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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59
The nature of the work given out to the homeworkers in the 168 homes on the register is
as follows:—
Home Work.
Nature of Work.
No. of Premises.
Tailoring
47
Ironing
33
Outfitting
23
Bootmaking
33
Dressmaking, Blousemaking
15
Shirt making
1
Waistcoat making
5
Upholstery
4
Millinery
1
Brush making
1
Lace mending
1
Fur making
1
Embroidery
3
Total
168
In 14 instances in the course of inspection, addresses were found incorrectly given, or the
outworker had left or given up work.
| Nature of Room used for Work. | Condition of Rooms. | Total Number of Rooms. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clean. | Fairly Clean. | Dirty. | ||
| Rooms used for work only | 27 | 7 | 3 | 37 |
| „ for work and as living rooms | 71 | 13 | 0 | 84 |
| „ for work and as bed and living rooms | 34 | 13 | 0 | 47 |
| Totals | 132 | 33 | 3 | 168 |
The sanitary defects remedied in the 168 homes were as follows:—
Rooms cleansed 3
W.C.'s found defective and remedied 2
Number of Defects remedied 5
On the whole the homeworkers, many of whom are women, belong to a respectable, thrifty
class and keep their rooms in a clean and tidy state. Their homes compare favourably with those
of the lower labouring classes, and instances of persons in great poverty carrying on work for an
insufficient wage in insanitary surroundings are in Kensington practically unknown. The foreign
outworkers are for the most employed in registered workshops which are regularly inspected, and
the practice of letting out sittings in workshops, which leads to grave abuses in certain districts,
does not prevail in the Borough of Kensington.