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
City of London 1938
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London, City of ]
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Density.—City of London Registration District, at night, 17.3 persons to an acre;
City of London Registration District, during the day, *664.1 persons to an acre; Registration
London, at night, 59.5 persons to an acre.
Annual Rateable Value.—The rateable value of property within the administrative
county of London (including the City) was £61,631,382, on April 6th, 1938, whilst on the
same date the corresponding rateable value of property in the City of London was £8,251,092,
or about one-seventh of the whole County,
The annual sum receivable from a penny rate is £33,240.
Population.—The undermentioned figures are extracted from the Report of the
Registrar-General on the Census of England and Wales, 1921:—
Area, Inhabited Houses. Population. Private
Statute Families.
Acres. 1911. 1921. 1911. 1921. 1921.
City of London (Not including the Temple) 661 2,784 2,398 19,657 13,709 3,174
These figures represent the population on the nights of the 3rd April, 1911, and the
19th June, 1921.
The following table shows the progressive decline which has taken place since 1861 in the number of inhabitants who reside within the City boundaries, and the progressive increase in the number of workers who are daily employed in the City:—
| Year. | Imperial Census. Night Population. | City Census, Day Population. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1861 | 112,063 | - | |
| 1866 | — ............ | 170,133 | |
| 1871 | 75,983 | — | |
| 1881 | 51,405 | 261,061 | |
| 1891 | 37,705 | 301,384 | |
| 1901 | 26,923 | — | |
| 1911 | 19,657 | 364,061 | |
| 1921 | 13,709 | 436,721 (Imperial | |
| 1931 | 10,808 | — (Census.) | |
There is only one registration district in the City.
The estimated population of the City, for the year 1938, is 8,780, and consists principally
of members of the working classes. There is very little poverty or unemployment amongst
the residents. The day population of some half-a-million persons is mainly engaged in
such industries as Banking, Insurance, Shipping, Textile, and Wholesale and Retail Trades.
The day Census taken in 1911 showed that the day population was 364,061 persons,
and also that 1,077,155 persons and 94,095 vehicles entered and left the City on the day
the count was taken.
Births.—During the year 1938, 541 live births were registered in the City, 518 of which,
however, did not belong thereto. To the remaining 15 must be added the births of 43
children born to citizens temporarily residing outside the City boundary.
The number of births, therefore, on which the rate should be calculated is 58. There
was one still birth. The annual birth-rate was 6.6 per 1,000 persons of all ages, compared
with a quinquennial mean rate of 7.3 per 1,000. In the Metropolis the birth-rate in
1938 was 13.4 per 1,000.
*This figure refers only to persons "actively engaged in the City during the daytime," and is based upon
the Imperial Census taken in June, 1921.