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 1932
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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36
tendency for families to live together in one unit of occupation ; but this does not necessarily
indicate overcrowding, for the population in private families in North Kensington has increased
by only 1,456, or 1.65 per cent., whereas the actual number of rooms occupied has increased by
4,371, or 5-67 per cent.
Although the number of private families in North Kensington has increased at a greater rate
than the number of structurally separate dwellings, the average number of persons in each family
is smaller than it was ten years ago.
STRUCTURALLY SEPARATE DWELLINGS—KENSINGTON.
| 1921. | 1931. | Increase or decrease. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rooms per dwelling occupied | 7.18 | 6.80 | — 0.38 |
| Private families per occupied dwelling | 1.55 | 1.65 | + 0.10 |
| Rooms occupied per family | 4.52 | 4.13 | — 0.39 |
| Persons per room | 0.81 | 0.80 | — 0.01 |
| Persons per private family | 3.68 | 3.32 | — 0.36 |
The average number of rooms per structurally separate occupied dwelling in the borough is
now 6.80, as compared with 5-75 for London. In Kensington the net result of all new construction,
conversions, etc., has been a slight reduction from the average of 7-18 in 1921.
SIZE OF STRUCTURALLY SEPARATE DWELLINGS OCCUPIED—KENSINGTON.
| Number of Rooms. | 1921. | 1931. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number, | Percentage. | Number. | Percentage. | |
| 1—3 | 5,584 | 20 | 5,409 | 19 |
| 4—5 | 5,137 | 18 | 6,248 | 22 |
| 6—8 | 8,610 | 32 | 9,115 | 31 |
| 9 or more | 8,475 | 30 | 8,227 | 28 |
DISTRIBUTION OF FAMILIES ACCORDING TO NUMBER OF ROOMS OCCUPIED- KENSINGTON.
| Number of rooms. | Private Families. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number in 1931. | Increase or Decrease, 1921—1931. | Distribution. % | ||
| 1921. | 1931. | |||
| 1 | 6,289 | + 267 | 14.0 | 13.2 |
| 2 | 10,890 | + 1,467 | 21.9 | 22.8 |
| 3 | 9,864 | + 2,084 | 18.1 | 20.7 |
| 4 | 6,641 | 1,273 | 12.5 | 13.9 |
| 5 | 3,259 | + 464 | 6.5 | 6.8 |
| 6—7 | 4,833 | + 504 | 10.1 | 10.1 |
| 8—9 | 2,552 | — 168 | 6.3 | 5.4 |
| 10 or more | 3,385 | — 1,179 | 10.6 | 71 |
| Totals | 47,713 | + 4,712 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
It will be observed that 56.7 per cent. of the families in the borough are satisfied with, or unable
to command more than, the limited housing accommodation represented by one, two or three
rooms, the corresponding figure for London as a whole being 58.8 per cent. In Kensington, the
percentage of families occupying four or five rooms is 20.7, the figure for London being 27.7. Only
22.6 per cent. have more than five rooms, the figure for London being 13.5 per cent.
In Kensington there has been an increase in the number of structurally separate dwellings
with eight or fewer rooms, and a decrease in the number with nine or more rooms. The decline
of 248 in the number of large houses with nine or more rooms is due to many having been converted
into self-contained maisonettes or demolished and replaced by blocks of flats. A somewhat similar
chang is taking place throughout the country.