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THE DWELLINGS OF 
 
 THE LABOURING CLASSES, 
 
 THEIR 
 
 ARRANGEMENT AND CONSTRUCTION, 
 
 WITH THE 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY DWELLING. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
THE DWELLINGS OE 
 
 THE LABOURING CLASSElS, 
 
 Arrangement an& Construction ; 
 
 WITII 
 
 THE ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY DWELLING. 
 
 ILLUSTRATED BY REFERENCES TO THE 
 
 MODEL HOUSES 
 
 OP THE 
 
 JJocictn for $inprobing tjje Conbition of tljc f abouring Classes, 
 
 OF IIIS EOYAL HIGHNESS THE LATE PRINCE CONSORT, 
 
 OF THE ROYAL WINDSOR SOCIETY, 
 
 AND OTHER RECENT BUILDINGS. 
 
 (E2tUtf) Allans anb lElebattons 
 
 OF DWELLINGS ADAPTED TO TOWNS AND TO 
 RURAL DISTRICTS. 
 
 BY 
 
 HENRY ROBERTS, E.S.A., 
 
 FELLOW OF THE ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS, 
 HONORARY MKHBER OF THE ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS, FLORENCE, &C., 
 
 A VICE-PRESIDENT AND FORMERLY HONORARY ARCHITECT TO THE SOCIETY FOR 
 IMPROVING THE CONDITION OF THE LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 SIXTH THOUSAND, REVISED AND AUGMENTED EDITION. 
 
 PUBLISHED BY REQUEST, AND SOLD FOR THE BENEFIT OF 
 THE SOCIETY FOR IMPROVING THE CONDITION OF THE LABOURING CLASSES, 
 AT NO. 21, EXETER HALL, STRAND, LONDON ; 
 
 ALSO BY HATCHARD’s, PICCADILLY J RIVINGTON’S, WATERLOO PLACE ; 
 SEELEY & CO., FLEET STREET J J. W. PARKER & CO., WEST STRAND; 
 
 AND NISBET & CO., BERNERS STREET. 
 
LONDON : 
 
 W. M. WATTS, GRAY’S-INN ROAl>. 
 
fto t!je iWnnon) of 
 
 HIS LATE ROYAL HIGHNESS 
 
 ALBERT, PRINCE CONSORT, K.G., 
 
 THE FORMER PRESIDENT; 
 
 TO HIS GRACE 
 
 THE ARCHBISHOP OP CANTERBURY, 
 
 AND TO THE OTHER VICE-PATRONS AND VICE-PRESIDENTS ; 
 
 TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE 
 
 THE EARL OF SHAFTESBURY, K.G., 
 
 PRESIDENT, 
 
 AND TO MY FORMER COLLEAGUES ON THE COMMITTEE 
 
 OF THE 
 
 SOCIETY FOR IMPROVING THE CONDITION OF THE LABOURING CLASSES, 
 
 THE PRESENT REVISED AND ENLARGED EDITION OF 
 
 CIjis 15ssny 
 
 IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED. 
 

 
 
 v 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SOCIETY FOR IMPROVING THE CONDITION OF THE 
 LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 INCORPORATED BY 
 
 patron. 
 
 HER MOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY THE QUEEN. 
 
 president. 
 
 TIIE RIGHT HON. THE EARL OF SHAFTESBURY, K.G. 
 
 Yicc=}patrons. 
 
 HIS GRACE THE ARCHBISHOP OP CANTERBURY. 
 HIS GRACE THE DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH. 
 
 THE RIGHT HON. THE EARL OF HARROWBY, K.G. 
 THE RIGHT HON. THE EARL OF VERULAM. 
 
 THE RIGHT HON. THE EARL OF EFFINGHAM. 
 
 THE RIGHT HON. EARL RUSSELL, K.G. 
 
 THE RIGHT HON. AND REV. VISCOUNT MIDLBTON. 
 THE RIGHT HON. VISCOUNT BARRINGTON. 
 
 THE RIGHT HON. LORD RAYLEIGH. 
 
 THE RIGHT HON. LORD CALTHORPE. 
 
