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
Finsbury 1949
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Finsbury Borough]
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These flats contained the number of rooms as under:—
1 Room—10 Flats 3 Rooms—323 Flats 5 Rooms—13 Flats
2 Rooms—40 Flats 4 Rooms—191 Flats
473 premises having been requisitioned remained in use for
housing purposes at the end of the year.
In addition the Borough Council remained in possession of
"Corporation Buildings" consisting of 183 Flats. This is old
property acquired before the War as a site for rebuilding.
The County Council Housing Estates consisted at the end of the year of the flats as set out in the following table:—
| Costers Buildings | 56 |
| Wenlake Buildings | 86 |
| Chadworth Buildings | 136 |
| Mallory Buildings | 33 |
| Amias House | 29 |
| Tompion House | 80 |
| Earnshaw House | 10 |
| Total | 430 |
Slum Clearance.
Towards the end of the year attention was given to the problem
of slum clearance for the first time since the war. A general, but
not detailed, survey of property in the Borough was undertaken
and as a result a schedule with maps was prepared indicating groups
of properties housing about ten families or more, which might
reasonably be represented as clearance areas. These properties
were divided into three categories according to the degree of their
unfitness. The tentative proposals thus constructed were submitted
and approved by the Council and forwarded by it to the London
County Council.
Rehousing.
Applications for rehousing by the Borough Council are made
to the Housing Department and these are assessed according to their
need according to a points scheme. This was amended during the
year. When accompanied by medical certificates to support the
application on medical grounds these are referred to the Medical