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
Kensington 1908
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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44
FACTORY AND WORKSHOP ACT, 1901.
Subjoined will be found the report of the Lady Inspectors of workshops, workplaces and
laundries where women are employed, and the report of the Chief Sanitary Inspector with respect
to men's workshops, comprising information required by Section 132 to be set out in the Annual
Report of the Medical Officer of Health. In connection with the first-named report, it may be
mentioned that it was in Kensington that the services of women were first enlisted, in 1893, in the
work of sanitary administration. Now almost all of the Metropolitan Borough Councils and many
provincial sanitary authorities have appointed women inspectors. The work of the Kensington
Inspectors (Miss de Chaumont and Miss Looker) under the Factory and Workshop Act, in 1908, is
as follows:—
" The number of workshops, etc., at which female labour was employed, at the end of 1908,
was 846; viz., 370 (mostly laundries) in North Kensington, and 476 (mostly dressmakers) in South
Kensington. During the year, 99 new workshops were added to the register and 173 were removed
therefrom. The great decrease in the number of registered premises in this report is owing to the
fact that all the restaurants and dining-rooms (80 in number) have been removed from the register
of women's workshops and are now under the supervision of the male inspecting staff.
"The subjoined table summarises particulars of the factories and workshops on the Register at the end of the year, in North Kensington and South Kensington respectively—Holland Park Avenue and High Street, Notting Hill, constituting the dividing line.
| Workshops, etc. | North Kensington. | Sooth Kensington | Total for Whole Borough | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dressmakers. | Laundries. | Miscellaneous. | Total. | Dressmakers. | Laundries. | Miscellaneous. | Total. | ||
| No. on Register | 69 | 248 | 53 | 370 | 346 | 12 | 118 | 476 | 846 |
| No. of Rooms therein | 111 | 734 | 88 | 933 | 669 | 33 | 184 | 886 | 1,819 |
"The number of persons employed varies with the period of the year, being, of course
greatest during the ' season': it exceeds 10,000.
The businesses carried on at the registered premises are set out in the subjoined list:—
| Trade or Business. | North Kensington. | South Kensington. | Total in the Borough. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art needlework | — | 3 | 3 |
| Blind-maker | — | 1 | 1 |
| Blouse-maker | — | 7 | 7 |
| Boot header | 1 | — | 1 |
| ,, closer | 2 | — | 2 |
| Colour printer (Factory) | 1 | — | 1 |
| Corset maker | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| Cracker maker | 1 | — | 1 |
| Dressmaker and ladies' tailor | 69 | 331 | 400 |
| Dyer and cleaner (Factories) | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| Eyelet hole finisher (Factory) | 1 | — | 1 |
| Florist | — | 8 | 8 |
| Furrier | — | 5 | 5 |
| Hair wash manufacturer | 1 | — | 1 |
| Hosier | — | 1 | 1 |
| Lamp shade maker | — | 2 | 2 |
| Laundry (workshop) | 185 | 12 | 197 |
| (factory) | 63 | — | 63 |
| Machinist | — | 1 | 1 |
| Mantle maker | — | 4 | 4 |
| Milliner | — | 51 | 55 |
| Outfitter | 3 | 3 | |
| Photographer | 2 | 12 | 14 |
| Pickle manufacturer | 1 | — | 1 |
| Printer (Factories) | — | 2 | 2 |
| Rag-sorter | 2 | — | 2 |
| Silversmith | — | 1 | 1 |
| Tailor | 30 | 5 | 35 |
| Typist | — | 3 | |
| Umbrella manufacturer | — | 1 | 1 |
| Upholsterer | 1 | 10 | 11 |
| Violin string manufacturer | 1 | — | 1 |
| Waistcoat maker | 1 | — | 1 |
| Wig maker | — | 2 | 2 |
| Total | 370 | 476 | 846 |