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Basement Bakehouses; (Sec.54, Factories Act, 1937).
At the beginning of the century when the Borough was
first formed and the population was 298,600, records show
that there were no less than 93 basement bakehouses in the
area. Ihe condition of very many of those in Stepney and
throughout the country was so bad that provision was made
in the Factory and Workshop Act of 1901 to close them.
Under the above Act it was made unlawful to use any
underground bakehouse whenever established unless the Borough
Council was satisfied that it was suitable for the purpose
as regards construction, light, height, and other hygienic
respects, and had given it a "certificate of suitability."
This provision applies to all basement bakehouses whether
wholesale or retail and the Act forbade the establishment
of any new basement bakehouses.
At the examination made under the Factory and Workshop
Act of 1901 the then Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Daniel
Thomas, recorded that he had inspected each bakehouse personally,
and found many of them so structurally defective
that it was impossible for the owners to remedy them. As
a result he recommended the closure of 23 basement baikehouses
and eventually they were duly closed by the Council. The
70 remaining ones were granted the necessary "certificates
of suitability" under the Act.
At the end of the 1914/18 war the latter number was
found to have been reduced to 59 and at the coming into
operation of the new act, the Factories Act, 1937, this
number had been further reduced to 38.
The powers and procedures relating to basement bakehouses
under the new Act differ considerably from those in
the Factory and Workshop Act of 1901. It should be noted
that under the new Act (the Factories Act, 1937) no power
is given to issue certificates of suitability, but basement
bakehouses found to be suitable may be allowed to retain
the existing certificates of suitability issued under the
1901 Act. On the other hand the Act lays down that the
certificates of those bakehouses found on inspection to be
unsuitable are to be revoked and the bakehouses closed,
within a specified time, after notice to the owners of not
less than one month. Moreover, where the certificates of
bakehouses found fit are allowed to continue to operate,
they do so without prejudice to their being found unfit at
a subsequent quinquennial examination and closed.
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