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
Kensington 1883
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington]
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Having premised so much by way of introduction it will
be well, before proceeding further, to say a few words
with respect to the
Registration District and Sub-Districts,
in which we are locally interested.
" Kensington " is the title of a Superintendent Registrar's
District, No. 1 in the Registrar General's London list, which
comprises the parishes of Kensington and Paddington.
The subjoined table shows the relative areas-of the two parishes, and other particulars relating to the census years 1871 and 1881.
| Area in Statute Acres. | Inhabited houses. | Increase in 10 years. | Population. | Increase in 10 years. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1871. | 1881. | 1871. | 1881. | ||||
| Kensington | 2,190 | 15,735 | 20,1031 | 4,368 | 120,299 | 163,151 | 42,852 |
| Paddington | 1,251 | 11,847 | 13,187 | 1,340 | 96,813 | 107,098 | 10,285 |
Registration Sub-Districts. For registration purposes
Kensington parish is unequally divided into two "sub-districts,"
viz., "Kensington Town," hereinafter for brevity designated
"Town," and "Brompton." The Town sub-district, according
to the Registrar-General, has an area of 1,497
acres, and Brompton, 693 acres; total, whole parish, 2,190
acres: in your Vestry s Annual Report, the total acreage is
given as 2,245. The population of the town sub-district
at the middle of 1888 was about 124,000, and that of
Brompton 44,000; total, whole parish, 168,000. The Town
sub-district still includes some open spaces, e.g., Holland
Park, and fields at Notting Barn Farm, the latter, however,
are now being covered with houses. The Brompton subdistrict,
in which the builder has been active of late years,
many of the new houses being of a palatial character, is now
nearly covered. The West London or Brompton Cemetery
is in this sub-district, and the Kensal Green Cemetery in the
Town sub-district: both, unfortunately, are still in active use.
The sub-districts present considerable differences which
have to be borne in mind in any comparison of their vital
* The number 20,103 is taken from the Census return. The rate books show
20,705 occupied and rated premises, many of which, presumably, do not afford
living or sleeping accommodation, and therefore would not be enumerated at
the Census.
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