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numbered 511 persons, and the mean death rate obtaining for the period 1895-99 was 30*5 per 1,000
living compared with 2T9 for the parish of Clerkenwell. The deaths under one year of age per 1,000
births in the area for the same period were 368 compared with 189 in Clerkenwell. The Council, on
the recommendation of the Committee, resolved that the area was one which should be dealt with
under Part II. of the Act, but in March, 1899, upon further consideration, instructed the Committee
to prepare a scheme under Part I. for dealing with the insanitary courts and alleys. In July the
Council resolved to acquire the frontages in St. John-street, between Aylesbury-street and Albeinarlestreet,
for the purpose of widening and giving opportunity for the construction of a double line of
tramways, and hence the Committee prepared a scheme dealing with the houses in Aylesbnry-place,
Bishop's-court, Jerusalem-court, and the east side of Jerusalem-passage.
Union-buildings area, Holborn—This area was under the consideration of the Committee in 1890,
and a draft scheme was prepared for its improvement. The Committee could not, however, at the
time provide for the number of persons displaced, and hence the Committee were unable to recommend
the Council to adopt a scheme. The area abuts on Portpool-lane, Leather-lane and Verulamstreet,
and comprises Union-buildings, Providence-place, Crown-court, Half Moon-court and Dovecourt.
The death rate obtaining in the area for the period 1896-8 works out at 46T per 1,000 living,
the corresponding death rate for the district of Holborn being 23'8. The changes which had taken
place in the area since 1890 enabled the Committee now to present a scheme for its improvement,
and to utilize land which was available for rehousing for the accommodation for some proportion of
the number of persons who would be displaced from the Aylesbury-place area. The number of persons
of the working-class to be displaced from the Aylesbury-place area was 495, for 200 of whom accommodation
would be provided on that area, leaving a deficit of 295. The number of persons of the
working-class to be displaced from the Union-buildings area was 907, the site affording accommodation
for 1,200. Hence the two areas together would provide accommodation for all but two of the
number displaced. The estimate of the gross cost of the property to be acquired was £220,500, the
recoupment by sale of surplus lands and value of housing sites £30,700, the whole net cost being
£189,800. On October 23rd the Council passed the necessary resolution for the improvement of the
two areas.
Webber-road, King's Bench-walk, and Grotto-place areas, St. George-the-Martyr, Southward—
The Webber-row area is about two acres in extent and comprises houses in Webber row and street,
Williams-place, Spiller's-court, Emmett's-yard, Jolin's-place, and Waterloo-roadk for the most part
insanitary. In the centre of the area is a large garden in which are situated eight almshouses. In
proximity to houses in the area are a number of insanitary stables. The number of persons of the
working-class resident in the area is 245. The total population of the area was 310, and the death rate
for the period 1896-9, 30*6 per 1,000 living, as compared with 24*9 per 1,000 for the parish.
The King's Bench-walk area is nearly five acres in extent, and comprises, in addition to a London
School Board school and the Council's Green-street dwellings, about 150 houses, mostly insanitary,
situated in King'3 Bench-walk, Pocock-street, Green-street, Upper Green-street, Friar-street,
Wellington-place, Bean-street and Bird-court. The number of persons of the working-class resident
in the area is 658. The death rate in the area for the period 1896-9 was 30*5 per 1,000 living, as
compared with 24*9 per 1,000 for the parish.
The Grotto-place area is about 2i acres in extent, and comprises houses in Grotto-place,
Caffrey-place, Queen's-court, King's-court, Great Suffolk-street, Sturge-street, Goldsmith-place, Princessplace,
and Lant-place. The houses are badly arranged, and mostly old two-storey cottages, with much
open space about many of them. The population of the area is 1,077, and the death rate for the period
1896-98 is 18*9 per 1,000 living.
The Committee presented to the Council a scheme for the improvement of the King's Benchwalk
and Webber-row areas, which provided for the housing of 1,750 persons, 750 on the Webber-row
area and 1,000 on the King's Bench-walk area. The estimated cost was as follows—Cost of property,
£183,000 ; cost of street widenings, £4,950 ; recoupment by sale of surplus land and value of housing
sites, £35,000; total net cost, £152,950.
On the 24th October the Council passed the necessary resolutions for the improvement of the
Webber-row and King's Bench-walk areas.
Burford's-court, Tucker's-court and Favonia-street areas, Poplar—The Burford's-court area comprises
seventeen insanitary houses in Burford's-court, Ashton-street and Bobin Hood-lane, the number of
persons of the working class resident in the area is 74. The death rate in the period 1894-99 was 25'1
per 1,000 as compared with a death rate of 20*9 per 1,000 in the district of Poplar. The Tucker's-court
area comprises 25 houses in Tucker's-court, Dingle-court and High-street in an insanitary condition.
The number of persons of the working class occupying the area was 114. The death rate in the area
in 1894-99 was 25*6 per 1,000, that of children under 5 years of age, being 108*7 as compared with
70*0 in Poplar. The Favonia-street area comprised only a group of sixteen insanitary cottages in
Nelson-court and Sarah-place. The number of persons of the working class occupying the area was 53.
The Committee proposed to rehouse on the neighbouring Anne-street area 155 persons of the
241 displaced from the three areas, and to provide accommodation for 114 on a portion of the
Preston-road site, already in possession of the Council, and which is little more than a mile from the
Tucker's-court area. The Favonia-street area was to be devoted to a playground, which was much needed
in the district, and the Burford's-court and Tucker's-court sites to be sold for commercial purposes.
The estimated gross cost of the property to be acquired was £16,000 ; the estimated cost of laying out
the playground was £500 ; the recoupment by sale of surplus lands £3,200, the total net cost being
£13,300,
The Council passed the necessary resolution for giving effect to these recommendations on the
17th October.
Garden-row, Roby-street, Baltic-street, and Honduras-street, areas, St. Luke—The Council received
representations as to 10 areas in this district. The Garden-row area is nearly an acre in extent, and