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10
Report of the Medical Officer of Health for 1936.
Social Conditions of the Borough.
Wandsworth is the largest Metropolitan Borough. The
acreage is 9,199, compared with that of Woolwich, which is 8,986.
The Borough is fortunate in possessing many open spaces
and several parks in the County of Surrey adjoin those in this
Borough. The approximate area of the parks and open spaces
is 1,202 acres, and this area is largely increased by Wimbledon
Common and Richmond Park, which are mainly outside the
Borough.
The population is a very varied one. Parts of the Borough
consist of high class residential districts, and there are several
large working and labouring districts.
The Report of the Registrar.General on the Census enumerated
on the 26th April, 1931, gives the population of the Borough as
353,110—159,714 males and 193,396 females. This is a larger
population than any other London Borough, the next being
Islington with a total of 321,795 persons.
At the Census 1921, the total population was 328,307, and
of these 147,229 were males and 181,078 were females. At the
Census 1911, the population was 311,360, of whom 140,728 were
males and 170,632 were females.
The density of population in the Borough of Wandsworth at
the Census of 1931 was 38.8 persons per acre, while the figure
for the whole of London was 58.7. The greatest density was
151.7 in Southwark and the lowest in Woolwich with 17.7.
In the matter of room density the average for the whole
County was 0.98 persons per room and the figure varied from 0.70
to 1.45. The Boroughs showing the most favourable densities
were Hampstead (.70), Westminster (.76), Chelsea and Wandsworth
(.79) each, and Kensington (.80).
The chief industries carried on are the manufacture of gas and
gas mantles, laundries, and general engineering. At December,