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195
Housing of the Working Classes.
the subject of the Council's application was held by one of the Board's inspectors on 7th, 11th and
12th November, 1910 (c).
The development of the White Hart-lane estate was proceeded with during the year. Roads
and sewers have been constructed on a part of the estate adjoining Lordship-lane, sufficient
to enable about 48¾ acres to be developed. Cottages have been erected on about 23 acres, and
3½ acres have been laid out as an estate garden. About 28 acres have been laid out as allotments
for the benefit of the tenants of the cottages. On sections A and B (10½ acres), 304 cottages, containing
accommodation for 2.454 persons, have been erected.
Lord
Swaythling's
gift.
In 1903 the late Lord Swaythling (then Sir feamuel Montagu, Bt.), gave to the Council £10,000
to be applied towards the development of about 25 acres of the White Hart-lane estate. After taking
into account the interest which had accrued, the gift amounted to £11,841 os. 3d. on 31st March, 1911,
up to which date a sum of £7,587 5s. 3d. had been applied to the purposes of the gift. The portion
of the estate to which the gift has been allocated is known as the Tower-gardens section. The construction
of roads and sewers on the whole of this section has been completed and a considerable proportion
of the roads have been finished and the footways paved, the remainder of the work being
carried out as the cottages are completed. About 3½ acres have, by arrangement with the donor,
been laid out as an estate garden, the cost being defrayed out of the gift. On 31st December, 1910,
314 cottages, capable of accommodating 2,548 persons, had been completed on this section, and a
number of others were in course of erection.
During the year the question of educational facilities for the children of the tenants on
this estate was again before the Council. An offer was received from the Tottenham Urban
District Council to purchase a site of 2 acres for £2,555, for the purpose of erecting a public elementary
school, subject to the Council constructing certain adjoining roads. The Council accepted this
offer and the sale was completed after the necessary consent of the Local Government Board had been
obtained.
Totterdown
fields estate.
The development of the Totterdown-fields estate, Tooting (38J acres), is rapidly approaching
completion. The total number of cottages to be erected on the estate is 1,229 in addition to four shops.
Up to 31st December, 1910, accommodation for 7,698 persons in 1,097 cottages had been provided,
and the four shops had also been completed and were occupied. Contracts for the remaining cottages
have been let and it is anticipated that the building work will have been finished before the end of 1911.
The work of finishing the roads and paving the footways on the remainder of the estate is being carried
out by the Wandsworth Metropolitan Borough Council as the cottages are completed.
Norbury
estate.
Further progress has been made with the development of the Norbury estate, Croydon (28½
acres). Roads and sewers have been constructed on about 18 acres of the estate, and the cottages
already built cover about 12 acres. The work of finishing the roads on this estate is being carried out
by the Croydon Corporation. Up to 31st December, 1910, accommodation for 2,559 persons had
been provided in 339 cottages. Further cottages are in course of erection on the portion of the estate
on which roads have been formed, and the Local Government Board has given its consent to the erection
of four shops. The development of the remainder of the estate is under consideration.
Brickmaking
One of the conditions of purchase of the Norbury estate was that the brickmaking plant which
had been used by the vendor should be purchased by the Council. The Council decided to continue
the manufacture of bricks to be used in the construction of cottages on the estate, and the work was
carried on up to the end of the season 1906-7 by the direct employment of labour. The bricks have
been used for the construction of cottages on the Norbury estate, and have been charged to the capital
account of the cottages at cost price. A few have been otherwise disposed of. All the bricks
having been appropriated, the brickfield account was closed at 31st March, 1911.
Old Oak
estate.
The Old Oak estate, Hammersmith, was purchased by the Council in 1905, and then comprised
about 54½ acres, but about 8 acres have been acquired by the Great Western Railway Company for
the construction of a branch line. A scheme for the development of the western section of the estate,
comprising about 14 acres, has been approved by the Council. The scheme provides for the erection
of 333 cottages and cottage flats, and 5 shops. The cottages will comprise 42 of five rooms, 27 of four
rooms and boxroom, 92 of four rooms, 23 of three rooms and boxroom, 101 of three rooms, 6 of two
rooms and boxroom, and 16 of two rooms. It is proposed to provide 26 cottage flats, 12 with two
rooms and the remainder with one room. Each of the cottages and flats will have a scullery and the
usual offices, and the cottages of five and four rooms and 14 of three-roomed cottages will be fitted
with baths. Contracts have been let for the construction of roads and sewers on the western section
and for the widening of Ducane-road in front of Wormwood-scrubs prison and the extension of the
widened road along the southern boundary of the estate to Old Oak Common-lane. The work was in
progress at the end of the year and contract particulars for cottages to be erected on the first
part of the western section were almost completed. The north-eastern boundary of the estate
where it adjoins Wormwood-scrubs is irregular, and with a view to making the building site more
suitable for development, the Council decided, with the consent of the War Department and the Local
Government Board, to appropriate a portion of the open space, about acres in extent, for housing
purposes, in exchange for portions of the housing estate of equal area to be added to the open space.
A 40 feet road will be constructed along the new boundary line, half the land required for the purpose
(c) The Board has since decided to comply with the Council's application as regards the northern (detached
portion, but the Board is of opinion that sufficient grounds have not been adduced for the sale at the present time o
any part of the main (southern) portion of the estate and is not prepared, therefore, to accede to the Council's
application in this respect.