View report page

The Census of 1931 showed that the population of the Borough
had fallen from 267,198 at the enumeration of the previous
Census in 1921 to 251,294, but the number of families had increased
from 66,101 to 68,435. The number of dwellings occupied
was 42,114 as compared with 41,419 at the Census enumeration
in 1921. The number of rooms occupied as shown by the
1931 Census was 253,360 or 0.96 persons per room as compared
with 259,591 occupying 248,529 rooms or 1.04 persons per room
shown by the previous Census. The following table provides
evidence of the improvement in the housing conditions of Camberwell
at that time.
Camberwell. London.
1931 1921 1931 1921
No. of private families with density
of more than, two persons per room 4,029 5,149 89,600 110,495
Percentage to total private families 5-9 7-8 7-5 9-9
Population in such families 25,331 33,321 541,352 683,498
Percentage to total private family
population 10.4 12.8 131 16.1
Prior to the operation of the Housing Act, 1935, which is
consolidated in the Housing Act of 1936, it was customary to
determine the existence of overcrowding by applying the standard
required by the London County Council's bye-laws relating to
houses divided into separate tenements. The action taken to
abate overcrowding was as follows: —
1. Advice by the Sanitary Inspector as to re-arrangement of
the sleeping accommodation of the families found to he
overcrowded, so as to prevent the improper mixing of the
sexes.
2. Recommendation to the London County Council for the
provision of accommodation on one of that Authority's
Housing Estates, where the financial circumstances of the
families permitted.
The Housing Act, 1935, provided the first general standard
for determining whether or not a dwelling house was overcrowded,
by fixing the maximum equivalent number of persons permitted
to occupy a dwelling based on the number and floor areas of the
rooms contained therein. The Act also placed on every local
authority the duty of causing a survey of their district to be made
with a view to ascertaining what dwelling houses therein were
overcrowded. This survey which was completed early in 1936,
involved visiting 38,490 structurally separate buildings. Of the
60,043 families occupying these premises, 2,950, or 4.91 per cent.,
were found to be overcrowded.
Until the outbreak of war in 1939, a considerable amount of
accommodation was provided by the London County Council for
the abatement of overcrowding. During the war, 5,705 Camberwell
dwellings were destroyed and approximately 8,000