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been convicted. I am very hopeful now that this serious sanitary error, on which
hang so many others, will be corrected, and that we shall soon find the effect of our
measures on the health of St. Giles's.
Lincoln-court † is another locality where works were in progress at the
date of the foregoing table. Here the leaseholder was repeatedly summoned, for his
prem'ses being overcrowded, and otherwise very unhealthy, but little effect was produced.
At last the leaseholder was ejected, and the court was then shut up and repaired,
throughout, at the expense of the freeholder. Some six or seven hundred
people were turned out of the twenty-two houses of this court in January, 1859,
and it is still empty (June 1st). In this place it may be well to record that, during
1858, two little courts were permanently emptied of their inhabitants. Star-court,
near the workhouse, which has been pulled down, and Linney-court, leading from
Museum-street, which has been absorbed by Mr. Mudie's new buildings.
Of a kindred nature to the prevention of overcrowding are other proceedings
which have been taken in 1858, and which are destined to make that year an
era in our district. "A cellar in St. Giles's" has been the by-word for centuries to
express a wretched habitation, unworthy of humanity. Dating from the time of
Charles I., the underground dwellings of our distiict attained the acme of their
miserable notoriety from the pen and pencil of Fielding and Hogarth. The parish
authorities have habitually objected to the use of these cellars, but with little or no
practical result. The Building Act of 1844, contained stringent clauses against the
use of underground rooms, unless they possessed requisites of area and ventilation,
such were out of the question in the cellars of St. Giles's. No effective measures,
however, were taken to empty them until the present time. The Metropolis Local
Management Act, under which this Board is constituted, repeated the prohibitions of
the Act of 1844, and in defence of the public health, as well as in pursuance of
their commission, the Board have lately put this statute in force. This has been
done without compromise; it has been insisted that the cellars be simply and absolutely
emptied of their tenants, and permission has been refused * to the owners of
the houses to make those alterations, which would permit of the cellars being used
as dwellings. They may still be employed as shops or store-rooms, but as separate
habitations, for occupation by human beings at night, "a cellar in St. Giles's," is no
longer to exist. It would be hard to estimate the value of this bold and admirable
measure of the Board of Works, on the moral and physical well-being of their district.
I subjoin a list of 34 houses, whose cellars were previously illegally occupied,
and in respect of which measures had been successfully taken, at the instance
of the Board, up to Lady-day last. Since that d .te many others have been disused :
Dudley-street (locality F of diagram,) Nos. 8, 9, 12, 13, 15, 19, 20, 23,
24, 27, 28, 30, 37, 59, 61, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 70, 87. Now wholly disused,
or only occupied during the day.
† Between Drury-lane and Great Wild-street, in sub-division K of the diagram.
*Except in one or two instances, where the alterations were made before this resolution
was come to.