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 1951
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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More than half (57 per cent, of the total) consist of converted houses, in multiple
occupation (see Table VIII).
The proportion of family houses is much higher south of the Thames (22 per
cent.), while converted houses and purpose.built flats are predominant north of the
river. The highest proportion of family houses covered by the survey is to be found
in Greenwich, Woolwich and Deptford (47 per cent.), the lowest in Westminster,
St. Pancras, St. Marylebone, Paddington and Hampstead (4 per cent.).
Boroughs with the highest proportion of purpose.built flats are Poplar, Stepney,
Bethnal Green and the City (33 per cent.) and Bermondsey, Lambeth and Southwark
(31 per cent.) (see Tables II and III).
Size of
Dwelling
The average size of a dwelling for the whole County (within the scope of the
sample), is 3.0 living rooms. The most usual size of a family house is four rooms
(34 per cent, of the total) and five rooms (29 per cent.). Flats, whether in converted
houses or purpose.built blocks are, on the whole, smaller, the most usual size being
3.roomed. More detailed analysis is presented in Tables IV and V below.
Family
accommodation
rates
Only 7 per cent, of the total number of health visitors' districts showed
accommodation rates below 1.1 persons per room. This represents only about 4 per
cent, of the total number of dwellings in the sample.
Table IV
| Type | Number of Rooms | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 + | |
| Family House | — | — | 17 | 34 | 29 | 20 |
| Converted House in multiple occupation | 10 | 36 | 39 | 12 | 2 | 1 |
| Purpose.built flats | 4 | 26 | 46 | 19 | 4 | 1 |
| Others | 9 | 20 | 32 | 25 | 9 | 5 |
Table V
| Health Divisioi Nos. | Metropolitan Boroughs | Family House | Converted, House in Multiple Occ. | Purpose. Built Flats | Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1) | (2) | (3) | (4) | (5) | |
| Chelsea, Fulham, Hammersmith, Kensington | 4.7 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 3.0 | |
| 2 | Hampstead, Paddington, St. Marylebone, St. Pancras, Westminster | 4.9 | 2.5 | 2.9 | 2.9 |
| 3 | Finsbury, Islington, Holborn | 4.3 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 3.2 |
| 4 | Hackney. Shoreditch, Stoke Newington | 4.8 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 3.8 |
| 5 | Bethnal Green, City, Poplar, Stepney | 4.3 | 2.5 | 2.9 | 3.5 |
| 6 | Deptford, Greenwich, Woolwich | 4.7 | 2.7 | 3.1 | 3.8 |
| 7 | Camberwell, Lewisham | 4.6 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 3.1 |
| 8 | Bermondsey, Lambeth, Southwark | 4.4 | 2.7 | 2.9 | 3.3 |
| 9 | Battersea, Wandsworth | 4.6 | 2.8 | 3.2 | 3.3 |
| County | 4.6 | 2.7 | 3.0 | — | |
The lowest family accommodation rates are to be found in South Woolwich,
Greenwich, round Greenwich Park and Blackheath, South Lambeth, Streatham and
Southfields. Small areas are also revealed in Fulham (in the vicinity of the Hammersmith
Cemetery), Hammersmith (Stamford Bridge), Stoke Newington, and Hackney
(Hackney Downs). The hard core of high family accommodation rates is associated
chiefly with the areas built up in the second half of the 19th century. They are
found in St. Pancras and Islington, North Kensington and North Paddington and in
Southwark, northern portions of Battersea and Lambeth. Another concentration of
high accommodation rates is found in highly industrialised areas (which comprise
most of London's mixed development). These are Finsbury, Shoreditch, Bethnal