 THE RIGHT HON. LORD EBURY. 
 
 THE RIGHT HON. LORD KINNAIRD, K.T. 
 
 THE RIGHT HON. AND RIGHT REV. THE BISHOP OP 
 
 LONDON. 
 
 THE RIGHT REV. THE BISHOP OF PETERBOROUGH. 
 THE HON. AND RIGHT REV. THE BISHOP OF CAR- 
 LISLE. 
 
 THE RIGHT REV. THE BISHOP OF RIPON. 
 
 RIGHT HON. EARL SPENCER, K.G. 
 RIGHT HON. EARL FORTESCUE. 
 RIGHT HON. EARL OF DUCIE. 
 RIGHT HON. LORD TEIGNMOUTH. 
 THE LORD ASHLEY. 
 
 LORD HENRY CHOLMONDELEY. 
 THE RIGHT HON. WILLIAM F. COW- 
 PER, M.P. 
 
 Ficc43rcsfocnts, 
 
 THE HON. WILLIAM ASHLEY. 
 
 THE HON. ARTHUR KINNAIRD, M.P. 
 SIR BROOK W. BRIDGES, BART., M.P. 
 SIR ARTHUR DE CAP EL BROOKE, 
 BART. 
 
 SIR WILLIAM MILES, BART. 
 
 B. BOND CABBELL, ESQ. 
 
 J. W. CHILDERS, ESQ. 
 
 W. A. MACKINNON, ESQ., M.P. 
 
 K. BRINSLEY SHERIDAN, ESQ., M. . 
 THE VERY REV. THE DEAN OP 
 CARLISLE. 
 
 JOHN C. COLQUHOUN, ESQ. 
 
 THE RECORDER OP LONDON. 
 
 SIR WALTER G. STIRLING, BARI 
 HENRY ROBERTS, ESQ., F.S.A. 
 
 The Right IIon. 
 
 GEORGE ARBUTHNOT, ESQ. 
 
 THE LORD CHARLES BRUCE, M.P. 
 THE REV. EMILIUS BAYLEY. 
 
 THE RIGHT HON. W, F. COWPER, 
 M.P. 
 
 ROBERT DIMSDALE, ESQ., M.P. 
 ALEXANDER HALDANE, ESQ. 
 
 Committee. 
 
 THE EARL OF SHAFTESBURY, 
 
 H. HARWOOD HARWOOD, ESQ. 
 
 THE REV. EDMUND HOLLAND. 
 
 H. POWYS-KECK, ESQ. 
 
 WILLIAM LONG, ESQ. 
 
 CHARLES A. MOODY, ESQ. 
 
 THE REV. SAMUEL MINTON. 
 
 THE REV. WALTER MITCHELL. 
 
 K.G., Chairman. 
 
 WILLIAM JAMES MAXWELL, ESQ 
 THE REV. J. M. NISBET. 
 
 THE REV. J. B. OWEN. 
 
 ABEL SMITH, ESQ., M.P. 
 
 JOHN SPERLING, ESQ. 
 
 J. G. SHEPPARD, ESQ. 
 
 THE REV. A. W. THOROLD. 
 
 ^Treasurer — The Right IIon. the Earl of Leven and Melville. 
 
 Bankers — Messrs. Williams, Deacon, & Co. Sccrctaru— Mr. Charles Payne, 
 
 Offices and Committee Itoom — Nos, 20 and 21, Exeter llall . 
 
 The Society seeks to promote the important objects for which it is constituted by 
 
 the following means : — 
 
 First — By arranging and executing Plans, as Models, for the Improvement of the Dwellings of the 
 Labouring Classes, in the Metropolis and also in the manufacturing and agricultural districts. 
 
 Secondly — By the issue of Publications calculated to promote and facilitate the construction of 
 Improved Dwellings for the Working Classes. 
 
 Thirdly . — By correspondence with Landed Proprietors, Clergymen, and others desirous of improving 
 the condition of the Labouring Classes in their own neighbourhood. 
 
