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48
Housing of the Working Classes Act.
The following is a summary of the proceedings taken by the London County Council and
the metropolitan borough councils in connection with the housing of the working classes during
the year 1903—
Representations under Part I. of the Housing of the Working Classes Act.
Back Church.lane area, Stepney.— This area was represented under the Act by the medical
officer of health of Stepney in October, 1901. It comprises about two acres, and contains 206
houses, with several stables and sheds. The area consists of two parts, (a) the block of property
bounded by Berner.street on the east, Back Church.lane on the west, Fairclough.street on the
south, and Batty's.gardens on the north; (b) the block of property which comprises both sides
of Gloucester.buildings, Boyd.street and Everard.street, and the nine houses from Everard.street
to Gloucester.buildings which front Back Church.lane. Many of the houses in part (a) are
two storeys in height, and some are damp and in bad repair. This part of the area had changed
hands in 1901, and again recently at a greatly enhanced price. There was ground for anticipating
that this part of the area would shortly be rebuilt for commercial purposes. Part (b)
consists of six rows of small houses nearly all two storeys in height, practically worn out, and
with cramped yard spaces in the rear. The population of the area amounted to 1,296 persons,
of whom 1,258 were of the working class, mostly foreigners. The corrected death.rate of the
whole area for the period 1898.1900 was 19'2 per 1,000, while the corresponding death.rate for
the parish of St. George.in.the.East, in which the area is situated, was 26.9 for the period
1898.9. The Housing of the Working Classes Committee reported to the Council in March,
1903, that in view of the low death.rate, and the expectation of changes in the area, an
improvement scheme was not necessary, and the Council, on the 10th March, resolved accordingly.
On the 5th May the Committee reported that a letter had been received from the
Secretary of State forwarding a communication from the Metropolitan Borough Council of
Stepney to the effect that that council was of opinion that no further step should at present be
taken, and that the council based its opinion on information that a large part of the area was
about to be dealt with by private enterprise, and that some rehousing would take place thereon.
Warner.street area, Holborn.— This area was represented by the medical officer of health
of Holborn in 1901. It is about two acres in extent, and comprises some 120 houses and premises
in Warner.street, Fleet.row, Summers.street, Little Bath.street, Back.hill, Eyre.street.hill, and
Eyre.court. The houses generally are old and worn out, and in many cases have inadequate
or no back yards. The streets are narrow and a large number are situated in courts whose only
approach is by means of covered archways. The population of the area is about 1,170 persons,
almost all of whom are Italians of the working class. The death.rate of this population from
all causes was 29.2 per 1,000, or 30 higher than that of Holborn, the death.rate from phthisis
being lower than that of Holborn. The Housing of the Working Classes Committee reported
on the 10th November that in the course of their inquiries they had learned that by far the
greater portion of the area was in the hands of the freeholders, who were developing it for
commercial purposes. "This property comprises much of the interior of the area wherein the
most insanitary conditions prevail, and the action that is being taken by the freeholders is
resulting in the creation of fresh subsidiary interests and the erection of business premises."
The Committee were of opinion that, in view of the change in the area from a residential to a
commercial character, which is rapidly taking place, they were unable to advise the Council to
incur the heavy expenditure which the carrying into effect of a scheme for dealing with the area
would involve. The Council therefore resolved that an improvement scheme should not be made.
Kilburn.vale area, Hampstead.— This area was represented in June, 1903, by the medical
officer of health of Hampstead. It is about an acre in extent and is situated close to the Kilburn
Station, and is bounded on the north.west by West End.lane,'.on the south.east by the premises
of the London General Omnibus Company, on the north.east by Abbey.lane, and on the southeast
by Providence.place, and comprises 60 premises and two disused cottages. The houses are
mostly cottages, some with ample space in front and rear, while other houses have insufficient
or no back vards. Many of the cottages are old, and some in bad condition. The population
numbered 360, and the mean annual death.rates per 1,000 living for the period 1898.1902 compared
with those of Hampstead and London were—
Principal epidemic Infant
All causes. diseases. Phthisis. mortality.
Kilburn.vale area 18.9 3.3 1.7 217
Hampstead 11.3 1.1 0.8 109
London 18.2 2.4 1.8 155
The Housing of the Working Classes Committee reported that the evils which existed were not, in
their opinion, such as to require an improvement scheme, and that if dealt with by scheme the
area could not be considered of importance to London as a whole, and the Council resolved that
the area was not of general importance to the County of London and should be dealt with under
Part II. of the Act.
Park.street area, Southwark.— In 1903 the Council received a representation as to an area
in and about Park.street, Southwark, concerning which the Housing of the Working Classes
Committee stated in a report in December that the Committee were advised that the area will
in all probability shortly be converted from residential cottages into commercial property, and
that it appeared therefore undesirable that it should be dealt with under the costly provisions of
Part I. of the Act.