London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Wimbledon 1933
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wimbledon]
This page requires JavaScript
than the circumstances justify. Many people to-day, however,
who are either unemployed or partially employed are
quite unable to find the rent for the houses which they have
occupied in the past, and sub-letting offers a solution to their
difficulty. It is not easy to deal with the overcrowding which
arises from this practice. In the worst cases, the Authority
is empowered to place the premises on the register of houses
let-in-lodgings, in order that the accommodation may be
governed by the bye-laws which have been made for controlling
such establishments.
In accordance with the procedure which has been adopted
in past years a table is appended hereunder giving details
of the housing conditions in three streets which are fairly
representative of an artisan and working-class area. An
indication is tiiven of the extent to which overcrowding
The estimate of the overcrowding is based on the legal requirements set out in the bye-laws for houses let-in-lodgings, that is, for adults 360 cubic feet, and for children under ten years of age 2l50 cubic feet.
| Road | Total No. of Houses Inspected | No. of Separate Lettings | No. of Occupiers | Average No. of Rooms per Letting | Average No. of O'cupiere per Room | Average Rent per Room per Letting | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 Years | Over 10 Years | ||||||
| Wandle Road | 64 | 82 | 59 | 284 | 3.9 | 1.05 | 2/7 |
| Palmerston Road | 114 | 142 | 55 | 432 | 4.2 | 0.81 | 3/8 |
| Goodenough Road | 31 | 48 | 31 | 139 | 3.1 | 1 13 | 3/9 |
| Total | 209 | 272 | 145 | 855 | 3.9 | 0.93 | 3/4 |
The estimate of the overcrowding is based on the legal requirements set out in the bye-laws for houses let-in-lodgings, that is, for adults 360 cubic feet, and for children under ten years of age 2l50 cubic feet.
| Road | No. of Separate Lettings Consisting of | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 room | 2 rooms | 3 rooms | 4 rooms | 5 rooms | 6 rooms | 7 rooms | |
| Wandle Road | 7 | 9 | 7 | 17 | 42 | ... | ... |
| Palmerston Road | 3 | 6 | 44 | 9 | 68 | 9 | 3 |
| Goodenough Road | 5 | 4 | 22 | 15 | 1 | 1 | ... |
| Total | 15 | 19 | 73 | 41 | 111 | 10 | 3 |