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

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City of London 1938

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London, City of ]

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60
registered lodging houses.
Public Health (London) Act, 1891, Sec. 94 ;
and Housing Act, 1925, Sec. 6.
The Corporation, as the Sanitary Authority in the City, was required under the provisions
of Sec. 94 of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, and Section 6 of the Housing
Act, 1925, to make and enforce Bye-laws with respect to houses intended or used for occupation
by the working classes and let in lodgings or occupied by members of more than one
family for the following purposes :—
For regulating the number of persons and separation of the sexes.
For the registration and inspection of such houses.
For enforcing drainage and promoting cleanliness and ventilation.
For requiring adequate and accessible and, where necessary, separate
provision of closet accommodation, washing accommodation, and
accommodation for the storage, preparation and cooking of food.
For the keeping in repair and adequate lighting of any common staircase.
For the cleansing and redecorating of the premises, and for the paving
of the courts and courtyards.
For the provision of handrails for staircases.
For securing adequate lighting.
For the taking of precautions in any case of infectious disease.

Particulars relating to the registered Lodging-houses in the City now on the Register are given in the ccompanying table:—

District.Number of Houses on Register.Number of Lodgers.Number of Tenements.Average Number of persons per Tenement.Cleansing Notices Served.
West23148831.821
Middle
East16111651.716
Total392591481.737

These houses are periodically inspected, and in April of each year the owners or tenants
are called upon to carry out a thorough cleansing of them, in accordance with the provisions
of the Bye-laws. This necessitated the service of 37 notices during 1938.
In addition to the foregoing, there are twelve blocks of Dwellings let out in tenements,
but not placed on the Register for the reason that each holding is "self-contained," it having
been decided in a Court of Law that in these circumstances they are not subject to the Byelaws
for houses let in lodgings, or occupied by members of more than one family:—
Name and situation of Artizans' Block Dwellings.
No. of Tenements.
No. of
Inhabitants.
One
Room.
Two
Rooms.
Three
Rooms.
Four
Rooms.
Five
Rooms
or over.
WEST DISTRICT.
Albion Buildings, No. 21, Bartholomew Close .... 10 .... .... .... 16
Albion Buildings, No. 22, Bartholomew Close.... 10 .... .... .... 13
Bartholomew House, Bartholomew Close 20 .... .... .... .... 15
Dean Street Blocks, Fetter Lane—
Block A 5 2 1 .... .... 13
„ B 2 3 .... 1 .... 15
„ C 4 4 .... .... .... 10
„ D 4 4 .... .... .... 14
„ E 6 3 .... .... .... 10
„ F 6 2 1 .... .... 17
St. Ann's Chambers, Ludgate Hill 3 8 1 1 1 26
Bloomfield House, Snow Hill .... 16 .... 1 1 53
Total (Six " Blocks ") 50 62 3 3 2 202
MIDDLE DISTRICT.
Bridgewater House, Fann Street .... 9 .... .... 1 13
City Buildings, Moor Lane 2 20 11 .... .... 59
Total (Two "Blocks ") 2 29 11 .... 1 72
EAST DISTRICT.
Harrow Place and Stoney Lane—
North Block .... 48 8 .... .... 140
South „ 5 22 13 .... .... 73
Prince's „ 5 50 .... .... .... 114
Queen's „ 5 40 5 .... .... 109
King's ,, 8 16 16 .... .... 66
Barker's Buildings, Catherine Wheel Alley, Bishopsgate .... 1 2 2 .... 14
Bearsted House, Hutchison Street .... .... 3 16 .... 100
Dutton House, New Street .... .... 9 2 1 66
Total (Four " Blocks ") 23 177 56 20 1 668
These twelve blocks contain 440 tenements, and are inhabited by 944 persons—an
average of 2.2 persons to each tenement.