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the widening of the streets and the rebuilding of houses. Improvement will also result from the new road
which it is proposed to make between the end of Evelyn-street and Creek-road, as this will doubtless
involve the demolition of some old houses in the parish of St. Nicholas.
During the course of my inquiry, I inspected 386 houses in various parts of the district. Of these
104 were premises which were visited during a previous inspection made in 1898 as the result of a complaint
to the Council by the Mansion House Council on the Dwellings of the Poor, and which were
then found to be in such a defective condition as to constitute nuisances within the meaning of the
Public Health Act, and a list of which was forwarded to the Greenwich District Board by the
Council. As regards these premises I found that the majority had undergone repair, generally of a
substantial character, while a few were undergoing repair.
Among the remaining 282 houses it was found that 91 were either in a fair condition, or else
were at the time undergoing repair, owing to the action of the sanitary authority; but in 191 houses
the following 424 defects were found to exist, viz.—
Unpaved yards, or paving defective, in 91 houses.
Defective gullies in 38 „
No water supply to water-closets in 20 „
Defective, or foul condition of water-closets in 75 ,,
No dustbins in 81 „
Defective, or dilapidated dustbins in 49 „
Dilapidated roofs in 15 „
Defective stackpipes, floors, and other structural defects in. 58 ,,
Insufficiently covered, or uncovered drinking-water cisterns 52 „
These defects were found in houses, some of which are situated in each of the four sub-divisions
into which the district is divided for the purpose of sanitary inspection, and may be taken as showing
the conditions which exist in many of the poorer class of houses throughout the district. The fact that
91 premises were found either in fair condition, undergoing repair, or under notice from the sanitary
authority, as well as the fact that since the complaint of the Mansion House Council all the houses
contained in the list supplied by that body as well as others adjoining them have been inspected, and
have had works carried out for placing them in more habitable condition, is evidence that a large
amount of work is being done in Deptford; but, on the other hand, the large number of defects quoted
above as existing in 191 houses goes to show that much yet requires to be done. As regards the
work which was being carried on, it was in all cases found that a thorough and careful supervision was
exercised by the officers of the authority during the progress of the work. It may be well to quote a
few examples, illustrating the conditions found in some of the above houses.
Blackhorse-place Yard badly paved, water-closet pan foul, flushing apparatus defective.
Dustbin wooden, and accumulation of dust; it is stated that the dust
has not been removed for several weeks. House below level.
The Orchard Yard unpaved, water-closet pan foul, no flush. Guttering defective, no
stack pipe. Roof badly broken. Ground floor rooms damp.
Deptford-green Tenemented house. No yard paving, water-closet pan foul, uo flush.
Drinking-water cistern insufficiently covered. Dustbin dilapidated.
Roof leaky. Passages dirty and dilapidated.
The Orchard House in fair condition. Yard drain inlet untrapped.
The Orchard Yard paving bad, drain inlet blocked, said to be frequently stopped. Roof,
top front room, leaks badly. Front guttering defective.
Watergate-street Water-closet flushing apparatus defective. No dustbin.
Queen-street Wash-house ceiling defective, and flooring broken. Yard unpaved, trap of
drain inlet defective. Water-closet, no water supply. No dustbin.
Queen-street Yard unpaved, stack pipe defective, wash-house floor defective. No dustbin.
House undergoing repairs.
Blackhorse-road No dustbin, an accumulation of refuse in corner of yard. The drinking-
water cistern in wash-house has no cover, and water in dirty condition.
Wash-house, plaster of walls broken. Complaint made of smell from
drains.
Pomeroy-street No dustbin, otherwise in fair repair.
Masons-court Drinking water cistern insufficiently covered. House in fair condition.
Goodson-street Dustbin dilapidated, water-closet, inadequate flush and pan in foul
condition. Flooring defective.
Goodson-street Wash-house floor defective. Water-closet, inadequate flush, pan foul.
Ground floor, front room, wall damp.
Martha-place Water-closet door and seat defective. Flooring defective. House generally
out of repair.
Falkner-street Yard, trap setting defective. Water-closet pan dirty, flush inadequate.
Faulkner-street Yard paving defective, untrapped drain inlet in yard. Drinking water
cistern insufficiently covered, plaster of wash-house walls broken.
Mill-lane (3 houses) Furnished lodgings. The yard common to these houses is badly paved.
Two drain inlets, one choked and the setting of trap of the other is
defective. Two water-closets, no water supply, but in cleanly condition.
Dustbin dilapidated. No stack pipes to the back addition buildings.
Knotts-terrace Wash-house out of repair, floor rotten and defective. Yard badly paved and
setting of trap of drain inlet defective. Cistern not well covered.
Interior of house clean.
Knotts-terrace Yard badly paved and setting of trap of drain inlet defective. Drinking
water cistern, no cover. No guttering to back addition building, washhouse
roof defective. No dustbin.
Knotts-terraco Water-closet pan foul, inadequate flush of water. No guttering to back
addition. Yard insufficiently paved. Drinking water cistern
insufficiently covered. Trap of drain inlet badly set.
Fisher's-rents A common yard, fairly well paved, one common water-closet, no water
supply, pan clean. Houses clean and in fair repair, but very old and
situated much below level of adjoining street.
There are few instances in Deptford of houses built back to back. This condition was found at
Fisher's-rents, Wybourn's-cottages, Providence-place, Slow-cottages, and Nos. 3 and 4, Mary's-