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was founded as early as 1558, being the first public charity to be
established after the reformation.
Although the future housing problem is monumental there is
no doubt that it will be tackled by the Council in a manner as
firm and resolute as has been demonstrated in previous years.
Providing for the needs of Borough residents there are, at the
present time, more than 2,000 shops, generally of the smaller kind,
many being of the old-fashioned "shop on the corner" type selling
a wide range of goods. However, this situation is changing, possibly
contrary to the interests of many sections of the public. Town
planning is demanding the concentration of traders into "shopping
centres" which tend to become dominated by big combines and
which often lead to burdensome and sometimes costly journeys for
the elderly and women with large families. Of the existing shops,
a large percentage are food establishments to which supplies of
meat and poultry come mainly from Smithfield Market and sometimes
direct from Kent and Surrey. Fruit and vegetables, for the
most part, arrive from Kent or from the Covent Garden, Borough,
Greenwich, or Spitalfields Markets. The rights of a flourishing daily
open-air market in Beresford Square mainly for the sale of meat,
fish and poultry, are vested in the Council and date from the
reign of James I. A "new market", under cover, in Plumstead
Road, is also a popular centre for the daily and week-end shoppers
of south-east London.
Full-time supervision is afforded by the Borough's Food Inspectors
to the private slaughterhouse at Woodlands Farm, Garland
Road, one of the most up-to-date and busiest abattoirs in the
Metropolitan area.
Both the previous local councils, now united in the London
Borough of Greenwich, had always been in the forefront of progressive
health authorities and, within the new area, this forward
looking attitude persists and all aspects of health, welfare and social
work, both personal and environmental, continue to be amply
covered. These range from the normal maternity, child welfare
and school health services, to the usual general practitioner and
hospital services, and from the usual municipally-run chiropody
clinics to the special maternity, paediatric, geriatric, psychiatric,
thoracic and neuro-surgical units based at local hospitals of which
there are twelve.
Comprehensive Borough Community Care services include 7
modern, purpose-built "Old People's Homes" and future plans
provide for further "small home" accommodation. To overcome
urgent and unexpected crises, a Reception Centre gives shelter to