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Annual Report for 1913.
A.—Natural and Social Conditions of the
District.
(1) Physical Features and General Character of the District.
The Urban District of Erith is situated on the south
bank of the River Thames, immediately outside the
County of London, which forms the western boundary;
on the eastern side is the parish of Crayford, and south of
it is the Urban District of Bexley. The District is one
of the towns included in the "Outer Ring," which makes
up " Greater London."
The northern portion of the District, which lies between
the River Thames and the South Eastern and Chatham
Railway line, is 1,689 acres in extent, and consists
of marsh land, the level of which varies generally between
3 and 7 feet above ordnance datum, and is below that of
high water in the river. The remainder of the District
rises gradually towards the south to a height of approximately
200 feet above sea level.
(2) Population.
At the Census of 1911 the population was found to
be 27,750, made up of 14,143 males and 13,607 females.
The number of inhabited buildings was 5,129, and the
number of separate occupiers, 5,897. The average number
of persons per inhabited building was 5.41, as compared
with 4.85 for all Urban Districts (excluding London,
and the County Boroughs) and 5.05 for the whole of
England and Wales. The average number of persons per
family was 4.71 for all dwellings, and 4.65 for ordinary
dwelling-houses, as compared with 4.55 and 4.43 for all
Urban Districts, and 4.51 and 4.38 for the whole of England
and Wales. The number of vessels lying in the
River Thames in the District at the date of the Census
was 30, with 153 inhabitants, and the number of persons
enumerated in tents, vans, sheds, etc., was 100, viz.:
51 males and 49 females, occupying 23 such erections.
The following table is taken from Vol. VI of the
Census Returns for 1911, and shows the number of buildings
in the District, kind of building, and the number of
inhabitants:—