London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Lewisham 1856
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Lewisham District]
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11
The material used for the repairs of the roads in the district is,
with the exception of some flint on the roads of Blackheath, Gravel;
which is derived chiefly from three sources:—the pits on Blackheath,
from which the Parish have had an immemorial right to dig gravel
free of charge. Pits near Rushey Green, belonging to Samuel
Forster, Esq., with whom the Board have continued the contract
entered into with him by the Highway Board, for permission to dig
gravel at 1s. 6d. per yard. And by purchase from the pits at
Croydon; whence it is brought either by Railway or Carts.
The gravel from Blackheath is of a very inferior quality, which,
coupled with the cost of digging and cartage, renders it, except
when used in the neighbourhood of the pits, as costly as a better
material.
The material used on the roads in the district during the year has been as follows:—
| IN THE PARISH OF LEWISHAM. | QUANTITY IN YARDS OR TONS. | PRICE PER YARD OR TON. | AMOUNT OP COST. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S. | d. | £ | s. | d. | ||
| From the Blackheath Pita | 460 | nil | nil | |||
| From the Rushey Green Pits BY PURCHASE. | 865 | 1 | 6 | 64 | 17 | 6 |
| Under contracts entered into by the Highway Board with Mr. Wythes | 453½ | 4 | 0 | 90 | 14 | 0 |
| Ditto ditto Mr. Colson | 184 | 4 | 6 | 41 | 8 | 0 |
| Under contracts entered into by the Board of Works with Mr. Constable | 559 | 5 | 0 | 139 | 15 | 0 |
| Ditto ditto Mr. Colson | 1296 | 5 | 0 | 324 | 0 | 0 |
| Ditto ditto ditto | 150 | 5 | 6 | 41 | 5 | 0 |
| Ditto ditto ditto | 1005 | 6 | 0 | 301 | 10 | 0 |
| Ditto ditto Mr. Lee, flints, per ton | 316 | 7 | 6 | 118 | 10 | 0 |
| 5288½ | £ | 1120 | 19 | 6 | ||
| IN THE HAMLET OF PENGE. | ||||||
| By purchase under contracts entered into by the | ||||||
| Board of Works with Mr. Constable | 527 | 5 | 6 | 70 | 13 | 6 |
| Ditto ditto Mr. Leech, flints | 30 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 0 |
| Ditto ditto Mr. Colson | 8 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Ditto ditto ditto | 28 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Ditto ditto Messrs. Martin & Wright | 1000 | 4 | 0 | 200 | 0 | 0 |
| 1303 | £ | 288 | 2 | 6 | ||
Of the 1,000 yards supplied for Penge by Messrs. Martin and
Wright, not more than 200 were put on the roads during the year,
the remainder lying on the road sides, in various places, ready for
use in the ensuing months. The variation in price is partly accounted
for by the places at which the material is delivered being more
or less easy of access.
The cost of cartage of such material upon the roads has been
about £370; of which only about £30 has been in respect of Penge.