 / 
 

 
 ' 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The following observations having been originally addressed to the scientific 
 body of which the Author is a member, some unavoidable technicalities will, 
 he trusts, be excused by the general reader. 
 
 At the request of the Earl of Shaftesbury, and of several gentlemen 
 distinguished for the interest they have taken in the social improvement 
 of the Labouring Classes, the original Essay was prepared for publication, 
 with the addition of Notes and an Appendix. 
 
 The translation into French,* made and extensively circulated by order 
 of tho Emperor when President of tho Republic, was from the First Edition, 
 which was also the case generally with the large portions of it published 
 in Germany and in the United States of America. 
 
 On the demand for a Third Edition, after a circulation of 3000 copies, 
 tho Author revised it, and added to the Appendix such supplementary 
 matter as further experience enabled him to supply. 
 
 After the issue of 5000 copies, the Committee of tho Society by which 
 it was published having requested its Author to undertake the duty of 
 preparing a New Edition, lie has, in the hope of maintaining its practical 
 usefulness, again revised and added to it considerably, by giving the sub- 
 stance of a second paper read before the Royal Institute of British Architects, 
 on “The Essentials of a Healthy Dwelling, and the Extension of its Benefits 
 to the Labouring Population,” which, after the circulation of a large Edition, 
 is now out of print. 
 
 Tho changes in his auditory, caused by a lapse of twelve years, will 
 account for some slight, unavoidable repetitions, in the second paper, and 
 the reference to the then recent death of the lamented Prince Consort will 
 recall to mind the feelings of the members of both Societies on the loss of 
 their illustrious Patron, who in the one case had manifested a high ap- 
 preciation of art and science, and in the other an earnest desire that both 
 should be rendered conducive to the well-being of those who greatly 
 require our help. 
 
 Within the period of seventeen years, now elapsed since the First Edition 
 was published, and of twenty-three years since the commencement of the 
 efforts of the Society which it prominently records, there has been not only 
 a gradual and progressively increased recognition of the necessity for the 
 Improvement of the Dwellings of the Labouring Classes, as a most 
 important means of ameliorating their condition, and of diminishing the 
 serious moral and physical evils to which their circumstances render them 
 peculiarly liable, but there has also been a wide-spread adoption of measures 
 
 * At the Congrks International de Bienfaisance, held in Brussels, under Royal 
 authority, in 185G, a French member, when presenting a Report, thus referred to 
 this translation : — “ Cette oeuvre, ce re'sum^ didactiquo, est devenu en France, et 
 chez toutes les nations representdes ici, le point de depart, le guide shr, le vadc 
 mzeum de ceux qui out en h, se preoccuper de l’am^lioration des classes laborieuses.” 
 
well calculated to effect that object. Some of a legislative character, which 
 the Author pointed out and urged, were adopted within a short period, 
 others more recently, amongst which is the Act passed in 1866, to empower 
 the granting of loans by Government, on the security ot Improved 
 Dwellings for Working People. The efforts of Associations and of ‘private 
 individuals have greatly multiplied.* The co-operative system has also 
 been advantageously adopted in some undertakings for the increase of house 
 accommodation. But so vast is the field, and so urgent the need, especially 
 in the metropolis, where the evil has been much aggravated by the 
 destruction of household property, consequent on Public Improvements 
 and the introduction of Railways into its very centre, that no adequate 
 results cau be expected without greatly increased and combined efforts, 
 more especially on the part of the employers of labour, who in the capital 
 of Great Britain have not in this respect manifested that sense of re- 
 sponsibility which has led to efforts, on a large scale, in many of our 
 agricultural, manufacturing, mining, and quarry districts. 
 
 In the Appendix is given a condensed historical sketch of the circum- 
 stances which led to, and of the progress made in, the movement for 
 Improving the Dwellings of the Labouring Classes, as well as of the 
 measures of a legislative character adopted in England; it has been compiled 
 chiefly from papers contributed by the Author, and published in the Trans- 
 actions of the National Association for the Promotion of Social Science, 
 in those of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, and 
 in the Reports of the Congres International de Bicnfaisance. 
 
