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
Deptford 1913
Annual report on the health of the Metropolitan Borough of Deptford
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14
at the top of which ridge we find Telegraph Hill, and extending in
South-East direction we have Hilly Fields. From this ridge we get a
wide sweep down into the Thames valley, until in the North and East
we get very low-lying land.
In the Southern district the soil is practically all clay, but the
gradual slope forms an ideal drainage area.
In the South-West we find gravel to the north of New Cross,
and clay to the South of it. In the South and South-East we have
all clay- So much clay has a serious effect on the houses and drains
after a very dry or very wet season, in which the clay shrinks or
expands, the foundations being seriously interfered with. There is also
an interference with the foundations owing to the sliding movement
which takes place on a big slope.
Sewage System. The sewers passing through Deptford are:—
| Branch. | Size of Barrel. | Coming from | Length. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bermondsey Branch | 5-ft. 6-in. | Rotherhithe | 7290-ft. |
| Southern High Level Sewer | 10-ft. 6-in. | Wandsworth | 6480-ft. |
| Southern Low Level Sewer | 7-ft. 3-in. | Putney | 7260-ft. |
| Effra Branch | 8-ft. 3-in. | Norwood | 6270-ft. |
| Storm Relief (in Church Street) | 13-ft. 6-in. by 11-ft. | — | 2970-ft. |
| Storm Relief (St. George's Stairs) | 13-ft. 6-in. by 11-ft. | — | 1980-ft. |
| Relief Sewer at Broadway | l0-ft. | Greenwich | 3080-ft. |
| Deptford to Lee Green Sewer | 6-ft. | Lee | 1320-ft. |
| Ravensbourne and Sydenham Sewer | 6-ft. by 4-ft. | Bell Green | 1330-ft. |
| New Southern High Level Sewer | 8-ft. 3-in. | Brockley | 7920-ft. |