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London County Council.
REPORT BY THE MEDICAL OFFICER ON ACCOMMODATION
FOR WOMEN IN COMMON LODGING-HOUSES.
(Ordered to be printed by the Public Health Committee, 3rd July, 1902.)
Public Health Department,
8, St. Martin's-place, W.C.
21 st July, 1902.
In 1897 I presented to the Committee a report on the accommodation which the common
lodging-houses of London provide for women and children. In discussing the subject I described as
one house two or more contiguous houses in the same occupation which had been adapted in such a,
way that some part of them was used in common by the inmates. Thus dealt with, the report showed
that there were at that time altogether 73 common lodging-houses receiving women, and that these
houses provided accommodation for 1,505 single women or women occupying beds for one person and
732 occupying "doubles" or beds provided for married couples, the houses thus accommodating
2,237 women. Examination of the common lodging-houses at the present time shows, when the
houses are thus considered, that there are on the register 69 houses, receiving 2,151 single women
and 574 beds for married couples, or an increase of nearly 500 beds for women. In 1897, 801 women
were accommodated in houses occupied by this sex only; at the present time such accommodation
exists for 1,491 women, the result being, in part, due to the inclusion in the latter figure of a shelter
for between 200 and 300 women, which was not included in the earlier figures. In 1897, in
houses providing for single men and single women, there was accommodation for 90 men and 97
women; in 1902 these numbers are respectively 132 and 86. Again, in 1897, the accommodation in
houses used for single women, single men and "doubles," provided for 277, 581 and 253 respectively;
in 1902 the numbers respectively are 142, 313 and 93. The total number of "doubles" was in
1897, 732; it is now 575; and whereas in 1897 in houses containing 129 married couples there were
399 single men, in 1902 there are now only 95 married couples in houses also accommodating 274
single men. The reduction in the total number of "doubles" has taken place chiefly in houses occupied
jointly by single men, single women and married couples. The changes here shown are due to more
than one circumstance. They are caused in part by former common lodging-houses being abandoned,
and by new common lodging-houses coming into existence, and are further due to the fact that the
Council has discouraged, as far as it has been possible to do so, the use of houses by single persons of
both sexes. Hence houses which contained beds for both sexes are now more largely devoted entirely
to one or the other sex. The chief inspector, moreover, informs me that in a very short time the
keepers of two of the largest houses providing for single women and single men under the same roof
will voluntarily abandon this arrangement. Trifling alterations in the numbers of persons accommodated
in these houses are continually being made, but the figures given in this report may be regarded
as a very close approximation to the actual facts. Since the Council has had the supervision of common
lodging-houses much has been done to provide water-closets and washing accommodation properly
separated for the two sexes, in houses used jointly, but, as will be seen from the accompanying statement,
this is still far from complete. In my report of 1897 I pointed out that the accommodation provided for
women was generally interior to that provided for men, although the charge made for lodging was often
higher. As the result of inspection I have recently made, I find this statement is still true so far as
relates to the kitchens and lavatories, although, as in other respects, improvement has in recent years
been made in the provision for washing. The following statement as to each house is derived from
the reports of the several inspectors.
Shirley F. Murphy,
Medical Officer of Health.
Westminster, 1.—This house is registered for 86 persons (single women and married couples).
The front portion of the building consists of basement and four upper floors, the rooms on these
four floors contain 42 beds for single women, the basement being used as kitchen and lavatory by these
women only; the rear portion consists of ground floor and one upper floor, the ground floor has a
kitchen for married couples only, with a lavatory out of which opens a dormitory containing 10 beds
for single women; the upper floor contains 14 cubicles for married couples and two cubicles for
married couples with two children under 10 years. The lavatory on ground floor is used by the
whole of the lodgers for washing purposes, and has six fixed wash-basins with two washing troughs
for clothes, but the lavatory in basement has five wash-basins and two troughs used by single
women only. There are four water-closets situate in open area on ground level, one of these is set
apart for men only. The charges at this house are—Is. per night for couples, and 6d. per night for
single women.
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