 The Appendix also contains a general view and statement of the efforts 
 which have been made in the Metropolis for Improving the Dwellings of the 
 Labouring Classes, and notices particularly the buildings constructed by the 
 Trustees of Mr. Peabody’s munificient gift. 
 
 A protracted residence on the continent, partly for the recovery of health, 
 has enabled the Author from personal observation to refer to numerous 
 instances in which the movement, commenced in England, has been followed 
 abroad. 
 
 The unacknowledged use by several subsequent writers, of the Author’s 
 various papers on the Dwellings of the Labouring Classes, which have 
 been published by different Societies, will account for any plagiarism, if 
 such should appear in the present volume, it having heen his invariable aim 
 so to state whenever lie has profited by the writings of others. 
 
 In Mr. Chadwick’s recent Report on the Dwellings Section of the Paris 
 International Exhibition made to the Committee of Privy Council on 
 Education, there are passages referring to the late Prince Consort’s 
 Exhibition Model Houses of 1851, so liable to produce an impression 
 at variance with the statement of facts given by the Author at page 61, 
 that he has, very unwillingly, felt obliged to add in a note a quotation 
 of unquestionable authority. 
 
 Athenaeum Club, 
 Pall Mall, 18G7. 
 
Tiie Introduction to the French Edition of the work, which forms the 
 First Part of the following pages, published by order of the Emperor, 
 expresses its object so clearly, and gives so much prominence to its most 
 salient points, that the Author thinks it not out of place to inscribe here the 
 original text : — 
 
 AVIS I)U TRADUCTEUR. 
 
 “ Cet ouvrage s’adresse a tous les homines de bien, a tons les amis du 
 pays. II leur est offert comme iui signe de la sollicitude qui s’evcille 
 vivement dans une autre contree pour l’amelioration du sort des classes 
 ouvrieres, comme un exemple dont ils sauront s’inspirer. 
 
 “ Procurer aux ouvriers des campagnes et ii ceux des villcs des habita- 
 tions bien eclairees, bien aerees, s&clies et propres, tel est le premier problem o 
 ii resoudre. 
 
 “ N’hesitons pas a dire qu’il y a longtemps qu’il serait resolu, si chacun 
 etait bien convaincu qu’une fois ces conditions realisees, on verrait 
 (lisparaitre une foule de causes de maladie, do misere, de desordre et 
 d’abatardissement. 
 
 “ Quel est le medecin qui ignore pourtant quo le defaut de lumiere, un 
 air vicie, un milieu humide, un entourage sale sont autant de causes qui, 
 separees et a plus forte raison reunies, contribuent plus quo toutes les autres 
 a abreger la vie et a la rendre miserable, en affiigeant ceux qui s’y exposent 
 d’une foule d’infirmites personnelles, ou liereditaires ? Quel est le moraliste 
 qui n’ait reconnu que l’ame luunaine ellc memo se degrade sous l’influence 
 prolongeo de telles conditions ? Quel est l’homme d’etat qui n’ait genii 
 de voir les hopitaux et les prisons encombres des malheureux qu’elles 
 engendrent ? 
 
 “ Or, presque toujours pourtant il est facile d’obtenir pour les logements 
 ruraux l’eclairage necessaire. A l’egard des logements des villes, e’est une 
 des circonstances les plus dignes de fixer l’attention des commissaires charges 
 par les municipalities de cette utile surveillance. 
 
 “ Le renouvellement regulier de fair dans les habitations est un problemo 
 nouveau pour la science. File no l’a jamais aborde. Mais ne suffit-il 
 pas de le poser [pour qu’elle en clonne bientot une solution heureuse ct 
 pratique? 
 
 “ Sous le rapport de l’humidite, l’assainissement des habitations laissc 
 partout a desirer, memo dans les maisons de la classe ais^e. Portons done 
 vivement l’attention de nos jeunes architectes vers cet important sujet. 
 C’est un grand tit-re quo d’etre juge digue d’aller a Rome; e’est un grand 
 merite quand on revient, que d’en rapporter les plans de quelque palais 
 destine a faire l’ornement de nos cites; mais, celui qui trouvera ou qui 
 propagera l’art de chasser l’humidite qui rend malsaines un si grand 
 nombre des habitations de nos ouvriers, urbains ou ruraux, cclui-la se sera 
 acquis des droits a la reconnaissance du pays et se sera prtqiare une source 
 de satisfaction inepuisablc. 
 
