London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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London County Council 1901

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]

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2
Metropolitan borough.
A rea in statute
acres.
Enumerated
population,
1901.
Number
of persons to
an acre.
Finsbury 589 101,463 172
London, City of 673 26,923 40
Shoreditch 658 118,637 180
Bethnal.green 759 129,680 171
Stepney 1,766 298,600 169
Poplar 2,328 168,822 73
Southwark 1,131 206,180 182
Bermondsey 1,500 130,760 87
Lambeth 4,080 301,895 74
Battersea 2,160 168,907 78
Wandsworth 9,130 232,034 25
Camberwell 4,480 259,339 58
Deptford 1,563 110,398 71
Greenwich 3,852 95,770 25
Lewisham 7,014 127,495 18
Woolwich 8,277 117,178 14
London 74,839 4 536,541 61
The census report for London, 1901, shows the number of persons occupying tenements
of less than five rooms in the several metropolitan boroughs. This information enables some
estimate to be formed of the character of the several populations, and the following table has
been prepared for this purpose from the figures given in the census report. It will be seen from
the table that in Lewisham only 3.5 per cent, of the population occupied tenements of one room,
while in Holborn this percentage was 27'0, the figures for the other boroughs being ranged
between these two extremes. The Borough of Finsbury had the largest proportion of the population
living in two.roomed tenements, viz., 327 per cent., the proportion being lowest in Lewisham,
viz., 6.2 per cent. The table also shows the proportion of the population of each borough
occupying tenements of one, two, three and four rooms in which there were more than two
persons to a room. Employing the term " overcrowding" to represent such usage it will be
seen that the borough having the smallest proportion of the population living in overcrowded
tenements of one room was that of Lewisham (0.34 per cent.), the borough having the largest
proportion being that of Holborn (8'28 per cent.). In the case of overcrowded tenements of
two rooms the extremes are to be found in Lewisham (0.75 per cent.) and Finsbury (16'72 per
cent.). Considering tenements of under five rooms as a whole the smallest proportion of the
population living more than two in a room in such tenements is to be found in Lewisham,
viz., 2.67 per cent., and the largest proportion in Finsbury, viz., 35'22 per cent. It will be
seen from the table that " overcrowding," as judged by this standard, is particularly marked in
the districts comprised in the eastern and central groups.

Overcrowding, etc., in tenements of less than five rooms. City of Loudon—Population, 26,923 ; total tenements, 5,339.

Tenements withNo. of tenements.Percentage of all tenements.Total occnpaDts.Percentage of population in each group of tenements.Average occupants per room.Overcrowding.
No. of 1 to 4 roomed tenements with more than 2 occupants per room.No. of occupants of such tenements.Percentage of population in such tenements.
1 roam7751451,4215.31.881515632.09
2 rooms1,1232103,77614.01.682561,5535.77
3 „88516.63,22912.01.22816472.40
4 „5249.82,1998.21.05161580.59
Total3,30761.910,62539.55042,92110.85

Battrksea—Population, 168,907; total tenements, 38,987.

1 room3,4138.86,3423.81.867892,7071.60
2 rooms5,88715.119,17211.41.631,1596,6663.95
37,93420.430,37518.01.287285,6003.32
4 „6,85517.633,1101961.213563,4082.02
Total24,08961.988,9995283,03218,38110.89