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In the old parishes, the estimated populations are, therefore, as follows :—
Woolwich 29,183
Plumstead 71,068
Eltham 42,349
Sickness and -Invalidity.
There was no unusual or excessive mortality during the year which calls for
any comment under this head.
Physical Features and General Characteristics of the Area.
In the physical configuration of the Borough the outstanding feature is Shooters
Hill, which rises over 400 feet above sea level. At a little lower level on the
Woolwich and Plumstead side there is the well-marked plateau of Woolwich and
Plumstead Commons, due to the erosion of local clay from off the pebble beds.
Lower down still is the level plain of the Thames. Southward, in Eltham and Lee,
the land, after sloping downward from Shooters Hill, rises slightly again in Eltham
and then falls away towards New Eltham and Lee, but rises again as it approaches
Chislehurst. In the main this area is composed of London clay although there is
a considerable amount of sand and gravel in Avery Hill Ward.
Social Conditions.
The Borough covers an area of 8,282 statute acres, and includes a small area
north of the Thames. The River Thames covers, within the Borough, 645 acres.
The Borough is divided into two Parliamentary Divisions of East Woolwich and
West Woolwich, and is further sub-divided into fourteen Wards. It may be described
as one of the suburban working-class Metropolitan Boroughs. The number of
persons per acre varies from 6 in Avery Hill Ward to 70 in the Central Ward, the
general average of the Borough being 17.