“ En attendant, que les homines dc bien, que les jeuncs gens surtout 
 apprennent aux ouvriers qui les entourent h mettre quelque prix a ces 
 soin de propretd qui sont lc premier pas fait dans la voie de ce progres vers 
 le bien. 
 
 “ 11 serait si facile d’avoir dans cliaque quartier les instruments necessaires 
 pour laver, eponger, blanchir ime cliambre ou im escalicr, pour y coller du 
 papier, pour y mastiquer les crevasses, pour y detruire les insectes ! Leur 
 acquisition, impossible pour cliaque ouvricr, faite par ime association bien- 
 faisante, servirait a ameliorer le sort de tons les menages de son ressort, 
 presque sans depeuse aucune. 
 
 “ D’abord, ceux a qui on preterait ces outils s’en serviraient mal ou 
 mediocremont ; mais, bientot renseignement mutuel intervenant cbacim 
 parviendi’ait a en tirer bon parti. 
 
 “ Des a present, tout, cela est praticable ; il faut done le pratiquer. 
 Quand notre population si bienveillante et si ingenieuse voudra se consacrer 
 a de telles oeuvres, elle en comprendra bientot l’importance extreme, et leur 
 bienfait sc rdpandra avec rapidite dans tout le pays, pour le plus grand 
 bonheur des classes laboricuses.” 
 
CONTEXTS. 
 
 PART THE FIRST. 
 
 THE DWELLINGS OF TIIE LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 Appeal to the Institute op British Architects, 1. — Duty of those who hare workmen 
 in their employ, 2. — The inability of the working classes to improve their own abodes, 2. — 
 The past and present state of the labourers’ dwellings, 2.— Description of a room in St. 
 Giles’s, an example of what may be seen in every large town, 3. — Modem street improve- 
 ments have been injurious to the poor, 3. — Statistics of house accommodation for the poor 
 in the parish of St. George’s, llanover-square, 3. — Success of Howard in the improvement 
 of prisons a stimulant to benevolent exertion, 4.— General principles and conditions of 
 healthy abodes in towns and in the country, 5. 
 
 The Society for Improving the Condition of the Labouring Classes, 5. — Their model 
 buildings near Bagnigge Wells, 6.— Modified application of these plans to towns, 7. — 
 Lodging-houses for single men, 7. — The Charles-street house, 8— The George-street. 
 house, 8. — Results of a legislative character, 9. — Immunity from cholera in the lodging- 
 houses of the Society, 9. — The Uatton-garden lodging-house, 9.— Arrangement of houses 
 to accommodate many families in a limited space, 10. — Example in the Streatham- 
 street model houses, 10. — Not liable to the window' or to the house tax, 11. — 
 Fire-proof construction, 11. — The Portpool-lane model dwellings built with thanksgiving- 
 offerings, 12. 
 
 The Workmen’s Dwellings at Birkenhead, 13.— Report made on these buildings, 13. 
 
 Tub Metropolitan Association for Improving the Dwellings of the Industrious 
 Classes, 14. — Their houses for families in the Old Pancras-road, 11. — The lodging-house, 
 and houses for families, in Spitalfields, 15. — The Destitute Sailors’ Asylum, a model for 
 caravansary lodging-houses, note, 15. — Difference between the constitution of the Metro- 
 politan Association and that of the Society for Improving the Condition of the Labouring 
 Classes, 16. — Lumsden’s Buildings, Glasgow, an illustration of the evil effects of the 
 window tax, 16.— Improvement and re-modelling of old buildings profitable investments, 
 17. — Necessity of rigid economy in new buildings, 17. 
 
