London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Bermondsey 1902

Report on the sanitary condition of the Borough of Bermondsey for the year 1902

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Deficiency
Occupants of overcrowded
portion of house.
Rooms occupied and
cubic ft. space.
Address.
Space required.
State of Premises and Family.
cub. ft.
95
Husband, a waterside labourer, and works very irregularly.
He earns 2/6 to 3/- per day. Does not get £1 a week. Does
not drink. Place fairly clean, bedclothes dirty.
Woods Place
Man, wife and 1 child,
aged 3 months
Living and sleeping,
1000 cubic ft.
Front room, 1st floor,
905 cubic ft.
Woods Place
Man and wife
Living and sleeping,
800 cubic ft.
Back room, 1st floor,
574 cubic ft.
226
Husband a waterside labourer, wages and work irregular. He
is steady, but does not earn £1 a week. Earns from 2/- to
4/- per day, according to work. States that work has been
very bad for the last three months. Very poor, and very few
bedclothes. Place fairly clean.
Salisbury Street
Man, wife and 2 children,
aged 16 F, and 14 M.
Living and sleeping,
1600 cubic ft.
Back room, 1st floor,
1228 cubic ft.
372
Husband a carman. Rom fairly clean, but bed dirty. Owes 9/-.
Sleeping,
750 cubic ft.
Back ante-room,
455 cubic ft.
Husband ill. Earns 30/-and gives wife 24/- per week. Rent 6/6.
Place clean.
Bracton Road
3 children, 14, 10½,
and 8 years
295
Woods Place
4 children, 10 F, 9 F,
5 F, and 8 M.
Living and sleeping,
800 cubic ft.
Back room, 1st floor, 535 cubic ft.
265
A labourer at leather merchants. Earns about £1 a week.
Place fairly clean.
Husband, a stevedore, who lives apart from his wife, pays the
rent of the room. The mother earns something by selling
old clothes.The two girls earn 12/- each per week at a jam
factory. This is a bad case of overcrowding.
Marine Street
Mother and 3 children,
21 F, 18 F, 5 M.
Living and sleeping,
1400 cubic ft.
Back room, grd. floor,
648 cubic ft.
752
5 girls aged 15, 14,
12, 10 and 8, and
1 boy, aged 5
Gilhams Court
Sleeping,
1350 cubic ft.
Attic room,
544 cubic ft.
806
Husband, a dock labourer, who, when in full work can earn 4/-
a day, but owing to bronchitis, he can very rarely do a
whole week's work. One daughter contributes 6/- per week.
A lodger pays 3/- per week for one room. The rent of house
is 8/- per week. The people are clean and tidy, but very poor.
Gilhams Court
Man, wife and 2 children,
aged 14 F., 9 M.
Sleeping,
1050 cubic ft.
Attic,
558 cubic ft.
492
Husband a dock labourer, steady, making a precarious living, the
amount earned in the previous week being 7/6. Wife works at
a pickle manufactory at 9/- per week. Rent is 9/-, and lodger
pays 5/- per week. The attic is clean, but the bedclothes are
scanty, and not very clean.
Father, a labourer at Hayes Wharf, earns 28/- per week. The
son, aged 18 years, is out of work. A fourth son, aged 23 years,
sleeps in the first floor front (he is also out of work), and
the mother in the first floor back. The attic is clean, but
the bedclothes are scanty and dirty. The house in general
is dirty and untidy.
Gilhams Court
Father and 3 sons,
ages 18, 10, and 9
years.
Sleeping,
1050 cubic ft.
Attic,
558 cubic ft.
492
Staples Rents
4 girls, aged 10, 7, 5
and 3 years, and 1
boy aged 9 years
Attic,
550 cubic ft.
Husband works at Peek, Frean & Co.'s, and earns 21/- per
week. Rent, 7/-per week. People are clean and tidy, but poor.
Sleeping,
900 cubic ft.
350
Rent, 7/- per week. People fairly clean and tidy. In this case
the overcrowding could be abated by using the attic, which
is at present unoccupied. The mother objects to using it as
she states it is not healthy for the children. It would not
be so unhealthy as sleeping in the way they are at present.
Staples Rents
Man, wife and 5 children,
ages 11 M., 9 F.,
6 F., 4 F., 1½ F.
Sleeping,
1500 cubic ft.
Room, 1st floor,
1218 cubic ft.
282
Turners Retreat
3 girls, aged 14, 10 and
8 years, and 2 boys,
14 and 9 years
Sleeping,
1200 cubic ft.
Room, 1st floor,
770 cubic ft.
430
The people are very poor, but the house and contents are fairly
clean for the neighbourhood.

