what may be called "domestic insanitation." That is
to say, that though few houses in Finsbury are so conditioned,
either in themselves or in relation to other houses, as to be so
insanitary as to call for action under the Housing of the Working
Classes Acts, there are a very large number of houses which do
not provide satisfactory accommodation for a healthy life. There
has been a steady and wide-spread degeneration in dwelling-house
property. Many of the houses were built as residences for persons
of one family. The private house has now, however, become a
tenement house, and yet has not been adapted for such. The