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49
In 1925, the Housing Department of the London County Council commenced to send me
information of all Kensington persons accepted as tenants for County Council houses in order
that a similar procedure could be adopted in regard to rooms vacated by tenants leaving the
borough for such houses. This practice has been continued and the following are the results for
the five years 1925-1929:—
Number of County Council houses let and reported to the Medical Officer of
Health 207
Number of instances in which the rooms vacated by the 207 tenants
have been let to Kensington families whose previous accommodation
was unsatisfactory or overcrowded 106
During 1929, Miss Alexander furnished the Public Health Department with a list of the
twenty-eight Kensington families for whom she had obtained accommodation on the Cleverly
Estate at Hammersmith and in eighteen instances the rooms vacated in Kensington were used
for the purpose of relieving congestion in other families living in the borough.
The secretary of the Sutton Trustees has undertaken to supply me with the name and
address of each person to whom one of the 540 flats on the Dalgarno Gardens estate will be allotted;
and in the early part of 1930, the procedure adopted when families leave for County Council or
Borough Council houses was put into operation in respect of families going to the Sutton Trustees
Estate.
Several families living under overcrowded conditions have been provided with suitable
accommodation by the voluntary housing associations in the borough.
Overcrowding can be and is dealt with by the Council under the Public Health Act and under
the by-laws for houses let in lodgings made under the Housing Act, but the Council always hesitate
to take proceedings and Magistrates have been loath to give full effect to the provisions of the
law during the post-war period of shortage of housing accommodation. But the Public Health
Committee have felt that when tenants have gone to municipal houses, or to houses owned by
voluntary housing associations, the Council would be justified in taking more stringent measures
in the event of overcrowding being allowed in the vacated rooms. They, therefore, have given
instructions that on receipt of information in the Public Health Department that a new house
has been allocated to a Kensington family, a communication should be sent to the owner of the
rooms which will become vacant, warning him that the Council will take action at once if he
allows them to become overcrowded again.
COMMON LODGING HOUSES.
Seven years ago, there were in the borough five women's common lodging houses and a Dr.
Barnardo's Home for Women. One was situated in Sirdar Road, one in Bangor Street, three
in Crescent Street and the Home was in Penzance Place. Curiously enough, these houses were
situated within a stone's throw of one another and were located in the Notting Dale area of the
Norland Ward. The total number of ordinary dwelling houses taken up by these common lodging
houses was nine. All but one were houses of the ordinary basement type commonly found in
that district and were originally built as single family houses; they were ill adapted for their
use and made probably the poorest kind of common lodging house in London. Perhaps the
worst feature was the fact that in three cases the basement was used as a common kitchen and
living room. Apart from the common lodging houses maintained by the Church Army and other
philanthropic bodies, the women's common lodging houses in Kensington were the cheapest in
London, the charge per woman per night for bed and use of kitchen and cooking utensils being
8d. It will be seen that they provided accommodation for the poorest of these unfortunate
women who had drifted to a common lodging house life. There were also three common lodging
houses for men, one in the Golborne Ward and two in Notting Dale.
In 1923, Dr. Barnardo's Home for Women was closed. In 1926, the women's common lodging
house in Sirdar Road was purchased by the Improved Tenements Association and converted into
two tenement houses. In 1928, the common lodging house situated at Nos. 18-20, Bangor Street
was purchased by Miss A. M. Alexander and eventually converted into flats for seven families.
In the same year, Miss Alexander purchased the common lodging house at Nos. 25-27, Crescent
Street ; baths and additional water closets have been installed and many improvements made;
it has now been named "The Torch" and is carried on under the direction of Miss Alexander
as a common lodging house for respectable women, the charge per night being one shilling. In
the same year, the men's common lodging house in Kensal Road changed ownership and has now
been converted by a voluntary body of ladies and gentlemen into an improved common lodging
house for women under the name of "Cecil House."
These changes have effected a very considerable improvement in the district; there are now
only six common lodging houses in the borough, and two of these, namely, the one in Kensal
Road and Nos. 25-27, Crescent Street, are under enlightened management and control.