Overcrowding. My attention was drawn to the following cases visited in 1902:—

Address.Occupants of overcrowded portion of house.Space required.Rooms occupied and cubic ft. space.DeficiencyState of Premises and Family.Result.
Woods PlaceMan, wife and 1 child, aged 3 monthsLiving and sleeping, 1000 cubic ft.Front room, 1st floor, 905 cubic ft.cub. ft. 95Husband, a waterside labourer, and works very irregularly. He earns 2/6 to 3/- per day. Does not get £1 a week. Does not drink. Place fairly clean, bedclothes dirty.Abated.
Woods PlaceMan and wifeLiving and sleeping, 800 cubic ft.Back room, 1st floor, 574 cubic ft.226Husband a waterside labourer, wages and work irregular. He is steady, but does not earn £1 a week. Earns from 2/- to 4/- per day, according to work. States that work has been very bad for the last three months. Very poor, and very few bedclothes. Place fairly clean.
Salisbury StreetMan, wife and 2 children, aged 16 F, and 14 M.Living and sleeping, 1600 cubic ft.Back room, 1st floor, 1228 cubic ft.372Husband a carman. Rom fairly clean, but bed dirty. Owes 9/-.
Bracton Road3 children, 14, 10½, and 8 yearsSleeping, 750 cubic ft.Back ante-room, 455 cubic ft.295Husband ill. Earns 30/-and gives wife 24/- per week. Rent 6/6. Place clean.
Woods Place4 children, 10 F, 9 F, 5 F, and 8 M.Living and sleeping, 800 cubic ft.Back room, 1st floor, 535 cubic ft.265A labourer at leather merchants. Earns about £1 a week. Place fairly clean.
Marine StreetMother and 3 children, 21 F, 18 F, 5 M.Living and sleeping, 1400 cubic ft.Back room, grd. floor, 648 cubic ft.752Husband, a stevedore, who lives apart from his wife, pays the rent of the room. The mother earns something by selling old clothes.The two girls earn 12/- each per week at a jam factory. This is a bad case of overcrowding.
Gilhams Court5 girls aged 15, 14, 12, 10 and 8, and 1 boy, aged 5Sleeping, 1350 cubic ft.Attic room, 544 cubic ft.806Husband, a dock labourer, who, when in full work can earn 4/- a day, but owing to bronchitis, he can very rarely do a whole week's work. One daughter contributes 6/- per week. A lodger pays 3/- per week for one room. The rent of house is 8/- per week. The people are clean and tidy, but very poor.
Gilhams CourtMan, wife and 2 children, aged 14 F., 9 M.Sleeping, 1050 cubic ft.Attic, 558 cubic ft.492Husband a dock labourer, steady, making a precarious living, the amount earned in the previous week being 7/6. Wife works at a pickle manufactory at 9/- per week. Rent is 9/-, and lodger pays 5/- per week. The attic is clean, but the bedclothes are scanty, and not very clean.
Gilhams CourtFather and 3 sons, ages 18, 10, and 9 years.Sleeping, 1050 cubic ft.Attic, 558 cubic ft.492Father, a labourer at Hayes Wharf, earns 28/- per week. The son, aged 18 years, is out of work. A fourth son, aged 23 years, sleeps in the first floor front (he is also out of work), and the mother in the first floor back. The attic is clean, but the bedclothes are scanty and dirty. The house in general is dirty and untidy.
Staples Rents4 girls, aged 10, 7, 5 and 3 years, and 1 boy aged 9 yearsSleeping, 900 cubic ft.Attic, 550 cubic ft.350Husband works at Peek, Frean & Co.'s, and earns 21/- per week. Rent, 7/-per week. People are clean and tidy, but poor.
Staples RentsMan, wife and 5 children, ages 11 M., 9 F., 6 F., 4 F., 1½ F.Sleeping, 1500 cubic ft.Room, 1st floor, 1218 cubic ft.282Rent, 7/- per week. People fairly clean and tidy. In this case the overcrowding could be abated by using the attic, which is at present unoccupied. The mother objects to using it as she states it is not healthy for the children. It would not be so unhealthy as sleeping in the way they are at present.
Turners Retreat3 girls, aged 14, 10 and 8 years, and 2 boys, 14 and 9 yearsSleeping, 1200 cubic ft.Room, 1st floor, 770 cubic ft.430The people are very poor, but the house and contents are fairly clean for the neighbourhood.