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
City of London 1919
Report of the Medical Officer of Health of the City of London for the year 1919
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66
REGISTERED LODGING-HOUSES.
Public Health (London) Act, 1891, Sec. 94.
The Corporation, as the Sanitary Authority in the City, are required, under the
provisions of Sec. 94 of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, to make and enforce
Bye-laws applying to houses let in lodgings or occupied by members of more than
one family for the following purposes:—
For regulating the number of persons and separation of the sexes.
For the registration and inspection of such houses.
For enforcing drainage, and promoting cleanliness and ventilation.
For the cleansing and limewashing of the premises at stated times.
For the taking of precautions in any case of infectious disease.
The Bye-laws now in force in the City for this class of property were made by
the Court of Common Council on 24th November, 1904, and confirmed by the
Local Government Board on the 20th January, 1905.
Unfurnished lodgings, when the rent is not less than 10s. a week, and furnished
lodgings when the rent is not less than 12s. 6d. a week, are exempt from the operations
of the Bye-laws.
Particulars relating to the registered Lodging-houses in the City now on the
Register are given in the accompanying table, together with the corresponding
figures for 1900 :—
REGISTERED LODGING-HOUSES.
| District. | No. of Houses on Register. | No. of Lodgers. | No. of Tenements. | Average No. of Persons per Tenement | Cleansing Notices Served. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1919 | 1900 | 1919 | 1900 | 1919 | 1900 | 1919 | 1900 | 1919 | 1900 | |
| West | 91 | 183 | 389 | 1,502 | 194 | 656 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 102 | 239 |
| Middle | 4 | 55 | 29 | 363 | 17 | 130 | 1.7 | 2.8 | 4 | 66 |
| East | 66 | 158 | 378 | 1,186 | 161 | 488 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 87 | 176 |
| Total | 161 | 396 | 796 | 3,051 | 372 | 1,274 | 2.1 | 2.6 | 193 | 481 |
These houses are periodically inspected, and in April of each year the owners
are called upon to carry out a thorough cleansing of them, in accordance with the
provisions of the Bye-laws. This necessitated the service of 193 Notices during 1919.
In addition to the foregoing, there are eleven Blocks of Dwellings let out in
tenements, but not placed on the Register for the reason that each holding is
"self-contained," it having been decided in a Court of Law that in these circumstances
they are not subject to the Bye-laws for houses let in lodgings, or occupied
by members of more than one family:—
Name and situation of Artizans' Block Dwellings.
No. of Tenements.
One
Room.
Two
Rooms.
Three
Rooms.
Four
Rooms.
Five
Rooms
or more.
No. of
Inhabitants.
WEST DISTRICT.
Albion Buildings, No. 21, Bartholomew Close 10 22
Albion Buildings, No. 22, Bartholomew Close 10 24
Bartholomew House, Bartholomew Close 16 2 36
Dean Street Blocks, Fetter Lane—
Block A 3 4 1 28
„ B 2 5 24
„ C 6 3 30
„ D 2 5 30
„ E 2 5 24
„ F 4 1 18
St. Ann's Chambers, Ludgate Hill 9 10 31
Bloomfield House, Snow Hill 22 1 1 42
Total 40 80 3 1 309
MIDDLE DISTRICT.
Bridgewater House, Fann Street 12 11
City Buildings, Moor Lane 20 12 80
Total 32 12 91