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

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Hanover Square 1861

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hanover Square, The Vestry of the Parish of Saint George]

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9
case heard at Marlborough Street, at the same time as
the foregoing case. The highly respectable owner of the
house admitted the charge, and consented to the magistrate's
order, that the house should be disused as a
habitation until rendered fit for that purpose, and by this
means was enabled to clear it at once of its disorderly
and dirty occupiers. It has been thorougly repaired, and,
in consequence, is occupied now by respectable people.
Tom's-court, Nos. 2, 6, and 7. The owners were respectively
summoned for letting kitchens contrary to the
provisions of the Metropolis Local Management Act,
section 103, which enacts that no room, the floor of which
is more than 3 feet below the surface of the footway
of the adjoining street, shall continue to be let or occupied
separately as a dwelling unless it have "an area
not less than 3 ft. wide in every part, from 6 in. below
the floor of such room or cellar to the surface or level
of the ground adjoining to the front, back, or external
side thereof, and extending the full length of such
side;" and unless "such area, to the extent of at least 5
ft. long, and 2 ft. 6 in. wide, be in front of the window
of such room or cellar, and be open or covered only
with open iron gratings." The area of No. 2 does
not extend along the whole of the front, but is only
4 ft. 9 in. long, 2 ft. wide, and 5 ft. 6 in. deep in front of
the window. That of No. 6, is 3 ft. 9 in. long, by 1 ft. 9
in. wide. That of No. 7, is 5 ft. 6 in. long, by 2 ft. 1 in.
wide. The summonses came off on 5th March; and in
each case, the magistrate ordered the kitchen to be disused
as a habitation, and the defendants to pay the costs
(2s.). It may be observed that the kitchens are intrinsically
unhealthy, as well as illegal, else they would not
have been interfered with.