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

View report page

Romford 1925

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Romford]

This page requires JavaScript

The following table shows the number of houses erected by the Council since the war, the schemes being completed during 1922.

Houses erected 1921-1922. Parish.Number.
Cranham14
Dagenham358
Havering3
Hornchurch186
Rainham108
Upminster20
Wennington16
705

Important changes in population.
The London County Council having bought large tracts
of land are building a new town known as Beoontree which lies
mainly in the Romford Rural District in the parish of Dagenham.
Building has been in progress since 1921, and on 31st December,
1925, the number of London County Council houses in Dagenham
on the rate book was 5069.
It is stated that the part of the estate in Dagenham
already built or likely to be developed in the near future will contain
11,000 houses. These houses are reserved for people living
in overcrowded or otherwise undesirable conditions in London, and
they will therefore represent a large population coming from outside
the district, and quite above and beyond its normal development.
In view of these large figures it appears that the estimate
of the population for the Rural District (38.680 for the middle of
the year 1925) supplied by the Registrar General is of little value.
2. Overcrowding.
There is overcrowding in some parts of the district caused
through the shortage of small houses and in some instances accentuated
by sub-letting 2 rooms in a house to another family
coming from outside the district.
3. The general standard of housing is fairly good though
there is some old property which is getting into a decayed
condition but which it is difficult to deal with under present conditions.
4. No complaints have been received or representations
made in regard to unhealthy areas.