London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Hackney 1930
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hackney]
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18
STATISTICS AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS OF THE AREA.
The Metropolitan Borough of Hackney covers an area of
3,292.389 acres (land and inland water 3,287.192 acres and tidal
water 5.197 acres), and is divided into four Registration Subdistricts—North,
Central, South-West and South-East Hackney.
POPULATION.
The population of the Borough, as ascertained at the last
Census (1921), was 222,142. The Registrar-General has estimated
that at mid-1929 the population was 214,400. This latter figure
gives a density of population of 65 .1 persons peracre.
The following table shows the estimated population and density of population or London, Hackney and each of the Registration Sub-districts of the Borough:—
| London. | Hackney. | Registration Sub-district. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North. | Central. | Southwest. | Southeast . | |||
| Estimated population | 4,417,900 | 214,400 | 54,280 | 50,690 | 54,980 | 54,450 |
| Area in acres | 74,816 | 3,292 | 1,083 | 858 | 586 | 765 |
| Persons per acre | 59.0 | 65.1 | 50.1 | 59. 0 | 93.8 | 70.6 |
PHYSICAL FEATURES AND GENERAL CHARACTER
OF THE AREA.
The Borough varies in elevation between 16 feet and 110 feet
above ordnance datum. The north-west portion lies on yellow
clay, and there is a considerable area on a bed of gravel and sand
of varying depths. Other portions are on brick earth and in the
Lee Valley there is a bed of alluvial gravel. Underlying the whole
of the Borough is the London blue clay which in a few places appears
near the surface.
Number of inhabited houses (Census 1921) 33,495
Number of inhabited houses (end of 1930)
according to Rate Books 35,514
Number of families or separate occupiers (1921) 56,020
Rateable value (December, 1930) £1,342,573
Sum represented by a penny rate £5,816
SOCIAL CONDITIONS.
The population is mainly working class and the chief occupations
are the manufacture of boots, shoes, cabinets and pianos
and the production of tailored clothes. The factories and workshops
are in very good condition, and the sanitary arrangements are kept
under constant supervision.