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policemen, postmen, &c., rents being at the rate of 5s. upwards per room.
The latter are tenanted by persons more of the labouring class, but the
rents are somewhat higher, about 7s. Id. per room. In these blocks
there are not a few domestic workshops. The basement flats in Newport
Dwellings are somewhat gloomy.
Houses let in Tenements.
There are no cottage properties in this area, but 43 houses of three or
four storeys are let in separate tenements, housing about 249 families.
Rents average 6s. 6d. per room. These tenements possess no amenities
in the way of food storage, separate water supplies, &c., and the tenants
share a common W.c. in the tiny back areas. In spite of frequent
repairs, the houses constantly show serious evidence of dilapidation, and
viewed from modern standards cannot be regarded as satisfactory.
These features are pronounced in Bateman's buildings, a passage way
leading out of Soho Square, where rough usage by the tenants soon
obliterate the results of reconditioning.
Combined Premises.
Some 122 business premises have in connection with them about
200 tenements, let at rents of from 5s. a room to as much as 25s. for
2 rooms. These tenements vary in condition. Some are occupied by
workers in the tailoring trade and others with fairly substantial earnings,
whilst the remainder are tenanted by such people as restaurant and hotel
employees.
Overcrowding.
Sixteen cases of overcrowding came to the knowledge of the Department
during the year, but only 5 of this number could be considered
illegal.
(3) Regent Street area.—This comprises the remaining part
of Soho (Great Marlborough Ward) and part of Regent Ward. It is
somewhat small, but is an intensively business area. The district contains
the Royal Academy, the buildings of the Civil Service Commission,
8 theatres, several high-class and popular hotels and one hospital, the Ear,
Nose and Throat, in Golden Square. Shops and business premises vary
from the highest class of shops in Bond Street and Regent Street to
small shops in Soho and the open market in Berwick Street. Wholesale
textile firms and high-class tailoring establishments are found in the neighbourhood
of Savile Row and tailoring workshops in the Soho portion,
including the workshop proper and the domestic workshop.
Residential Contrasts.
The residential property varies from aristocratic and old-fashioned
Albany to a confined block of four cottages in a court off Berwick Street.