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of through ventilation; in all these cases, however, the houses do not contain more than two rooms,
one above the other. Scriven-alley is a narrow passageway leading off the High-street, in which
there are four very old two-room cottages without back yards or proper means of through ventilation.
At New Eltham the houses have been constructed at a more recent date than many in the old village,
having been built within the last 30 years. They are brick buildings, two storeys high, with back
additions and washhouses, are arranged in some three or four streets of good width, and have goodsized
gardens at the rear.
In houses of this class no drain inlets were found within doors, and waste pipes were found to be
properly disconnected and to discharge over trapped gulleys in the open air.
Nearly all cottages are provided with water-closets, which are situated in the garden at the
rear, but a few outlying cottages have earth-closets and privies. The earth-closets which were seen
were not properly attended to, and the receptacles were in a foul condition. As regards the condition
of the privies, I found that at one group of cottages in Well hall-lane, were there were four privies
under one roof, the cesspool had an overflow to an adjoining ditch, and this was fouled by excrement.
In the case of another privy the excrement was seen soaking through the surface of ground at the back
of the privy building. At another cottage, where the privy was situated within twenty feet of the back
door complaint was made by the tenant that it had not been cleansed for several years. I was informed
during the inquiry that there are now some forty cesspools in the parish, and that when it is necessary
to cleanse any of them arrangements are made by the vestry with the Bexley Urban District Council
for the execution of the work. It does not appear, however, that there is any systematic periodical
cleansing, while as regards some of the privies referred to above I was informed that the cleansing of
the cesspool was carried out by the tenant or the owner whenever they considered this proceeding was
necessary.
In most cases each house is provided with its own water-closet, but at Sun-yard, Kirk's-yard, Scrivenalley,
and at a group of houses, which includes the west side of Pound-place and the adjoining houses in
High-street, a number of water-closets have been erected in one or more buildings in the common yard,
there being generally one water-closet to each house. It is stated that the drainage from these waterclosets
as well as from yard drain inlets usually discharges into a drain common to a group of houses
and not directly into a sewer, the combined drains passing out to join the sewer at the end of a row of
houses, and seldom, if ever, passing underneath a dwelling. This system of drainage was constructed
some twenty to thirty years ago, but no records appear to have been kept of their arrangement,
so that it is not possible to obtain definite information as to the course of the drains. In some
instances ventilation pipes were noticed, placed apparently at the head of a combined drain, but so far
as could be ascertained intercepting traps between the drains and the sewer do not exist. It is said that
the drains are laid at a considerable depth from the surface, and that complaint of nuisance arising from
them is seldom made. A large proportion of the water-closets in the houses visited were unprovided
with water supply or flushing apparatus, and in some instances the pans were in a dirty state. The
absence of water supply appears to be due to the fact that till recently many of the cottages have
obtained their water from wells, and although this condition is now being altered, and a proper supply
from a public source is being provided, the alteration has not yet been completed.
The condition of houses visited during the inspection varies considerably. A condition which
was frequently met with was dampness of walls; this in some cases appears to be brought about by
a defective state of the guttering or of the pointing of the house; in others it is apparently due to
moisture rising from the ground. In the latter case this was probably contributed to by the absence or
defective state of yard paving adjoining the house which was noticed in many instances. In one row
of eight cottages, some of which showed marked signs of dampness, the water supply tap is fixed to the
rear wall immediately outside the door leading from the kitchen to the yard, in such a way that splashing
of the brickwork must occur each time that water is drawn. Generally speaking, the interior of houses
were in a cleanly condition and in fair repair, but a few cottages were worn out and dilapidated, and in
some rooms the walls were dirty or defective and the flooring, sometimes laid directly on the earth,
without any intervening air space, was rotten and broken.
The cottages in Eltham are mostly occupied by single families, and there is no evidence of
overcrowding occurring to any extent.
The water supply for this district is furnished by the Kent Waterworks, and except in two or
three instances, each house has or is being provided with a separate tap, the water being drawn direct
from the main. At one cottage complaint was made, when I visited, that the inmates had been without
a supply for several months, owing to a spring which they originally depended on having been diverted
by the construction of a new railway.
The removal of house refuse is carried out by a contractor. It is stated that a list of premises
which are to be called at is given daily to the contractor by the surveyor, and that a weekly collection
is made from all houses. Houses are now in most cases furnished with movable dust receptacles, but
in some there was no receptacle and accumulations were noticed in the gardens.
The bakehouses visited were all situated on the ground level and in a satisfactory state.
The cowsheds, slaughterhouses and milkshops were also found to be kept in compliance with the
regulations. The cowsheds are all situated at a distance from dwellings, and it is not customary to
provide dung receptacles. This seems to lead to the accumulation in the yard adjoining the sheds of
large deposits of manure and stall refuse which are afterwards dug out and removed to the fields. This
operation was taking place at one cowshed at the time of my visit, and was the cause of much nuisance
in the immediate neighbourhood.
The vestry have a contract with the district of Plumstead for the removal and the disinfection by
steam of articles of clothing and bedding. The disinfection of rooms is carried out by the sanitary
inspector, sulphur being burnt for the purpose.
The subject of the erection of a mortuary for the parish is at present under consideration.
Although there is a small mortuary in the district at Charlton cemetery, the distance from Eltham is
too great to make it available for this part of the district.