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

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Kensington 1896

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Parish]

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institutions; whilst the 83,675 persons comprising the
population of South Kensington, were in occupation of 12,577
houses and certain public institutions. An error, somewhat
widely disseminated, viz., that Kensington is essentially a
parish of the rich and well-to-do, may be corrected by a reference
to the official report of the census of 1891, from which
we learn that 70,718 persons, or 42.5 percent, of the population,
were living in 20,052 tenements of less than five rooms. The
166,308 persons comprising the entire population of the
parish at that date, were in occupation of 35,953 tenements
and certain public institutions. No fewer than 6,398 of these
"tenements" consisted of a single room; and these rooms
were inhabited by 13,655 persons. The two-roomed tenements
were 6.965, and their inhabitants numbered 26,020. The
three-roomed tenements were 4,115, and their inhabitants
18,119. The four-roomed tenements were 2,574, and their
inhabitants 12,924. Stated in another way, it appears that 8.2
per cent, of the parishioners lived in one-roomed tenements;
15'6 per cent, lived in two-roomed tenements; 10.9 per cent,
lived in three-roomed tenements; and 7.8 per cent, lived in
four-roomed tenements. In North Kensington there were,
approximately, 8.7 persons to a house; in South Kensington
less than 6.7. But many houses of eight rooms in North Kensington
contained, and contain now, upwards of 20 persons to
a house, and some more than 30 persons.
Population of the Sanitary Districts.—The subjoined
table contains an approximate statement of the population, in
1891, of the respective areas which at the commencement of
1896 were included in the several sanitary districts, after
distribution of the inmates of the workhouse and infirmary,
and deduction of non-parishioners at certain public institutions.
It is interesting as showing the number of separate families,
and of tenements of less than five rooms, and the number of
inhabited houses in each of the said districts. No similar
information will be forthcoming until the middle of 1901.