 On Labourers Dwellings in Agricultural Districts, 18. —Internal comfort and picturesque 
 effect compatible with strict economy, 18. — Influence of a single landlord in changing the 
 aspect of a village, — instance of John Howard, 18.— Letter of the Duko of Bedford on 
 cottage building, 19. — The cottages on his Grace’s estate in Bedfordshire and Devonshire, 
 19. — The Duke of Northumberland and other landed proprietors carrying out similar 
 improvements, 20. — Published plans of the Marquis of Breadalbane’s cottages, 20 ; and 
 those of the Duke of Bedford, 20 — Prize design of the Royal Agricultural Society, 20. — 
 Designs for cottages published by the Society for Improving the Condition of the Labouring 
 Classes, 20.— General description of these designs, including a lodging-house for unmarried 
 workmen and labourers, 21. — Cost of cottages must vary according to local circumstances, 
 23. — Practical suggestions on cottage buildings, 23. — Hollow walling, and advantages of 
 hollow bricks, 24. — Description of wash for rendering brick and stone impervious to 
 moisture, note, 24. — Various materials for constructing walls and floors, 25. — Roof covering, 
 ventilation, window lights, internal plastering, rain water, &c., 27. — Concealment of 
 Closets, 28. 
 
 PART TIIE SECOND. 
 
 ON THE ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY DWELLING. 
 
 Peculiar claims of the subject, 29.— Great interest taken in it by II. R. II. the lamented Prince 
 Consort, and shared by Her Majesty the Queen, 29. — Motto from the words of his lato 
 Royal Highness, 29. 
 
 The condition of healthy in regard to dwellings, arises out of a combination of circumstances, 
 which comprise — 
 
 1st. Those appertaining to locality, including a free circulation of pure air, 30 ; a good 
 soil, 30; an efficient drainage, 31 ; deodorizing agents, note, 31 ; an ample supply of pure 
 water, 32 ; a genial aspect, 33. 
 
 2nd. Those which are structural, 33 ; to secure which a dwelling must be, 1st, dry in 
 regard to its foundation, 33 ; dryness on ship-board, note, 33 ; floors, external walls, 
 roof covering, 34 ; advantages of a fire-proof construction, 34 ; use of wood, lead, iron, 35. 
 2nd, it must be warm, 35. 3rd, the number and area of its apartments must be in 
 proportion to the number of their occupants, and due provision must be made for the 
 requisites appertaining to daily life, 35 ; a labourers’ dwelling in the country, 36 ; 
 smoking of chimneys, 36. 4th, it must be well lighted, 37. And, 5tli, properly venti- 
 lated, 37 ; space required to keep a healthy man in full vigour, 38 ; mistakes on this 
 subject and their injurious tendencies, 38 ; natural ventilation, 39; the means by which 
 it is obtainable, 40; warming by ordinary grates, 40; escape of vitiated air, 40; 
 admittance of fresh air, 41; artificial ventilation, which is mostly applicable to public 
 buildings, 42 ; Report of Government Commission on warming and ventilation, 43. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 3rd. Those which arc dependent mainly on the occupants, though not wholly so— external 
 and internal cleanliness, and a proper use of structural, arrangements, 43 ; neglect of 
 sanitary laws, 43 ; the evils to which the wealthy, the middle, and the lower classes are 
 liable from the infringement of those laws ; in the latter case especially, from in- 
 temperance, a fruitful cause as well as consequence of domiciliary wretchedness, 44. 
 
 PART THE THIRD. 
 
 ON THE EXTENSION OF THE BENEFITS OF A HEALTHY DWELLING TO 
 THE LABOURING POPULATION. 
 
 The pecuniary features of the question, 45. — Speculative builders, 45. — Architects, 46. 
 
