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transforming these tiny yards into confined closed-in "pockets" where the free
movement of air is seriously hampered. Back air-space to individual houses
varies, but generally is very deficient—some of the houses have no back yard and
no back windows, and in these instances back air-space is entirely absent; others
have back yards a mere 3 feet 6 inches deep.
In the south-west corner of the area some old dwellings stand in a narrow
cul-de-sac 8 feet wide, and have no back yards or back windows; the two waterclosets
used in common are within a few feet of the front doors, where the dustbins
have also to be accommodated, and here there is no effective through ventilation
either of the street or of the houses, so that the interior of these houses is permanently
deprived of a sufficiency of light and air.
The streets vary in width from 20 feet to 8 feet, and within the area are three
culs-de-sac, the only open thoroughfares being Duncan Road and Sheep Lane.
In many instances the closeness of the adjacent buildings and rear walls of
the houses render the ground floor back rooms dark and unwholesome, and in the
case of the houses with very restricted yard space, and those in the 8 feet cul-desac,
proximity of the water-closets and dustbins to the doors and windows, coupled
with the absence of normal air circulation, sometimes gives rise to foul smells in
the houses, especially in hot, damp weather.
The houses in Sheep Lane are of fair size, but many of the ground floor
back rooms are very defioient in natural lighting and ventilation, some of the
floors are below the level of the street paving. Structurally these houses are worn
out. The activities of the chemical factory on the east side of Sheep Lane do not
improve the atmosphere, but the factory provides employment for most of the
residents in this area, a circumstance which no doubt materially decreases the
number of complaints.
Devonshire Place, at the north-east corner of the area, is worthy of special
reference; it consists of a row of cottages, well over one hundred years old,
standing in a narrow private roadway, opening out of Westgate Street, having a
width of 12 feet 3 inches, narrowing down to 7 feet 11 inches, and finally opening
into a cul-de-sac having an average width of 21 feet, the far end of which is
occupied by old brick buildings in a ruinous condition, used as stables. The
cottages are badly planned, have floors from 3 to 7 inches below the adjoining
road level, are shut in at the rear, possess little ordinary conveniences, water
supply is from taps in the tiny back yards—in one case a common supply for the
us© of two cottages. The structures contain much timber, and I understand that
the insurance companies refuse to acept the risk of insurance against fire for this
reason, and possibly also on account of the difficulty of access to the properties as
regards fire-fighting appliances. The only means of artificial lighting available
to the occupiers is candles or oil lamps.
The immediate surroundings are very unsatisfactory, as road cleansing
(scavenging) and normal repairs and maintenance are difficult to carry out; the
stables require attention from time to time to prevent them becoming a breeding
ground for rats and causing nuisance from flies in the neighbouring dwellings.
In short, the chief evils of the area are the bad arrangement and congestion
of the houses on the land, and the narrowness and bad arrangement of the streets,
in addition to the aged and worn-out condition and bad planning of the majority
of the houses, so that any attempt to render the houses structurally fit in themselves
could not transform them into satisfactory dwellings.
Conditions on this area are shown in the photograph No. 1.