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114
Ethelm Street houses were unfit for human habitation, thereby
forming an insanitary area or even a slum in any acceptation of these
terms. There are within the Borough of Lambeth hundreds of similar
streets that are in the same condition as, if not worse than, Ethelm
Street, and these hundreds of street become thousands of streets, when
other Boroughs in the Metropolis are also taken into consideration.
Had the London County Council given the Lambeth Borough
Council an opportunity of expressing its views, before the London
County Council had decided to deal with Victoria Place and Ethelm
Street, the Medical Officer of Health of the Borough of Lambeth
would have advised the Borough Council to draw the London County
Council's attention to other streets, courts, alleys, or even small
areas that might with greater advantage, have been dealt with by
means of official representations under the Housing of the Working
Classes Act, 1890, Part I, or Part II, assuming that such a procedure
had been decided upon by the County Council, or by the Borough
Council, or by both, as a practical suggestion, having regard to the
War and the consequent economic conditions then and since, such as
the following, arranged in order of Wards from north to south:
(a) Murphy Street (and James Place), (b) China Place (and
St. Alban's Buildings and Karl Place), (c) Linnett Street, (d)
Mary's Buildings, Steven's Place, and Providence Place, (e)
Dunmow Place and Mancroft Cottages (and part of Newburn
Street,) (/) Little Spring Place, (g) Cottington Street, Opal
Street, White Hart Square and White Hart Street, (h) Vauxhall
Walk (including Tinworth Street, Lilac Place, Anderson's Walk,
Shanklin Court, Pheasant Cottages, Salamanca Street, etc.),
(i) Knight's Hill Square (off Knight's Hill), and (j) Auckland
Place (including East Place and East Street, Dunkirk Street, etc.),
West Norwood.
The last two-named—(i) and (j)—are included in the list on the
ground of floodings, to which the houses are periodically subjected in
times of storm and heavy rains.
It will be within the recollection of the Council, but the fact
requires emphasising, that, having regard to present economic conditions,
and in view of the new powers granted to the Borough Council
under the Housing, Town Planning, etc., Act, 1919, it was agreed that