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34
Parish of St. George the Martyr, Southwark.
2. The King's Bench Walk area is bounded roughly by Pocock Street on the
north, and by Friar Street on the south. The remaining two sides of a quadrilateral
area are formed by King's Bench Walk and Wellington Place, running in a S.E.
direction, both sides of which streets being included. In addition to this roughly
quadrilateral area, is an outstanding portion at its S.E. corner, comprising Upper
Green Street and Bean Street (both sides) and bounded on the south by King James
Street. Upon this King's Bench Walk area certain sites would be left untouched.:
They are the Pocock Street Board School, caretaker's house, and playground; the
L.C.C. dwelling-houses, and a lamp factory recently built.
The Webber Row unhealthy area is bounded on the north by Webber Street, and
stretches down in a south-west direction as a rough quadrilateral, bounded on the
western side by Webber Row, on the eastern by Peabody Square Buildings, and on
the southerly extremity by Waterloo Road.
The acreage and population covered by these three sections is approximately as
as follows:—
1. The Grotto Place unhealthy area -
(a) Smaller section, half-an-acre, with a population of 250.
(b) The large section (inclusive of preceding) three acres, with a population
of 856,
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2. The King's Bench Walk area, two-and-a-quarter acres, with a population
of 879.
3. The Webber Row area, two acres, with a population of 293.
It will thus be seen that the total acreage of the unhealthy areas is seven-and-aquarter
acres, with a population of 2,028.
I have described the Grotto Place (smaller) area and the King's Bench Walk
area (excepting the small S.E. portion) in my Annual Report of 1897 (see pago 17).
I have also several times suggested to your Health Committee the desirability of
dealing with the Webber Row area as an unhealthy area under Part I. of the Working
Classes Act, 1890. ]
The vacant sites that appear to me to be immediately available in tho three
Wards of your parish for building operations by the County Council represent a rough
aggregate of 56,640 square feet.
I would respectfully suggest to your Vestry that an official representation he
made of the above unhealthy area and vacant sites without loss of time, to the
L.C.C., who are the Local Authority under the Act, with a request that they will deal
with the same forthwith under the resolutions already referred to as passed by the
Council on the 29th November, 1898. From a perusal of the Act, 1 find that the
official representation of the case must come through the Medical Officer of Health,
and be addressed to the London County Council. In that event, a somewhat fuller
statement of details would be required than has been possible in the short time
available for the preparation of this Special Report, which I now have the honour of
submitting to your Vestry.
In the present instance, I have thought it would be better, in the interests of the
parish, to submit the matter to the Vestry, in the first place, with a view of learning
your views and wishes, and of determining the course of action most likely to secure
|he approval of the ratepayers.
13th December, 1898.