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This shows a reduction in the one or two-roomed tenements, and an
increase in those of three and four rooms. That this implies an improvement
in housing conditions in Westminster may be deduced from
the fact that while in 1901, 4,346 tenements of less than five rooms
each had more than two occupants per room, in 1911 there were only
2,860 so circumstanced. For each class of room the figures are:—
1901.
1911.
One-roomed tenement 1,599 869
Two-roomed tenement 1,846 1,262
Three-roomed tenement 729 575
Four-roomed tenement 172 154
4,346 2,860
which show an improvement in each class, but particularly in the oneroom
tenement.
There were in addition 27 five-roomed tenements and 6 six-roomed
tenements containing more than two persons per room.
It has been assumed, for the purpose of instituting a comparison
between various districts, that overcrowding exists if there are more
than two persons per room, but obviously this is not a very reliable test,
as no regard is paid to the size of the rooms. The position occupied by
Westminster with 16,596 persons (5,987 being children under 10 years
of age) living more than two in a room, equal to 12.9 per cent. of the
total population in private families, is ninth lowest among the 29 Metropolitan
Cities and Boroughs. In 1901 Westminster occupied the
fifteenth place.