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house property, they will never be erected to the extent necessary to meet
the requirements of the metropolis; but when it is shown that such
buildings can be erected so as to yield a very large return on the outlay,
there will be no lack of capital to build as many as the law of supply and
demand may require.
Then there is another problem solved by these buildings. Fears have
been expressed in some quarters, that in consequence of metropolitan
improvements and railways causing the demolition of so many dwellings
of the working classes, that there would be an actual dearth of houses
suitable for them; but when it is shown that 100 dwellings of a superior
character can be built on the same spac3 of ground that was previously
occupied by 32 of a very inferior kind, there can be no longer any
reasonable cause for anxiety in this respect,
This locality is one of the best in the metropolis for the erection of
dwellings for the working classes. The situation is elevated and healthy,
and the short distance from the city makes it suitable for those employed
there, and desirable as a place of residence on account of its convenience.
There is a large space of ground on the same estate as Mark-street, at
present occupied by a great number of small houses, many of them in a
very dilapidated state, and so defective in sanitary arrangements as
scarcely to be fit for habitation. The term of the existing leases is near
expiration, and a favorable opportunity is presented for the profitable
investment of capital in the erection of sanitary dwellings for the
industrious classes: this ground is bounded by Paul-street on the west,
the Curtain-road on the east, Bath-street and John-street on the north,
and Chapel-street and New North-street on the south.
Should any considerable portion of this ground be occupied by buildings
similar to those in Mark-street, it would be of great advantage to the
Parish in various respects. In a sanitary point of view, it would do good
by removing a number of small dwellings that have been erected without
the slightest regard to what is necessary or conducive to health, the only
object being to crowd as many houses as possible into the smallest space
of ground, the construction of them being such that they cannot be
properly ventilated, they have yards so small, that when a brick wall
surrounds them, both light and air are excluded, the surfaces are