 Measures for effecting this Object. — 1st. Those of a Legislative character, and those 
 for which the Executive Government are responsible, 46 ; a jealous respect for the rights 
 of persons and property an impediment to the carrying out of such public improvements 
 as have been effected with unprecedented rapidity in Paris, 46 ; just cause for complaint 
 in our own metropolis, 47 ; population displaced in the forming of new streets pioductivc 
 of overcrowding and great misery, 47 ; scenes witnessed by the Author in Paris, 47 ; 
 legislative measures adopted in England to improve the domiciliary condition of the 
 labouring population, 47 ; the Earl Russell, 47 ; the Earl of Shaftesbury, 47 ; further 
 legislative interference indispensable to the remedying of the evil of overcrowding, 48 ; 
 a lost opportunity, 49 ; close parishes, 49 ; Dr. Acland’s proposed cottage registration, 
 note, 49 ; facilitating the transfer of land, 50 ; prevention of the building small 
 houses on imdrained land, and without proper sanitary arrangements, 50 ; opinion of 
 the First Commissioner of Works, 50 ; Governments of foreign countries study our 
 example, 50. 
 
 2nd. Measures which ought to be adopted by Landowners and Employers generally, for tho 
 benefit of their dependents, 50 ; the late Duke of Bedford’s opinion and example on this 
 subject, 50 ; the example of the Duke of Northumberland, 50 ; the question of re- 
 munerative return, 50 ; the efforts made by great manufacturers, owners of mines, 
 quarries, railway companies, 50 ; police barracks, 51. 
 
 3rd. Measures undertaken from benevolent motives by Associations and by Individuals. 
 Associations in the metropolis, 51 ; experience gained in regard to new buildings, and 
 to renovated old houses, 52; necessity for enforcing sanitary improvements on the owners 
 of unhealthy dwellings, 52 ; satisfactory results of the treatment of old buildings in 
 Chelsea, and some other parts of London, 53; as well as at Hastings, 54; new buildings 
 constructed by the Strand Building Company, 54; by the Windsor Royal Society, 54; 
 by the Redhill and Reigate Cottage Improvement Society, 55 ; the Huddersfield 
 Improvement Commissioners’ Lodging-houses, 55; efforts in Scotland, and the necessity 
 for them, 55 ; Edinburgh, and Glasgow, 55 ; the Corporation of London, and the 
 Improved Industrial Dwellings’ Company, see note, 55 ; efforts in Ireland, 56 ; reply to 
 a charge often made, 56. 
 
 Measures adopted in Foreign Countries — in France, 56 ; private enterprise more successful 
 than associated efforts stimulated by a government subvention, 58 ; Berlin Society under 
 the patronage of the King of Prussia and H.R.II. Princo Frederick William, 59 ; St. 
 Petersburg, Frankfort, Bremen, 59 ; rate of interest sought from such undertakings on 
 the Continent, 59; extension of this movement to Sweden, Holland, Belgium, Bavaria, 
 and other German States, Switzerland, and Italy, 60; greatly needed in Genoa and 
 Naples, 60 ; model buildings constructed in New York and Boston, 60. 
 
 Measures adopted by Individuals, 60 ; Her Majesty the Queen, 60 ; obstacles to the 
 profitable fulfilment of a desire expressed by George III., efforts made for their 
 removal, encouraged and greatly stimulated by the example of the lamented Prince 
 Consort, 61 ; II.R H.’s Exhibition Model Houses, 1851, has led to the construction of 
 separate dwellings for married soldiers, a measure promoted by the late Lord Herbert, 
 G2 ; the leading features of its arrangement have been adopted in numerous places at 
 homo and abroad, 62 ; H.R.H. the Prince of Wales’ Model Dwellings in Lambeth, 64 ; 
 efforts mado by Lord Kinnaird, 64 ; Miss Burdett Coutts, 64 ; Benefit Building 
 Societies, 64; first public exhibition of Sanitary Appliances adapted to the circum- 
 stances of tho working classes, 64 ; necessity for the instruction of the working classes 
 in all which relates to the improvement and keeping of their houses in good order ; 
 resolution adopted at the Congres International de Bicnfaisance, 65 ; importance of 
 tliis object urged by individuals in public addresses, 65; Lord Palmerston, 65; enormous 
 loss of life from preventable causes, 65 ; beneficial results of recent sanitary ameliora- 
 tions, note, 65 ; tho misery and degradation of vast masses of the population often 
 urged by foreigners as a reproach to England, 66 ; the benefits of a healthy dwelling 
 can only be extended to the working population through the adoption of a combination 
 of suitable measures ; encouragement to effort from the ameliorations effected in prisons, 
 military barracks, and hospitals, application of the motto, in conclusion, 66. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 A P P E N D I X. 
 
