London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Holborn 1927

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Holborn Borough]

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125
of Mr. Tom Anthony for the trapping and disposing of pigeons in the various
Metropolitan Boroughs. An agreement with Mr. Anthony for carrying out the
work in Holborn was at once entered into accordingly.
Nuisances Connected with Brick Crushing Works.
For some years a brick crushing industry has existed in the Borough. Brick
rubbish derived from demolished buildings is brought to this yard and crushed.
The broken brick f to 1 inch in diameter is used for concrete and the fine dust-like
material for the making of mortar and tennis courts. The crushing plant lies well
back from the public way and is enclosed on three sides and roofed with corrugated
iron. One side is open to allow of the removal of the broken brick. In the ordinary
way bricks whole or broken are brought by lorry and unloaded behind the crusher;
a hose is turned on the bricks so deposited to damp them down. The material is
put into the first crusher and afterwards lifted by an enclosed chain elevator to a
riddle and the coarser part passed through a second crusher; the dust amounting
to about one-tenth of the whole drops into a barrow and is wheeled away. The
crushed brick falls to the floor to be thrown by shovels on to adjacent heaps.
Practically no dust escapes during the process and no nuisance appears to arise
from the actual work of brick crushing. Nuisance, however, does at times arise
from the handling of the material previous to crushing.
Although the works have been operating in the Borough for five or six years no
complaint was received until the early part of the year 1927. On enquiry it was
ascertained that brick rubbish containing an unusually large proportion of dust
was being delivered in greater quantity than could be readily dealt with by the
crusher. A large heap of the refuse was piled near the front entrance. During
unloading, when the rubbish was thrown up several feet to the top of the heap,
the finer particle's were caught by the wind and blown in the form of a cloud of dust
over the top of the hoarding into the roadway. Representations were made, to the
proprietors of the industry who at once arranged for the enclosing hoarding to be
raised to a height of from 14 to 15 feet from the ground level.
Foundling Hospital Site.
An event of the year closely affecting the amenities of the Borough, was the
removal of the Foundling Hospital from its historic site in Guilford Street to the
country. The Hospital and the grounds in which it stood although not- actually
within the Borough was immediately adjacent to the Borough boundary, and the
grounds attached to the Hospital afforded a valuable open space in a crowded
neighbourhood.
Proposals were made for the acquisition of the site for commercial purposes
and a Bill was promoted in Parliament to enable Covent Garden Market to be
transferred from its present venue to the Foundling Hospital site. Strenuous
cpposition was offered to the proposal and the Bill was withdrawn. Efforts were
also made to secure the site and utilise the buildings as an Imperial and International
Students' Centre for London. Proposals have also been put forward,
and found considerable favour, for securing the site for the purpose of building a
new Hospital for Sick Children in place of the Hospital now in Great Ormond
Street and for the preservation as an open space of the land which would not be