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28
The numbers and distribution of the population
at each of the last five decennial enumerations are
shown by the following figures:—
Census.
St. James's
District,
Area 1G4 acres.
St. James's Square
Sub-District,
Area 85 acres.
Golden Square
Sub-District,
Area 54 acres.
Berwick Street
Sub-District,
Area 25 acres.
1831
37,053
1841
37,398
13,337
13,612
10,449
1851
36,406
11,469
14,139
10,798
1861
35,326
10,753
13,966
10,607
1871
33,619
10,472
12,860
10,287
It thus appears that since 1841 the population of
St. James's has been continuously decreasing, and
that now it numbers some four thousands less than
it did thirty years ago. This exceptional condition
follows from the fact that St. James's has long since
been fully built over, and that, of late years, it has
increasingly become the centre for Clubs, Hotels,
and splendid shops, retailing goods which are often
unique in their quality and artistic value. The
result has been an enormous rise in the value of
houses and a gradual extrusion of the less wealthy
and important residents.
The first line of figures cannot be completed, as the Sub-District
areas were not formed until 1837.