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76
THE HOUSING OF THE WORKING CLASSES.
Railway Companies and Housing.—Reference was made in the annual report for 1906 to an
important scheme initiated by the Great Western Railway Company under their Additional Powers
Act, 1897, which enables them to acquire about 100 houses at North Kensington—in Wornington
Road, Admiral Terrace, Admiral Place and Admiral Mews—for the purpose of widening their line.
The Company had acquired land in the vicinity with a view to compliance with their statutory
obligation to provide new dwellings for such number of persons as the Local Government Board
should, after inquiry, deem necessary, "having regard to the number of persons on or after"
December 15th, 1896, residing in the houses to be acquired, "and working within one mile therefrom.
. ." The Act requires that "the new dwellings to be provided under the scheme" shall be
"completed fit for occupation before the persons residing in the houses . . . are displaced."
The Local Inquiry necessarily precedent to sanction to the scheme was held, in February, 1906,
by an engineering inspector of the Local Government Board, who informed the Company that
accommodation should be provided for 706 persons dut of the estimated number to be displaced,
(1038.) The Company submitted plans of proposed new dwellings showing accommodation for 670
persons in tenements of two, three, and four rooms—two persons to a room, the number of rooms
being 335. The Board required certain modifications of the plans, to which the Company agreed,
the carrying out of which will improve the scheme materially. At the present writing, however,
no steps have been taken by the Company to give effect to the scheme : it is a question of time only,
and ultimately some 300 persons will be displaced and not rehoused in the new dwellings. And
worse is to follow, for further proposed widenings of the line will involve a still larger number of
displacements—in Southam Street and St. Ervan's Road, in which the Company will, under their
Act of 1900, take 138 houses, the inhabitants of which, at the census in 1901, numbered over 2,000.
It is probable that under the two schemes a thousand persons will be displaced and not rehoused.
Stockton Mews: Houses Unfit for Habitation.—The Sanitary Inspector of No. 2 district
reported 8 houses in Stockton Mews, North Kensington, to be, by reason of insanitary conditions
and structural defects, unfit for human habitation, and I certified them as such. The Public Health
Committee viewed the several premises, and by their direction application was made for closing
orders which, with the consent of the owner, were made in the month of June. The premises
remain closed.
The Council's Housing Schemes.—In the report for 1905 reference was made to the Council's
scheme for improving the housing of the working classes in Kenley Street, one of the five streets
comprised in what is popularly known as the Notting Dale "special area," a scheme initiated by
Sir Seymour King, K.C.I.E., M.P., the first Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kensington. With
a few exceptions the houses in the street were acquired; those on the north side, 26 in number,
were remodelled, (two were rebuilt) and provision was made of 58 self-contained suites, of two and
three rooms which are now occupied by persons of the working classes in receipt of incomes not exceeding
thirty shillings a week. The houses on the south side were demolished and replaced by six
blocks of residences of three storeys, each block containing 6 suites of two rooms. In Thomas
Place and Hesketh Place, moreover, two considerable blocks containing 26 single room tenements
have been erected which should prove a great boon, and supply to some extent a much felt want.
The Housing Sub-Committee of the Public Health Committee, in a report published in 1906,
gave a full account of their proceedings, with details of cost of acquiring the several properties,
amount expended in remodelling and in building, with estimates of incomings, &c.. to which
reference may be made for details of the scheme which cannot fail to have an excellent effect in
raising the character of the district. (See also page 65.)
REGISTERED HOUSES.
At the close of the year there were 2,028 houses on the register of "houses let in lodgings or
occupied by members of more than one family" (Public Health (London) Act, 1891, Section 94), of
which 53 were newly registered during the year. Inspections of these houses to the number of
9,304 were made by the Sanitary Inspectors, including 1,185 inspections of those which are let in
"furnished" rooms. Twelve hundred and thirty-four notices were issued in the course of the
year, and the provisions of the by-law for annual cleansing were duly carried out by the several landlords
under the supervision, so far as practicable, of the inspectors.
At the request of the Housing Sub-Committee a return was made showing:—
1. Registered Houses let in furnished tenements or furnished lodgings.
2. Names of Landlords or Occupiers.
3. Number of rooms in the several houses, occupied and empty.
4. Number of inhabitants at date of inspection.