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 1912
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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In four streets in the Notting Dale area there are six houses capable of receiving 229 single
women and six houses licensed to accommodate 292 single men. It is difficult to avoid the
conclusion that the presence of this population of 500 persons, who for the most part come from
the lowest ranks of society, must necessarily constitute an effective bar to the progress of social
leform in the neighbourhood where the common lodging houses are situated.
Housing (Inspection of District) Regulations 1910—These regulations prescribe the
methods to be adopted by Local Authorities in causing inspections of their districts to be made
with a view to ascertaining whether any dwelling houses therein are unfit for habitation.
On March 12th, the Council designated the ten District Sanitary Inspectors and the chief
Sanitary Inspector as the officers to undertake the preparation of lists of houses and to make the
necessary inspections under the direction and supervision of the Medical Officer of Health
The following Table shows the work of the year in the form required by the Board:—
| 1. | Number of dwelling houses recommended singly or in groups for early inspection | 44 |
| 2. | Represented to the Council by the Medical Officer of Health with a view to Closing Orders being made | 10 |
| 3. | The number closed by order of the Council | 2 |
| 4. | The number put into a fit state for habitation after the making of a Closing Order | Nil. |
| 5. | The number in which defects were remedied without the making of Closing Orders | 55 |
The fact that the number of the houses in which defects were remedied exceeds the number recommended for inspection is accounted for by the completion of work in 1912 in certain houses which were represented in 1911, as will be understood from the following figures:—
| 1. Houses recommended for inspection and still under consideration at the end of 1911 | 52 |
| 2. Houses recommended for inspection in 1912 | 44 |
| Total | 96 |
Result of Recommendations for Inspection.
Date of Inspection.
1911.
1912.
Total.
Houses in which inspection revealed no defects 9 — 9
Houses in which the defects were remedied 29 26 55
Empty houses represented for Closing Orders — 8 8
Houses closed by order of the Council — 2 2
Houses vacated without a Closing Order 14 8 22
Results obtained in the year 1912 52 44 96
It will be noted that in 22 houses the action taken by the Council resulted, not in a
remedying of defects, but in the eviction by the owner of the occupying tenants. The situation of
these 22 vacated houses is as follows:—
1, 2, 4—6 Lion Mews 5 houses
1—6 and 8, Dunworth Mews 7 „
7—13, Colville Mews 7 „
4a, 15 and 10, Russell Gardens Mews 3 „
Total 22 houses