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

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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London

London County Council 1906

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

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Table: Registered houses let in lodgings.

Registered houses let in lodgings.

Sanitary area.Number of places.No. of Inspections, 1906.No. of Notices, 1906.No. of Prosecutions, 1906.
On register at end of 1905.Added in 1906.Re-moved in in 1906.On register at end of 1906.
Paddington1,150140181,2727,474* 28* _
† 4,422† 13
Kensington2,107—1261,9818,354* 52*-
† 1,145† 1
Hammersmith2,5772753292,523231
Fulham32911435056-
Chelsea602——602195—-
Westminster, City of1,6417461,6021,905* 10* -
† 240† -
St. Marylebone758——758
Hampstead19940—23918958-
St. Pancras2,192151472,296
Islington891——89112,187* 45* _
† 1,199† 2
Stoke Newington2595366246246
Hackney388—4634563/1
Holborn7591706901,397881-
Finsbury1,169111261,25111,184* 78* -
† 2,337† 4
London, City of315374
Shoreditch2832037266418492
Bethnal Green45565195012,23125* 1
Stepney2,672165252,8122,451* 375* 10
† 1,232† 16
Poplar87783—9602,968459
Southwark1,2411251,2484,2983,02110
Bermondsey2213—224684* 12—
† 140—
Lambeth372——37237248—
Battersea1212—123386118—
Wandsworth218——218438* 10
† 40614
Camberwell217—-217621* 4* 1
—† 137† -
Deptford269——269
Greenwich3——3———
Lewisham15——15180* 9—
† 20—
Woolwich265486307520* 46* 4
† 270† 4

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The question of sufficiency of staff for the purpose of regulation of houses let in lodgings is mentioned
in two of the reports. The medical officer of health of Hampstead states that "The services of
at least one additional inspector will be necessary before the Health Department will be in a position to
register and inspect an adequate number of tenement houses under the by-laws, and so exercise that
control of these houses which is, in my opinion, one of the chief sanitary needs of the borough at the
present time," and the medical officer of health of Greenwich reports, " On account of the inadequacy
of the staff the by-laws relating to this class of property still remain in abeyance." The London County
Council has been in communication with the Greenwich Borough Council on this subject.
The Public Health Committee had under consideration the question whether the proportion of
tenements of less than five rooms, as stated in the census returns, afforded any indication of the number
of tenements which would be subject to by-laws for houses let in lodgings, and in this connection it
was pointed out that the figures contained in the census returns included tenements in block dwellings
which are usually not within the meaning of the term " houses let in lodgings." The Committee gave
instructions for inquiries to be made as to the number of rooms and rents of tenements in block dwellings
in the several metropolitan areas. As the result of these inquiries, a tabular statement was prepared
which will be found in the Appendix. (See Appendix I.)
It will be seen from this statement that of 672,030 tenements of less than five rooms in London,
as shown in the census return of 1901, 53,571 or 7.9 per cent, are in block dwellings. In the central
districts of Westminster, Holbom, and Finsbury, the percentage is 21.4, 21.4, and 18.5, while in the
outlying districts of Lewisham, Wandsworth, and Woolwich the percentages are 0.7, 0.2, and 0.3
* For overcrowding.
† For other conditions.