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
Chelsea 1925
Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health for Chelsea, 1925
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37
The process of development has been largely in the hands of Estate
Companies, who have purchased the reversionary interests of the ground
landlords, and proceeded to carry out the demolitions and reconstructions,
as soon as the property came into their possession. Until subsequent
to the War, no restriction operated, nor did any liability attach to
Estate Companies, conducting operations of this nature, to make any
provision for rehousing the working classes displaced.
In this way, during the past 30 years, some 18,000 Chelsea inhabitants,
chiefly of the working and small trader class, have been displaced and
compelled to migrate into surrounding districts.
Despite the difficulties of the problem, in Chelsea a considerable amount
of accommodation had been provided for the working classes during the
years preceding the outbreak of War. This had been effected by
municipal undertakings, by private enterprise and by the operation of
benevolent agencies and trusts.
Municipal undertakings for the housing of the working classes carried out by the Borough Council prior to 1914 were as follows
| Population | |
|---|---|
| Sir Thomas More Buildings, Beaufort Street | 770 |
| Pond House, Pond Place | 130 |
| Onslow Dwellings, Pond Place | 380 |
| Grove Buildings, Manor Street | 300 |
| 1,580 |
Private enterprise, benevolent agencies and trusts had also made very important contributions to housing in Chelsea prior to 1914. These were as follows:—
| Population | |
|---|---|
| Sutton Model Dwellings, Cale Street | 2,200 |
| Lewis Trust Dwellings, Pond Place | 1,390 |
| Marlborough Buildings, Walton Street | 500 |
| Guinness Buildings, Draycott Avenue | 940 |
| Peabody Buildings, Lawrence Street | 200 |
| Chelsea Park Dwellings, King's Road | 170 |
| 5,400 |
It will be seen that in Chelsea at the outbreak of war there was available
accommodation for 6,980 persons of the wage-earning class—an amount
which, in proportion to population, was considerably higher than that
obtaining in any other metropolitan borough.
Since the war, the economic situation and other factors, particularly
the shortage of and greatly increased cost of building land in Chelsea
have rendered an already difficult situation still more difficult. No new
dwellings have been erected by private enterprise, benevolent agencies
or trusts. Various schemes for making further provision for the housing
of the working classes have been prepared by the Borough Council and