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STATISTICS AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS
OF THE AREA.
Area (in acres)
3,048
Population, Census, 1931
26,249
Registrar-General's estimate of resident population for 1946
31,460
Number of inhabited houses, 1931
7,092
Number of inhabited houses, 1946
9,015
Rateable Value, December, 1946
£384,705
Sum represented by penny rate, December, 1946
£1,554
The Urban District of Beddington and Wallington was constituted
in 1915 by an Order of the Surrey County Council, the area up to that
time being part of the Croydon Rural District.
By an order in Council, dated 20th August, 1937, H.M. King George
VI granted a charter to Beddington and Wallington, which was presented
on the 15th September, 1937, by the Lord Lieutenant of the
County of Surrey.
The Borough is bounded on the east by the County Borough of
Croydon, to the north by the Borough of Mitcham, to the west by the
Carshalton Urban District and to the south by the Urban District of
Coulsdon and Purley.
Since the cessation of hostilties in 1945, the population has shown
a steady increase, and by the end of 1946 was back to pre-war level.
The number of inhabited houses, however, is below the 1939 figure,
and the number of persons per house has risen to almost 3.5 as compared
with 3.3 in 1939. Overcrowding exists in certain properties, as
the average figure is not evenly spaced.
The rateable value and the sum represented by a penny rate are
both greater than in 1939.
The expansion of industry in the district, particularly in the
Northern part, which was noted in 1939, continued to grow during
the war years. In spite of this, however, the district is mainly
residential in character, and has changed little in personality and
charm.
It is gratifying to note that among the peace-time occupations
to which the Corporation have directed particular attention, the
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