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
Leyton 1925
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Leyton]
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41
Another serious aspect of the housing shortage which is too
apparent to be overlooked is the moral one, where adult sons and
daughters occupy the same bedroom or sleep in the same room as
their parents, though this occurs in some instances where there
is no statutory overcrowding.
Amongst the worst cases are:-
| No. | Cubic capacity of overcrowded room. | Occupants and ages. | Other occupants of house. | No. of rooms in house. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1,391 cubic feet | Man and wife, sons 22, 19, 12 years, daughters 16, 14 years | Man and wife, 2 children and 1 adult lodger | 5 |
| 2 | 1,050 „ „ | Wife (deserted) daughters 17, 14, 13, 5 years | Man and woman | 5 |
| 3 | 935 „ „ | Man and wife, sons 10, 6, 4 years, daughters 8, 3/12 years | Man and wife and 2 children | 6 |
| 918 ,, „ | Man and wife, baby 6/12 years | |||
| 918 „ „ | Man and wife, 2 children under 5 years | |||
| 4 | 640 „ „ | Man and wife, sons 5, 3, 2 years, baby 9 weeks | Man and wife and 2 children | 6 |
| 1,207 „ „ | Man and wife, son 2 years, daughters 5, 4, 3, 1 years | Son 10 years occupies living room of this family | ||
| 5 | 831 ,, ,, | Man and wife, son 8 years, daughters 6, 5, 4 years | Man and wife and baby | 7 |
| Front attic not measured Back attic not measured | Son 2 years, daughters 21, 14, 8 years Sons 12, 13, 9, 5 years, also adult uncle | |||
| 6 | 640 cubic feet 1,045 „ „ | Sons 13, 12, 10 years Man and wife, daughter 16 years | Man and wife and 6 other children 1 adult son | 5 |
| 7 | 977 „ „ | Man and wife, sons 5, 6/12 years, daughters 10, 1 8/12 | 4 | |
| 1,254 „ „ | Man and wife, daughters 10, 8, 1 4/12 | |||
| 1,008 „ „ | Sons 16, 14, 12, 2 years |
The standard suggested by the Ministry of Health in the Draft Model
Byelaws relating to houses let in lodgings is as follows:—" A person shall not
knowingly permit any room in a lodging-house wholly or partly used as a
sleeping apartment to be occupied at any one time by a greater number of
persons than will allow three hundred and sixty cubic feet of free air space for
each person of an age exceeding ten years, and two hundred and fifty cubic feet
of free air space for each person of an age not exceeding ten years."