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146
Tabard Street and Grotto Place Areas.
The Local Government Board's inquiry into the above clearance
schemes took place on 26th April, 1911, and three following days.
The schemes in the early part of the present year were finally
accepted by the Local Government Board and an Order made for the
clearance and reconstruction of the Areas.
The following report on the subject is taken from the Annual Report
of the Medical Officer of Health of the County of London:—
"During the year the Council decided to proceed with an
important scheme for the clearance of three unhealthy areas known
as the Tabard Street and Grotto Place areas, Southwark, and the
Crosby Row area, Bermondsey, which were the subject of official
representations under Part I. of the Act of 1890, by the District
Medical Officers of Health. The areas, which comprise about 16½
acres, are larger than the area dealt with under any clearance
scheme yet undertaken by the Council or the late Metropolitan
Eoard of Works.
The Tabard Street Area as represented is about 13½ acres in
extent, contains 619 houses, and has a population of 3,552 persons,
nearly all of whom are persons of the working class. The area is
situated between Long Lane and Great Dover Street and is in two
detached sections lying north and south of the London County
Council School in Westcott Street. The characteristic feature of
the area is the narrowness of the streets and the bad arrangement
of both streets and houses. George Court is, in parts, only 3 ft.
wide; Little Britian, 5 ft.; Wickham Court, 7½ ft.; and several
other streets do not exceed 10 ft. in width including footways. Out
of 32 streets in the area no less than 13 are culs de sac. The houses
in Tabard Street are three storeys in height, but nearly all the
other houses on the area consist of two storeys and contain either
two or four rooms. The houses generally are worn out; the walls
of many of the ground floor rooms present evidence of dampness or
have been matchboarded in such a way as to conceal the dampness;
and the staircases are, in a number of instances, narrow, dark and
dangerous. The yards of some of the houses are at a much lower
level than the houses themselves and are approached by narrow,
dark staircases. These yards are very small and very little sunlight