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the ground floors. The staircases were narrow and dangerously steep. The sashes
and frames of the windows were generally defective, and not weather-proof. The
yards were extremely small, having an area of from 60 to 75 superficial feet, and
were enclosed by high walls. The interiors were fairly clean and no overcrowding
was found.
Quaker Street formed the northern boundary of the area. The portion dealt
with consisted of 21 houses having a total frontage of about 350 feet. The houses
were three-storey buildings. Two houses—Nos. 1 and 17—were in an extremely
dirty and dilapidated condition. In the case of No. 1, the floors were defective
and considerably out of level. The ceilings were dilapidated. The sashes and frames
of the windows as well as the stair treads were very defective. There was no
ventilation beneath the ground floors. The interior generally was also in a filthy
condition. A board on the front of the house announced that the site was offered
for sale for building purposes. At No. 17, the building was shored up from the
front and from behind. The walls were considerably bulged, the internal woodwork
was very decayed, and the upper staircase was dangerously defective. Part of the
interior was also in a very dirty condition., At Nos. 3 to 15, the light and air were
obstructed by the houses in Harrison's Court and Pope's Head Court, the backs of
these cottages being within five feet of the Quaker Street houses. The yards
were extremely small, varying from 36 to 50 superficial feet. The staircases in
these houses were very narrow and steep, and the ground floors were lying directly
on the earth. The party walls were damp. At No. 25, the interior was generally
dirty, and some of the floors and ceilings were defective. This house was also badly
overcrowded. The remaining houses all exhibited defects which were more or less
serious. One house—No. 31—was occupied by 12 families, with a total of 42 persons.
One w.c. only was available, and at the time of visiting, it was choked, and
filth was lying about the yard. The house refuse was thrown anywhere, there being
no receptacle of any kind. Several of the floors and ceilings were also defective,
and three of the rooms were overcrowded. In another house, the w.c. was choked,
and the space under the staircase was used as a receptacle for house refuse and
decayed vegetable matter, the stench being very noticeable throughout the house.
Out of a total of 62 families residing in this street 13 were overcrowded.
Pope's Head Court is entered by a narrow archway under No. 11, Quaker
Street. There were 15 houses, 13 being in the main court, and two were situated
in a small courtyard at the rear of Nos. 9 and 10. These two houses—9a and 10a
—were shored up from the front and from behind; one was unoccupied, the whole of
the back wall having been removed. The other—No. 9a—was in an extremely
dangerous condition, being only fit for demolition. There were three rooms, each
occupied by a separate family, and two of these rooms were badly overcrowded.
The houses in the main court were fairly well kept. Each consisted of two small
rooms and a tiny space at the rear, which contained the w.c. The staircases were
very narrow and steep and the light and air were obstructed by buildings in the rear,
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