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
Kensington 1901
Annual report on the health, sanitary condition, etc., etc., of the Royal Borough of Kensington for the year 1901
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Number and Population of Tenements of less than Five Rooms.
| Tenements of— | Number. | Population. |
|---|---|---|
| One Room | 5,695 | 11,334 |
| Two Rooms | 7,776 | 27,800 |
| Three „ | 4,757 | 20,210 |
| Four „ | 2,887 | 14,081 |
It thus appears that 6.41 per cent, of parishioners lived in one-room tenements, compared
with 8 2 in 1891; 15.73 per cent. (15.6 in 1891) in two-room tenements; 10.81 per cent. (10.9 in
1891) in three-room tenements; and 7.97 percent. (7.8 in 1891) in four-room tenements.
Number of Persons per Tenement.
| Number of Tenements. | Persons per Tenement. | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | ||
| Of one room | 5,695 | 2,346 | 1,925 | 811 | 416 | 146 | 39 | 7 | 2 | _ | _ | _ | _ |
| Of two rooms | 7,776 | 792 | 1,788 | 1,643 | 1,345 | 999 | 656 | 335 | 143 | 52 | 18 | 5 | — |
| Of three rooms | 4,757 | 280 | 844 | 893 | 818 | 641 | 514 | 370 | 221 | 123 | 36 | 6 | 8 |
| Of four rooms | 2,887 | 73 | 338 | 471 | 518 | 460 | 359 | 286 | 179 | 110 | 61 | 25 | 7 |
The number of tenements overcrowded, technically, i.e., according to the RegistrarGeneral's
standard), where there were more than two persons to a room, irrespective of the age of
the occupants, is shown to the right of the black zig-zag line in the above table ; they were
4,599 in number, viz., of one-room tenements, 1,424 ; of two-room tenements, 2,208 ; of threeroom
tenements, 764, and of four-room tenements, 203. On this subject reference may be conveniently
made for further information to the Report on the Housing of the Working Classes,
Appendix III., page 125.
Condition of the Population as to Marriage.—The unmarried were 110,882 (males
40,488, females 70,394): the married, 53,626 (males 26,153, females 27,473): the widowed were
12,120 (males 2,443, females 9,677).
Occupations of the People.—Domestic in-door servants constituted the most numerous
section of the population, 30,670 in number: males 1,939, females 28,731. The proportion
per cent, of domestic in-door servants to families or separate occupiers (38,349) was 80'0—males
5.1, females 74.9. This proportion was exceeded in one borough only; Hampstead, 81'4—males
1.6, females 79.8. Clergymen, Priests, and Ministers aggregated 253; barristers and solicitors,
1,097; physicians, surgeons and general practitioners of medicine, 362. In teaching, 1,970
persons (males 243, females 1,727) found occupation; in connection with " dress " 5,929; males
1,761, females 4,168. To come to the lowest ranks, 2,099 general labourers were enumerated,
and 668 " costermongers, hawkers and street-sellers,'' of whom 173 were females.
Foreigners numbered 4,669—males 2,146, females, 2,523.
The Afflicted Class was represented by 138 persons who were blind, 62 who were deaf
and dumb, 134 who were deaf only, 9 who were lunatic, and 98 who were imbecile or feebleminded:
in 4 cases there were "combined infirmities; " the whole sad list comprising 445
persons.
The subjoined table exhibits the growth of population during the nineteenth century:—
| The Year. | Population. |
|---|---|
| 1801 | 8,556 |
| 1811 | 10,886 |
| 1821 | 14,428 |
| 1831 | 20,902 |
| 1841 | 26,834 |
| 1851 | 44.053 |
| 1861 | 70,108 |
| 1871 | 120,299 |
| 1881 | 163,151 |
| 1891 | 170,071 |
| 1901 | 176,628 |