Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health for the year 1923
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house-to-house inspections should be increased, and
this is only possible with our present staff of district
inspectors at the risk of the neglect of other sections
of their work. It would be a great advantage to have
one or more special housing inspectors. Certainly, if
and when the new Houses-let-in-Lodgings Bye-Laws
come into force it will undoubtedly be necessary to
appoint additional inspectors if the bye-laws are to
be efficiently administered.
Closing Orders.—No new Closing Orders were made
during the year.
Housing Accommodation.—The Fulham Borough
Council has no housing scheme. During 1920 and
1921 much time was devoted by the Housing Committee
to an attempt to secure suitable sites for possible
housing schemes, but with no result.
I think it is desirable that new members of the
Council and the public in Fulham should be made aware
that the Council only decided to abandon its attempt
at a housing scheme after very long and mature consideration.
Endeavours were made to secure land
for building purposes in several parts of the Borough,
but all attempts failed for one reason or another,
generally as a result of the excessive price asked for
the land. As a last blow, the Ministry of Health turned
down the Council's application to secure the whole or
part of the Hurlingham Polo Grounds. It should be
borne in mind that the available building land in Fulham
is now very limited, and in fact, the borough is
already fully populated for its area. Despite the
unfortunate failure of the Borough Council in this
regard, considerable increase in the available housing
accommodation in the borough has been made by
public and private enterprise. I would refer particularly
to the Lewis Trust Buildings in Walham Green
and the War Seal Mansions in Fulham Road. The
latter buildings are the result of an appeal made during
the war on behalf of crippled ex-service men. The
foundation was initiated by Sir Oswald Stoll in 1915,