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3
SECTION A
SOCIAL CONDITIONS OF THE BOROUGH AND
STATISTICS
Hammersmith is a westerly Borough in the County of London
covering an area of 2,282.5 acres. It is bounded on the north and
west by Middlesex Boroughs, on the south by the Thames and
on the east by the Royal Borough of Kensington and the Metropolitan
Borough of Fulham, and became part of the County of
London in 1885.
It is now a highly developed industrial and residential area,
but still a little remains of the old scene. The Latymer Foundation
School was founded in 1624 and Kent House and others in the
Malls also date back to the 17th century. Kelmscott House, the
home of William Morris, and houses in Hammersmith Terrace,
were built in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The sub-soil in the northern part of the Borough, i.e., north
of Uxbridge Road, mainly consists of clay, whilst in the south
there is a layer of some 20 feet of gravel above blue clay, particularly
in the east, much of which was excavated for brick-making
purposes.
There are approximately 287 acres of parks and open spaces,
262 acres of which are controlled by the London County Council
and the remaining 25 acres by the Borough Council.
The total length of roads is approximately 68 miles and traffic
is very heavy, particularly over Hammersmith Bridge to the south,
and the main roads to Oxford, the West and London Airport,
especially on that part of the Great West Road running past the
Town Hall.
Vital Statistics.
(a) Population.
In this report the rates are calculated on the estimated
population adopted by the Registrar General, namely, 110,200,
which compared with 111,700 for 1957, shows a reduction of 1,500.
For the last six years the Registrar General has reported a
steady reduction in the population figures of the Borough.
It should be emphasised that his calculations are based on
estimates, and that his figures are not factual and may well be
somewhat removed from the truth.
There has been no epidemic causing mortality during the year
and the excess of births over deaths has been maintained.