Eastend Contd

DISTRICT No.4.

THIS district exceeds all those which have gone before it in filth, disease,
mortality, poverty, and wretchedness; it abounds with the most foul
courts, and is characterised by the prevalence of the greatest nuisances,
and perennial foulness. Unlike the last district, there are several gardens in
it resembling those already described, but infinitely surpassing them in
everything degrading to our civilization. For many years this district has
been notorious as the hot-bed of epidemics. This is easily explained, when
the foulness of the streets, the dense crowding in some parts, and the
nearly total absence of drainage and house-cleansing, are considered. The
drainage, in fact, is characteristic of primitive barbarism; the drains are
very near the surface, and some of the houses are built over them; the
streets are perpetually covered with the most offensive foetid mud; the
population is very dense, as many as 30 persons residing in a single house-
57 houses had a population of 580 persons. In about half a mile square of
these houses and streets 30,000 persons are congregated; the houses are
generally of the worst class, and four-roomed, but great numbers
resemble, in many respects, those in the worst parts of the Old Town of
Edinburgh-a class of houses common to the French, and which they were
the cause of introducing into both places. The houses built by the French
refugees are all several storied, and have large rooms on each floor, with a
common staircase; the houses are, without exception, let out in rooms;
each room contains a family, with a bed common to all; generally it is a
work-room as well as a dwelling-room. Ventilation in these rooms is in the
most defective state; the atmosphere is most oppressive, and loaded with
unhealthy emanations; it is a common practice to retain the foecal remains
in the rooms, in order to avoid exposure, and the perfect nastiness of, the
common privies. The parochial medical officer has not seen, and does not
know of, one water- closet in the whole district. All the tenements in
Greengate-gardens are unfit for human habitation; they are much under
the level of the neighbouring road, and are very damp; they smell most
offensively. There are great numbers of low public-houses and beer-shops
in this district; all these are crowded with lodgers, and thus become great
nuisances, and sources of disease and immorality. Since several streets
have been pulled down by the Railway Company, there has been much
overcrowding; so much so, that not a habitation or lodging can be had in
the neighbourhood, and some persons are, even now, in opposition to the
law, residing in cellars, because they can find no place else to reside. The
poor inhabitants generally prefer any kind of abode to the workhouse. The
occupations of the inhabitants are chiefly weaving and shoe-making;
hawkers, toy-makers, and cabinet-makers, abound here, and the women
wind silk and cotton. Those small manufactures which are carried on here
are chiefly prepared in the prospect of being sold to the ready-money
shops, or on speculation. The earnings of the population of this district are
very low and precarious, their habits most irregular, and generally
intemperate-ta-day an unexpected "stroke of luck" supplies them with
means to indulge their appetites with dainties and abundance-tomorrow
sees them deprived of the most inferior kinds of sustenance. No pru-[-sic-]
or forethought prevents them from living on the best, when they can, or
restrains their ill-regulated appetites. Their common food consists of
potatoes and bread, and butcher's meat of a very inferior quality.
Numerous chandlers' shops are in the habit of supplying this inferior kind of
food, and of receiving goods as pledges for its payment; these pledges are
sold at the end of a month, if unredeemed. Moral debasement and physical
decay, naturally enough, accompany the utter defiance of all the laws of
health, and the complete disregard of all the characteristics of civilization.
Such a population always supply our courts with criminals, our gaols with
convicts, our charities with paupers, and our hospitals with the sick and
diseased; and impoverish the honest, labouring poor, by the heavy poor-
rates to which they give rise.

DISTRICT, No. 5.

being made up of parts of the other four districts

This district is by far the most respectable of the five medical parochial
districts. It contains the main road and the streets branching from it. The
unhealthiest parts are Cambridge Circus, Chapman's-gardens, Bath-street,
and part of Old Bethnal Green-road; there are no nuisances in it except the
remarkable one referred to under the head of Anne's-place; the drainage in
the best part is pretty good, though still capable of great improvement,-there
are comparatively few weavers occupying this district. These two elements
tend to reduce the mortality and amount of disease; the remarkable
exemption of the chief parts of this district from fever and the other epidemic
diseases, is no doubt to be attributed to the comparative cleanliness and good
drainage; this last is chiefly to be attributed to the natural levels of the district.
Great complaints however arise in consequence of part of the main road being
unprovided with a sewer. Some of the best houses in the district are thus
compelled to have privies and cesspools greatly against the inclination of the
occupants. Several of the parties residing in this unsewered part of the road,
were Commissioners of Sewers, but could never induce that obstructive,
overbearing body to attend to their wants. The new houses built in Peter-
street and Elizabeth-place, are very well drained and are supplied with water-
closets. A thing so extremely rare as to be worthy of observation, probably
there are more water closets attached to these few houses, than there are in
all the other thousands of houses in the parish.

WILLOW WALK

GREENGATE GARDENS

STROUT PLACE

CRESCENT PLACE

SOMERSET BUILDINGS'CRABTREE ROW

TRAFALGAR PLACE, NICHOLS ROW

AUSTIN STREET

OLD CASTLE STREET

OLD CASTLE COURT

SWEET APPLE COURT

BAKERS COURT, VIRGINIA ROW

MININGS PLACE, MOUNT STREET

COLLINGWOOD PLACE

LITTLE COLLINGWOOD STREET

NELSON STREET

BROADWAY, AUSTIN STREET

BOUNDARY STREET

HALT NICHOL STREET

SHORT STREET

NICHOLS ROW

MEAD STREET

TURVILLE STREET

TURVILLE BUILDINGS

GEORGE TERRACE, TURVILLE STREET

THOMAS PLACE, OLD NICHOL STREET

SHEPHERDS COURT, OLD NICHOL STREET

MAIDSTONE PLACE, OLD NICHOL STREET

DEVONSHIRE PLACE, OLD NICHOL STREET

NEW NICHOL STREET

SHAKELWELL STREET

ROSE STREET

TURK STREET

ROSE PLACE, TURK STREET

ALBION PLACE

PROVIDENCE PLACE, DUKE STREET

PRINCES COURT, VIRGINIA ROW

HEPWORTH PLACE, FOUNTAIN ALLEY

PIERCES PLACE, FOUNTAIN ALLEY

THOMAS PLACE, OLD NICHOL STREET

SEVEN STEP COURT, CRABTREE ROW

WEATHERHEAD GARDENS

WELLS COURT, CLARENCE PLACE

STROUT PLACE

SMITHYS PLACE

SMITHS BUILDINGS

GIBRALTAR WALK

BRENANS PLACE, GIBRALTAR WALK

NORTONS GARDENS, GIBRALTAR WALK

GIBRALTAR PLACE

GIBRALTAR GARDNES

THOROLD SQUARE

NEW TYSSEN STGREET

GARDEN PLACE, HOPE TOWN

GOSSETT STREET

REFORM SQUARE, MOUNT STREET

LENHAM BUILDINGS, MOUNT STREET

MOUNT SQUARE

TURVILLE PLACE

ROOKS FL. GIBRALTAR WALK

COTTAGE PLACE, SATCHWELL RENTS