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19
The accompanying sketch map will assist in elucidating the
various delimited areas.
The altitude throughout the whole of the Borough varies from
a few feet below high water mark on the marshes up to 249 feet
above sea-level on the Shooters Hill Road just at the Borough
boundary.
Vacant land on the marshes, consisting chiefly of alluvial
deposits, is quite unsuitable at present for the erection of dwelling
houses as its level is below that of the River at high water. This fact
complicates the drainage problems of the district and the houses
already built there are subject to flooding at times of heavy storms.
The difficulty has been overcome in some instances in the past by
the filling up of the basement rooms but even this treatment is
most unsatisfactory. Due to special drainage systems and the
introduction of concrete rafts considerable factory development
has taken place in this area in recent years.
SOCIAL CONDITIONS
The Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich comprises three
districts, viz., Greenwich, Charlton and Kidbrooke and St. Nicholas,
Deptford, all of which are now united into one civil parish and it
may be interesting here to record briefly the changes that have taken
place during the last 50 years in the social conditions throughout
the Borough.
The opening of the present century saw the formation of the
Metropolitan Borough Councils and at that time Greenwich was
mainly a shipbuilding and engineering centre giving employment to
thousands. In those days the term "shipbuilding" related
chiefly to sailing vessels and the century was only a few years on its
way when the challenge of the steamship had a profound effect on
the life of this Borough. It was usual for fishing fleets to come into
Greenwich for revictualling and for their overhauls, but general
acceptance of the steamship led to the building of larger ships with
bigger draughts and gradually the building of such ships passed to
other and more suitable areas of the country with the result that
many local industries were seriously affected. Sailmakers and
repairers were no longer required; men engaged in the refitting, etc.
of the sailing vessels lost their employment and concerns which
catered for the revictualling of such vessels lost their trade.
It will readily be appreciated that the effect was to increase
unemployment: firms such as Messrs. Humphreys & Tennent,
Deptford Dry Docks, Thames Ironworks (John Perm's), Castle's
Shipbreaking Co., etc. were compelled to close down owing to
competition and the heavy rates and taxes imposed, whilst the world-