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London County Council.
THE SANITARY CONDITION OF ELTHAM.
Report of the Medical Officer submitting Dr. Young's report on the sanitary condition
and administration of the Parish of Eltham.
(Printed by order of the Public Health Committee, 11th June, 1896.)
I present Dr. Young's report on the sanitary condition and administration of Eltham.
Dr. Young's report shows that there is need in Eltham of more active sanitary administration
than in the past, and especially is there need of a more regular cleansing of cesspools. There would
evidently be advantage in the re-arrangement of the duties of road foreman and sanitary inspector
in the manner indicated by Dr. Young, and the district board should, I think, be asked to consider the
desirability of adopting this course. There would also be advantage if the work of the sanitary
inspector were to a great extent superintended or controlled by the medical officer of health. The
sufficiency of the office accommodation should be considered.
(Signed) Shirley F. Murphy,
Medical Officer of Health.
Dr. Young's Report.
Eltham is one of the four parishes which together form the district under the control of the Lee
Board of Works. This Board was constituted by the Metropolis Management Act, 1893. Previous to
this date the four parishes of Eltham, Lee, Kidbrooke and Charlton were combined with the parish of
Plumstead, and formed one district under the Plumstead Board of Works. The above-mentioned
Act provided for the separation of Plumstead, which became a separate sanitary district under the
Vestry of Plumstead, and the creation of a board of works as the local authority for the remaining
parishes.
Eltham is the largest of these parishes, having an area of 3,782 acres (including 9 acres of water),
or rather more than half the extent, namely, 7,006 acres of the whole district under the jurisdiction of
the Lee Board of Works. It is situated at the extreme south-eastern portion of the county; and a
considerable part of its boundary on the east, south and south-west corresponds with that of the county.
On the north it is bounded by the district of Plumstead and to a small extent by Woolwich, and on
the west by the parishes of Kidbrooke and Lee.
The populated portions of the parish may be said to consist chiefly of three aggregations of
houses. One of these, at the western extremity of the parish, consists of a few cottages near Leegreen,
and a row of large residences extending eastwards along the Eltham-road. A second group is
formed by the village of Eltham, which consists partly of one main street with houses on either side,
and with a few side roads and yards off this street containing small groups of cottages ; and partly of a
large number of residences lying to the south of the village. A third group is a collection of houses
situated on the boundary of the county about a mile and a half to the south-east of the village, and
known as New Eltham. These three groups are separated from one another more or less by intervening
fields and agricultural land, scattered throughout which are some few cottages and big residences.
The parish of Eltham corresponds with the registration sub-district of that name, the population
of which in 1871 was 4,064, in 1881 was 5,048, in 1891 was 5,682, and at the census taken in
March, 1896, for the purposes of the Equalistion of Rates Act, was 5,911. In 1891 the population
consisted of 3,183 females and 2,499 males, or 56.1 per cent. females and 43.9 per cent. males; the
proportion for the whole of London being 52.7 per cent, females and 47.3 per cent, males. The
population of Eltham forms about one-sixth of the total population cf the district of the Lee Board of
Works.
The number of inhabited houses in 1891 was 1,025, which gives an average of 5'6 persons to
each house. The average for London is 7*7 inmates to each house.
The houses in Eltham comprise large residential premises and small cottages occupied by the
working classes. Many of the cottages are of considerable age, and a large proportion are built wholly
or partially of wood. In the old village of Eltham the houses are arranged on either side of the Highstreet,
and in side streets, and yards immediately behind. Most of them are but two storeys high (some
having attic rooms above), and having gardens of good size in the rear they are well provided as
regards light and air. Exception to this remark should be made in respect to some of the cottages
situated in Sun-yard, Kirk's-yard and Scriven-alley. In the case of Sun-yard the houses are arranged
in two rows, with a central block between, and some of the rooms of the houses on the west side are
dark, owing to the proximity of the buildings of the middle block. Moreover, some of these cottages,
as well as some in Kirk's-vard, are built back to back with other buildings, and are thus without means
Sold by Edward Stanford, 26 and 27, Cockspur-street, Charing-cross, S. W.
No. 303. Price Id. [3149