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
Finsbury 1923
Annual report on the public health of Finsbury for the year 1923
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HOUSING. Number of new houses erected during the year: —
| (a) Total | nil |
| (b) As part of the Municipal Housing Scheme | nil |
| 1. Unfit dwelling houses:— | |
| Inspection (1) Total number of dwelling-houses inspected for housing defects (under Public Health or Housing Acts) | 212 |
| (2) Number of dwelling-houses which were inspected and recorded under the Housing (Inspection of District) Regulations, 1910 | 0 |
| (3) Number of dwelling-houses found to be in a state so dangerous or injurious to health as to be unfit for human habitation | 0 |
Basement Dwellings.—A special investigation was made
to determine approximately the number of basements, i.e., "underground
rooms" in Finsbury used for dwelling purposes. The
following is a numerical summary of the results of the investigation
:—
(a) Number of basements in the borough used for
dwelling purposes 2,670
(b) Number of basement dwellings in the borough
with ceilings at or below street level 642
(c) Number of basement dwellings in which the width
of area in street does not exceed 3 feet 824
(d) Number of basement dwellings in which the width
of area in street does not exceed 4 feet but does
exceed 3 feet 653
Overcrowding.—In view of the popular misconception
current as to the meaning of the term "overcrowding," the
following is of interest:—
There are three definitions of overcrowding:—
1. The definition of the Registrar-General, which regards
a house or tenement as overcrowded if, on an average, there are
more than two persons per room. Thus, if a tenement contains
Ihree. rooms and is occupied by seven persons, then the occupancy