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51
The greater density of occupation of Priory and Adelaide Wards is
in part due to the fact that much property in these areas is let
as rooms, as can be seen from the fact that these wards have the
lowest number of structurally separate dwellings occupied.
Table VI shows the number of rooms in each structurally
separate dwelling and the number of households who occupy these
rooms. This table does not show the number of persons living in
these rooms which is shown in Table VII.
It will be seen that of the 23,010 total structurally
separate dwellings 8,639 (38 per cent.) consist of 1-3 rooms, 5/666
(25 per cent.) 4-5 rooms, 8,705 (37 per cent.) of 6 or more
rooms compared with an average for England and Wales of 15 per cent,
with 1-3 rooms, 64 per cent. 4—5 rooms, and 21 per cent, with 6 and
over. The differences are linked with the changing social scene and
are derived from the fact that 50 or more years ago the large houses
(together with associated mews dwellings for their staff) were built
for the type of families who then lived in Hampstead, whilst outside
the main development has been of 4-5 room semi-detached houses. The
figures for the County of London approximate nearer to the Hampstead
figures. At the time of the census there were 894 (3.9 per cent.)
dwellings vacant compared with 2.7 per cent, in the County of London
Table VII shows the constitution of the households by number of
persons and the number of rooms each household occupies and thus give.,
an indication of the degree of overcrowding in the Borough. Thus for
instance, there are 77 households consisting each of 4 or more persons
living in one room, 24 households of 6 or more persons living in 2
rooms and there is apparently one household of 10 or more persons
living in 3 rooms. Unfortunately, these figures cannot be compared
with the survey carried out in 1935 with regard to the overcrowding
in the Borough as these latter figures related to the "equivalent
number" of persons actually in occupation compared with the "equivalent
number" of persons permitted to occupy that accommodation, whereas
the present census figures relate to the actual number of persons in
occupation of a certain number of rooms, no allowance being made for
the size of thus room.
It is difficult to make true comparisons with other Boroughs on
these individual figures as there are so many variables concerned.
However, taking the three Boroughs with a similar total population
to Hampstead, the figures are as given in Table VIII.
The 35,970 households contain 88,119 persons. 29 per cento
(10,297) of the households are composed of single persons, 32 per
cent. (11,587) of 8 persons, 19 per cent. (7.001) of 3 persons,
11 per cent. (3.999) of 4 persons and 9 per cent. of 5 or more.
This compares with 19.7 per cent, 29.3 per cent, 22.9 per cent,
15.5 per cent and 12.6 per cent. respectively for the County. The
greater number of single households is at once apparent and is, of
course, an expected finding in view of the other characteristics of
the population and housing in Hampstead.