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second floor, giving access to the interior of the site. There are also two existing archways from Gray's
Inn-road. The main interior of the site will be occupied by five 5-storey transverse blocks of dwellings
divided by yards and gardens. The narrow end of the site next Grays Inn-road will contain another
short block of five-storey dwellings, and the remainder of the site between this block and Gray's Innroad
frontages will be laid out as a playground and garden. An estate office and twenty-three shops
will be provided on the ground floor of the dwellings facing Clerkenwell-road and Leather-lane. The
accommodation will consist of 551 tenements, of which only 13 will be associated and the remainder
self-contained. The 13 associated tenements all consist of one room ; there will be 361 two-roomed
tenements, 136 three-roomed tenements, and 41 four-roomed tenements. Accommodation will be provided
in all for 2,614 persons exclusive of the shops.
In July the Council approved the working drawings, specification and bills of quantities
in respect of the foundations of two of the blocks of buildings, together with an estimate of
£15,000 in respect of the foundations of all the blocks of buildings on the site except those facing
Clerkenwell-road and Leather-lane, and resolved that if the manager of the Works department
was prepared to undertake the work of constructing the foundation of two of the blocks at the
architect's estimate, and the foundation of the remaining blocks at the same schedule of prices,
that the drawings, specification, quantities and estimate be referred to him for that purpose.
In October the Council resolved to invite tenders for the erection of the superstructure
of blocks A, B, and C on the site, and the committee reported that the manager of the Works
department should have the opportunity of erecting blocks D, E and F at the amount of the
architect's estimate. In December the Council approved the working drawings, bills of quantities
and specifications in respect of the superstructure of blocks C and D, and the estimate of £62,135
in respect of the superstructure of blocks A to F, and in the same month accepted a tender of
£10,026 for block C, the erection of the superstructure of blocks A and B to be undertaken at
the same schedule of prices. The Council also resolved that the superstructure of blocks D, E
and F should be erected by the manager of the Works department, and referred the working
drawings, specifications, bills of quantities and architect's estimate relating to block D to him for
this purpose on the understanding that the superstructure of blocks E and F shall be undertaken
at the same schedule of prices.
liotherhithe Tunnel displacement.—The Council also accepted a tender of £8,122 in September
for the erection on a site in Swan-lane, a block of dwellings consisting of 20 two-room
and 20 three-room tenements, providing accommodation for 200 persons displaced by the construction
of the Rotherhithe Tunnel.
Millbank estate.—The erection of artisan dwellings on this site was continued during the
year. In March, the Housing of the Working Classes Committee reported that Ruskin-buildings
was completed. This block is divided into four houses containing 85 tenements and 215 rooms,
giving accommodation for 430 persons. In April Rossetti-buildings was practically completed.
This block is divided into three houses containing 60 tenements and 145 rooms, accommodating
290 persons. In October one block of Reynolds-buildings was nearly completed. The block contains
20 tenements of two rooms and 20 tenements of three rooms, and provides accommodation for
200 persons. A remaining block, the completion of which was delayed by a fire, was finished in
November. It contains 19 tenements of two rooms, 19 tenements of three rooms, and provides
accommodation for 190 persons. It also contains an estate office and a four-room tenement for
the superintendent. In the same month Mulready-buildings was completed. It provides accommodation
for 230 persons in 20 tenements of two rooms and 25 tenements of three rooms.
Buildings opened during the year.
The following buildings erected by the Council were opened during 1901—Ruskin-buildings
Millbank-estate, providing accommodation for 430 persons; Wellesley-buildings, Churchway,
St. Pancras, for 360 persons; Rossetti-buildings, Millbank-estate, for 290 persons; Reynoldsbuildings,
for 200 persons; Lowood and Chancery buildings, Cable-street, Shadwell, for 276
persons; Hardy-cottages, Trafalgar-road, Greenwich, for 306 persons; Toronto and Montreal
buildings, Ann-street, Poplar, for 190 persons; Battersea-bridge-buildings, for 286 persons.
Displacement of persons of the working class.
On the 23rd October, 1900, the Council resolved that the Building Act Committee should
inform the Housing of the Working Classes Committee of all applications under the Building
Act which were made to them, and which involved displacement of persons of the working
class. A report of the latter Committee, dated the 27th November, 1901, showed that to
that time the applications involved the removal of 517 houses thus occupied and the erection of
141. The number of persons displaced was 4,393, the number of persons proposed to be rehoused
was 1,692, leaving 2,701 persons unprovided for.
Reference to proceedings under the Housing of the Working Classes Act by Medical
Officers of Health.
The annual reports of medical officers of health supply the following information as to the
action taken in their districts in connection with this Act.
The medical officer of health of Paddington presented two reports, a preliminary report
containing statistics of the approximate housing conditions, sickness and mortality rates in three
special areas, viz., North Wharf-road area, Hall-park area and Clarendon-street area, and later,
a second and more complete report as to the last-named area. The Borough Council of Kensington
had before them a Teport by their medical officer of health on overcrowding in the
borough, with the result that the council adopted Part III. of the Act. He further recommended
that the Public Health Committee and the Law and General Purposes Committee should consider
and report as to the Council adopting the provisions of the Small Dwellings Acquisition Act.
The question was referred to the Law and General Purposes Committee, who reported in favour
of adopting the Act. This report was adopted by the borough council but no further action taken up
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