View report page

45
[1924
defective, with the result that the houses became damp. The fences dividing
the yards were maltreated by the tenants, so also was a great deal of the
plaster-work of the houses. The portion of Hope Place in this area consists
of a row of one storey houses situated in a hollow of the ground. Most of
them have two rooms, small and low, and extremely damp. The staircases
are inside the rooms, narrow and badly arranged, brickwork defective and
wet. Tiny yards, about four feet square, in some cases woodwork dilapidated.
Owing to position and proximity of gardens, it is impossible to keep the
houses dry. The general appearance of this row had led to the humorous
observation, " this might be part of the old village of Islington."
Inhabitants of the Area.
Leaving out the few tradesmen in the district, it may be said that the
population is of the lower working class. There are a few mechanics, the
males who are employed, or are employable, are generally vanmen, porters,
labourers, or costermongers. There, is however, an undue proportion of
intermittent workers. A fair number of women go out to work. There is
a general tendency to ignore dirt, and although there are some clean houses,
most of them are very dirty.
Statistics are given of the increased amount of infectious disease in the
district. That it is not more is probably due to the people spending a considerable
amount of their time out of their houses. The people cling to the
neighbourhood; if they move from one house, which is now exceptional, it
is to go to one next door or a few yards away. There are cases of families
who have lived 30 or 40 years in the district. The intellectual level is low,
and there is not much desire shown for improvement.
From the ineffective attempts that have been made to save the rapidly
disintegrating brickwork of these faulty and poorly constructed houses, lacking
damp-proof courses, dampness extending in some cases up the walls
to three or four feet, with tiny yards, poor ventilation, owing to the height
of the walls in comparison with the narrow passageways, deficient light in
the back rooms in the ground floors, bad arrangement of staircases, frequently
opening out of room, absence of cupboard accommodation and coal storage,
bad roofs and bulging walls, internal plaster work in bad condition, broken
pavement in yards, etc., all as detailed in the schedules herewith incorporated,
it is indeed obvious, considering in addition their faulty lay-out, that the
only means of providing healthier accommodation, reducing the infectious and
tubercular disease, is their demolition and an improvement scheme on the
sites, which is the expressed opinion of my representation.