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
Bermondsey 1910
Report on the sanitary condition of the Borough of Bermondsey for the year 1910
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Man, wife, girl 5, boys 2½
years and 4 months.
Sleeping,
1,050 cubic feet.
Bedroom first floor,
852 cubic feet
198
An alteration has been made in the distribution, so that the overcrowding
is partially abated. The husband is steady, but somewhat
delicate. He does a little painting in the summer, and sells firewood
in the winter, earning 8½d. per hour at the former while at work,
and in the winter he can earn from 20s. to 255. per week, providing
he is able to procure wood. The difficulty in obtaining the latter is
due to the competition by a large charitable organisation which
deals with firewood. It seems that, having more capital at its disposal,
it is able to buy up the wood of old buildings, bidding against
small men when an auction takes place. The wife sometimes works
at a jam factory in the summer months. The rent is 6s. 6d. per
week. The house was clean, the mother and children tidy and
clean, and the light and ventilation fairly good.
Man, wife, boy 7 and girl 3
years.
Sleeping,
900 cubic feet.
First floor room,
778 cubic feet.
122
The husband is a labourer at a jam factory, earning 21s. per week, and
his wife also at times works at the factory. The rent is 5s. 6d. per
week. There has been a re-distribution here, but although the overcrowding
is somewhat less than before, I think some action should
be taken. The mother and children were tidy and clean, but the
latter seemed somewhat delicate. The walls and ceilings of the
house are very dirty, and the light and ventilation of the room used
for sleeping is very defective. The people seem respectable but
struggling, and the wife has promised that as soon as she can earn
a few shillings at the jam factory she will move to Guinness'
Buildings.
Continued from previous page...
| Address. | Occupants of overcrowded portion of house. | Cubic feet space required. | Rooms occupied and cubic space. | Deficiency. | State of Premises and Family. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Maze Court | 3 girls and 2 boys | Sleeping, 900 cubic feet. | Top floor room, 585 cubic feet. | cubic feet. 315 | The husband earns 30s. per week, and the rent is 7s. 6d. The light and ventilation were fair at the time of visit. |
| Neptune Street | Girls 11 and 8, and boys 9, 6 and 2½ years. | Sleeping, 900 cubic feet. | First floor back room, 603 cubic feet. | 297 | The husband is in regular employment in the City. The light and ventilation were bad, the room was dirty and the bedclothes were scanty and dirty at the time of visit. |
| Elim Street | Man, wife, girl 5, boys 2½ years and 4 months. | Sleeping, 1,050 cubic feet. | Bedroom first floor, 852 cubic feet | 198 | An alteration has been made in the distribution, so that the overcrowding is partially abated. The husband is steady, but somewhat delicate. He does a little painting in the summer, and sells firewood in the winter, earning 8½d. per hour at the former while at work, and in the winter he can earn from 20s. to 25s. per week, providing he is able to procure wood. The difficulty in obtaining the latter is due to the competition by a large charitable organisation which deals with firewood. It seems that, having more capital at its disposal, it is able to buy up the wood of old buildings, bidding against small men when an auction takes place. The wife sometimes works at a jam factory in the summer months. The rent is 6s. 6d. per week. The house was clean, the mother and children tidy and clean, and the light and ventilation fairly good. |
| Woods Place | Man, wife, boy 7 and girl 3 years. | Sleeping, 900 cubic feet. | First floor room, 778 cubic feet. | 122 | The husband is a labourer at a jam factory, earning 21s. per week, and his wife also at times works at the factory. The rent is 5s. 6d. per week. There has been a re-distribution here, but although the overcrowding is somewhat less than before, I think some action should be taken. The mother and children were tidy and clean, but the latter seemed somewhat delicate. The walls and ceilings of the house are very dirty, and the light and ventilation of the room used for sleeping is very defective. The people seem respectable but struggling, and the wife has promised that as soon as she can earn a few shillings at the jam factory she will move to Guinness' Buildings. |
| Turner's Retreat | Man, wife, girls 13, 11, 9, 7, and boys 4 and 1 year. | Sleeping, 1,800 cubic feet. | Bedroom, 622 cubic feet. | 1178 | The husband is a carman in casual employment, earning about 6s. or 7s. per week, and the wife earns about 6s. per week. The rent is 5s. per week. The rooms and contents were very dirty and the light and ventilation very bad at the time of visit. |