London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Shoreditch 1892

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Shoreditch, Parish of St. Leonard]

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The Parliamentary Committee, after considering the matter, reported that
they had fully discussed that portion of the report of the London School Board,
1890-91, which dealt with this subject, with statistics shewing that 35½ per cent, of
the population of Shoreditch consists of artizans, this being the highest proportion
in London. It appeared that six centres for manual training had been established
by the School Board in London, the nearest to Shoreditch beiug Summerford Street,
Bethnal Green, and the Committee recommended that a deputation be appointed
to wait upon the London School Board for the purpose of calling the Board's
attention to the large proportion of the artizan population in Shoreditch, which
renders necessary the establishment of a centre for Technical Education, and
asking the Board's co-operation to form such a centre in Shoreditch.
This report was adopted by the Vestry on February 2nd, 1892, when Messrs.
H. T. Sawell, J. Cox, and J. Donovan were appointed members of a deputation to
wait upon the London School Board.
A petition was then presented to the London School Board to provide a centre
for manual instruction in the parish for the benefit of the children it contains, of
whom there are 43,842 under 15 years of age, who will, in most cases, have to earn
their livings iu the local industries. The School Board granted the request and
established a wood-work centre at the Catherine Street Board Schools, Hoxton.

Further inquiries showed that there was no technical instruction whatever provided for the apprentices and artizans of the district, of whom there are 42,832 engaged in the following trades:—

Furniture aud Woodwork16,046
Building Trades8,369
Machinery and Metals5,161
Printing4,646
Sundry Artizans4,577
Furs and Leather2,339
Watches, Instruments, &c. . .1,523
Silk Weaving. .171
42,832

Thus the proportion of artizans in Shoreditch is 354 per cent. of the
population, which is the highest percentage in London, being higher by 12.4 per
cent. than the average of the East End districts.
It also appeared that in the Finsbury Technical Schools in the adjoining
parish of St. Luke's there was no carpenters', shop, and only about 10 artizans
(actually employed in cabinet making) were attending the classes in that subject.