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
Fulham 1935
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Fulham Borough]
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60
OVERCROWDING.
The Housing Act of 1935 provided for a survey of every sanitary district to determine
the extent of overcrowding. A person under 10 years of age counts as half an "equivalent
person," and a child under 1 is ignored.
The following standards are specified by the Act:— TABLE I.
| Where a house consists of | Permitted number of persons |
|---|---|
| (a) one room | 2 |
| (b) two rooms | 3 |
| (c) three rooms | 5 |
| (d) four rooms | 7½ |
| (e) five or more rooms | 10 with an additional two in respect of each room in excess of five. |
TABLE II.
| Where the floor area is | Permitted number of persons |
|---|---|
| (a) 110 sq. ft. or more | |
| (b) 90 sq. ft. or more, but less than 110 sq. ft. | |
| (c) 70 sq. ft. or more, but less than 90 sq. ft. | 1 |
| (d) 50 sq. ft. or more, but less than 70 sq. ft. | ½ |
| (e) under 50 sq. ft. | Nil |
The maximum permitted number of persons per house is that determined by applying
these two tables. Thus, for example, a three roomed house in which each of the rooms were
between 70 and 90 sq. ft. would accommodate three persons only; a similar house in which
all the rooms exceeded 110 sq. ft. would accommodate 5 persons, not 6, subject to the
modification determined by the age of the persons.
The Survey in Fulham was commenced in October, 1935, and completed at the beginning
of February, 1936. The total staff engaged on the work numbered 10 clerks, 18
enumerators and 12 survey assistants. 24,502 structurally separate dwellings containing
38,882 families were enumerated on Form A, and presumptive evidence of overcrowding
discovered in 4,277 cases, i.e., 17.5 per cent. of the houses visited. All rooms in the houses
were measured in these cases, with the result of a final classification of 1,795 houses overcrowded
on the standard of the Act.