London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Wimbledon 1937

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wimbledon]

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to these premises during 1937. In addition, during the periodical
house-to-house inspection, a number of the houses-let-inlodgings
were inspected. These visits appear in the report on
house-to-house inspection.
Common Lodging Houses.—There are now no premises
in the Borough registered as Common Lodging Houses.
Van Dwellings.—One hundred and twenty-six visits were
paid to these van dwellings in South Wimbledon.
Earlier in the year twelve sites were occupied by these
structures. In December, however, there were nine sites used
by van dwellers and these were situated in Trinity and Haydon
Park Wards.
The water for each site is provided by means of a draw-off
tap from the main supply. Each of the sites is also provided
with a water closet. In certain cases the sanitary provision
is inadequate. Many of the yards are neither paved nor
drained. On four of the sites stables are situated, and
when these are in use it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain
anything like a reasonable standard of sanitation.
In consequence of action taken by the local authority the
following results were effected:—(a) The caravans were removed
from one site and the owner gave an undertaking that
the land would not, in future, be used for this purpose; (b) in
a second case the caravan dwellers erected a six-roomed dwelling-house
on the site and later removed the caravan which had
been in use there; (c) in a third case the caravan, which was
only in occasional use, was removed from the site.
As the result also of action by the local authority three of
the seven structures were removed from another site and the
owner erected on a part of the land a nine-roomed dwellinghouse.
Four old trams, which are all occupied, still remain
on this site.
Towards the end of the year further action was being
taken by the Council in regard to a number of the remaining
sites.
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