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Included in the Cathall Road slum clearance areas are the Almshouses known as
"Temple House."
It is interesting to recall that these Almshouses were founded nearly four hundred
years ago, as a result of an ancient East London Charity. The benefactor was a certain
John Puller, described in official records as 'Judge Puller,' of Bishop Bonner's Hall,
Bethnal Green, who, by his Will dated the 29th March, 1552, directed "that his wife,
her heirs, or assigns, should after his death erect an Almshouse in Stepney, in the
County of Middlesex, for twelve poor, single men, of good name, of the age of fifty years
or above it, of the hamlets then comprised in the original mother-parish and manor of
Stebonhith, and endowed the same with one yearly rent-charge of £50 per annum for ever,
to issue out of lands in the county of Lincoln." They were originally situated in
Eagle Place, Mile End Road, Stepney, and were then governed by eight elders of the
Mercers Company, as directed by the donor's Will.
In the year 1866 the Almshouses were demolished, and the building was sold; with
the proceeds the present site in Temple Street, Harrow Green, Leytonstone, E.11., was
purchased, and a new Almshouse erected, giving the twelve inmates a room each, with
common sitting room, wash-house and other conveniences. One of the photographs on page
shows the original pump and stone sink, which at that time were presumably the only
available water supply and washing facilities.
In the Borough there are some 2,100 business premises, comprising factories,
industrial undertakings, food premises, catering establishments, shops etc. involving
2,700 activities, including registration and licensing. All these premises come within
the province of the public health inspectorate as part of their duties to ensure that
the requirements of the many Acts, orders and regulations relating to such premises,
and for the welfare of the people who work in them, are complied with.
1,363 inspections of business premises were made during the year, 115 notices were
served, and 58 registrations and/or licences were dealt with.
These duties have been considerably increased as a result of the Offices, Shops
and Railway Premises Act, 1963, and Regulations, part of which became operative during
the year. This Act extends health and welfare legislation into new fields of nonindustrial
employment. Its declared objective is "to set standards of health, welfare
and safety of employees in office, shop and railway premises." The extension of the
framework of welfare legislation which has long been enjoyed by factory workers to
include hitherto unprotected office workers is a major step forward, by which the
standard of health and welfare of office workers may be advanced, but this will not be
achieved without active and enlightened enforcement.
Section 49(1) of the Act requires the notification by employers of the employment
of persons in office, shop and railway premises. Such notification is generally referred
to as "registration of premises," and although responsibility for making application
for registration rests with the occupier, in order to facilitate registration
arrangements Form 0SR.1 prescribed by the Ministry of Labour was sent to all known
businesses in the Borough. The total number of premises registered up to the end of the
year was 891, comprising 209 offices, 558 retail shops, 59 wholesale shops and warehouses,
and 65 catering establishments. The total number of persons employed at these
premises amounted to 2, 066 males and 2,699 females. In order to secure compliance with
the varied requirements of the Act and Regulations, it will be necessary to undertake
a detailed survey of some two thousand businesses and other premises in the Borough. I
mentioned in my report last year that existing staff cannot hope to undertake such a
task without reinforcement, and suggested that the Local Authority would need to recognise
the inevitability of increasing the establishment of the public health inspectorate.
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