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
Woolwich 1930
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Woolwich]
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66
The great housing evil however is overcrowding. At the time of the 1921
census evidence of the increase of this evil was apparent, and when the figures for
the 1931 census are published it will be found that there has been little if any
diminution in this respect. It should be constantly borne in mind that Woolwich
is one of the peripheral London boroughs and London is constantly transferring its
inhabitants from the central boroughs to those on its borders.
Sufficiency of Supply of Houses.—The only accurate figures which are available
as to the conditions under which people live are those provided by the Census
figures for 1921, and the following Table, which appeared in my Annual Report
for 1922, illustrates the situation as it then existed. It is true that there has been
considerable building in the Borough since that date, and that many occupants
of the new houses are those who were living under the worst housing conditions,
but it should not be forgotten that wages are lower than they were in 1921, and
that there is a great temptation for many to augment their income by sub-letting
rooms.
TABLE No. 48.
| Number of Private Families Occupying the Following Number of Rooms: | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6-7 | 8-9 | 10 and over. | Total. | |
| Total Private Families | 2222 | 4751 | 5484 | 9202 | 5967 | 5013 | 642 | 366 | 33,647 |
| Private families, less "families" of only 1 person | 1104 | 4177 | 5232 | 9015 | 5893 | 4946 | 628 | 363 | 31,358 |
| Census: | Percentage Living in These Units of Occupation : | ||||||||
| 1911 | 4. 7 | 9.7 | 16.4 | 23.3 | 20.8 | 20.4 | 2.8 | 1.9 | 100.00 |
| 1921 | 6.6 | 14.1 | 16.3 | 27.4 | 17.7 | 14.9 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 100.00 |
In spite of the fact that there is less and less work done in the Arsenal there
is every reason to believe that the population of Woolwich has increased. It is
becoming more and more a dormitory Borough, and it is likely to become even
more so in the future. In 1921 there were living in Woolwich 16,397 people whose
work was outside the Borough.
Much of the Borough is unbuilt on, and a large proportion of the land is available
for building purposes, so that there are no special difficulties in the way of providing
suitable sites for new houses.