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
Kingston upon Thames 1931
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kingston-upon-Thames]
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The following information is extracted from the analysis:—
| Occupants, Adults | 677 | Children under 12, | 169 |
| Total | 846 | Average occupants per house | 4.8 |
| Separate families | 234 | ||
| Living rooms | 350 | Average persons per room | 2.29 |
| Bedrooms | 453 | „ „ „ „ | 1.75 |
| Bed-living rooms | 28 | „ „ „ „ | 1.75 |
| Rooms sublet | 53 | ||
| Rooms overcrowded | 4 |
Detailed Analysis of Bedrooms.
| Total number | Occupied by | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 453 | 1 person | 2 persons | 3 persons | 4 persons | 5 persons | unoccupied |
| 123 | 169 | 77 | 20 | 5 | 59 | |
The above figures confirm the opinion I have expressed
for the past few years that overcrowding is gradually
diminishing each year. The fact that there were only 4.8
persons in each house and that no less than 59 bedrooms
were unoccupied is particularly interesting when one bears
in mind that the houses were typical working-class property
in the borough.
It does not necessarily follow that because a room is
occupied by five persons that it is overcrowded. The
degree of overcrowding is calculated upon the amount of
A further indication that serious overcrowding is being eliminated is shown by the following particulars :—
| Cases on record Jan. 1st, 1931 | 5 |
| Cases added during 1931 | 7 |
| Total | 12 |
| Cases abated during 1931 | 10 |
| Cases on record Dec. 31st, 1931 | 2 |
This position should be regarded as satisfactory as all
cases of overcrowding which are brought to notice are
recorded and dealt with.