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5
NATURAL AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS OF WANSTEAD
Area (acres) 1,679
Population (1921) Census 15,297
Population (1925) (Estimated by R.G.) 15,880
Estimated Number of Inhabited Houses (1921) 3,767
„ „ „ „ (1925) 4,317
Rateable Value £130,570
Sum represented by a Penny Rate £544
The District can be best described as a parallelogram of 1,679
acres, extending 2½ miles North and South along the West side of
the River Roding, and having an average width of little over a mile.
It has a general slope from N.W. to S.E., the highest point (170 feet
above sea level) being the extreme N.W. corner of the district, and the
lowest point (20 feet) at the extreme S.E. corner, that is on the
flood lands attached to the Council's Sewage Farm.
The subsoil is mainly gravel, intersected with layers of clay,
while the higher levels of the district are of clay formation.
Extending from the Western boundary to the centre of the District
is an interesting plateau (102 ft.) composed of post-glacial gravel
of an average depth of 18 ft., forming perhaps the healthiest residential
locality immediately to the East of London.
Tracts of forest land and of water, including Wanstead Park
and Wanstead Flats, and comprising in all about 509 acres, abound
in the southern portion; and these permanent open spaces, being
secured against the future inroads of the builder, will doubtless
preserve to a large extent the present residential character of the
district.
The population is fairly distributed north and south, while
the central part contains practically the whole of the cottage, shop,
and business premises. Here the population is more compact.
Many of the inhabitants are employed in the Metropolis in
business or professional affairs, and there are a large number of
retired middle-class residents. The minor proportion of the population
is made up of local tradespeople, outdoor servants, skilled artisans,
and various officials and others employed in the industrial districts
within more or less easy reach. Local industries are almost entirely
confined to local needs, and the number of persons employed in
factories and workshops is very small.
Extracts from Vital Statistics of the Year.
Total. M. F.
Birth Legitimate 210 113 97 Birth Rate 13.2 per 1,000
„ Illegitimate 1 1 - „ „ „ „
Deaths 150 70 80 Death Rate 9.4 per 1,000
Number of women dying in, or in consefrom sepsis None
quence of childbirth ,, other causes None