 Brief notice of the circumstances which led to, and of the progress made in the movement for 
 improving the Dwellings of the Labouring Classes, (57. 
 
 Declarative resolution on the necessity for sanitary instruction, passed at the Congr^s 
 International de Bienfaisance, held in Brussels, 70. 
 
 Statistics of mortality in the principal Cities and Countries of Europe, 70. 
 
 General view of the efforts mado for improving tho Dwellings of the Labouring Classes in 
 the metropolis, 71. 
 
 Exemption of Model Dwellings for 'the Industrious Classes from the Inhabited Ilouse 
 Duty, recently granted, 72. 
 
 Application of Mr. Peabody’s gift for the benefit of the poor of London, 73. 
 
 Tabular statement of improved or Model Dwellings in the metropolis, 74 — 76 
 
 Places at which efforts have been made to establish provincial or local Associations, 76. 
 List of Tenants’ trades and occupations in Metropolitan Model Houses, 77. 
 
 Tabular statements showing the cost of, and returns from, Metropolitan Model Houses, 78, 7!). 
 On the use and form of Hollow Bricks, with their application in walls and arches, 80 — 82. 
 Articles of importance in the construction and fitting up of Dwellings lor the Labouring 
 Classes, 83 ; the Economical Museum at Twickenham, 83. 
 
 Duties of Superintendent, and rules of Lodging Houses for Working Men, 84, 85. 
 
 Terms and Agreements for letting cottages, 86. 
 
 Plans and Elevations of existing Model Houses in the Metropolis, 88 — 105. 
 
 The Asylum for Destitute Sailors, Dock Street — A model for Caravansary Lodging Houses, 
 adapted for nightly lodgers, known as Trampers, &c., 107. 
 
 Plans at large of Tenements in Model Houses, 109 — 111. 
 
 Plans and Elevations for Workmen’s Dwellings in towns, 113 — 117. 
 
 The late Prince Consort’s Exhibition Model Houses, 1851, 120 — 121. 
 
 Plans for Workmen’s Dwellings in towns, adapted to the higher as well as the lower paid 
 class of working people, 123. 
 
 Description, Plans, Elevations, &c., of the Windsor Koyal Society’s Cottages and Lodging 
 House, 125-135. 
 
 Cottages built by the Metropolitan Association in Albert Street, Spitalfields, and at Penge, 
 
 137—139. 
 
 Suggestions for tho grouping of Double Cottages, with numerous designs for Cottages and a 
 Lodging House, adapted to agricultural, manufacturing, mining, and quarry districts, 140. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 . . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
PART THE FIRST. 
 
 < Dn % gtocllings of fbc ^itbauring Classes. 
 
 READ AT THE 
 
 ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS, 
 
 JANUARY 21, 1850. 
 
 THE EARL DE GREY, K.G., President, 
 
 IN THE CHAIR. 
 
 TnE subject now submitted to tho consideration of the Institute op 
 British Architects is one to which their special attention has not been 
 previously invited, although it was incidentally alluded to by my friend, 
 Mr. Sydney Saiirke, in the course of the last session. 
 
 Much has of late been said and written on the dwellings of the labouring 
 classes ; our illustrious Patron, the Prince Consort, has emphatically shown 
 that he feels deeply interested in this subject, and has publicly announced* 
 that “ these feelings are entirely and warmly shared by her Majesty the 
 Queen,” our most gracious Patroness. Still it is probable that but few 
 members of the Institute have given any special attention to those details, 
 which I shall have to bring under your notice ; and certainly a yet moro 
 limited number have been professionally engaged in a field of labour, which 
 apparently offers little scope for scientific skill, and but few attractive points 
 to an artist’s eye. Such was my own case when I undertook, in 1844, 
 the duties of Honorary Architect to the Society for Improving the Condition 
 of the Labouring Classes, to whose operations in this department your 
 attention will be hereafter invited. 
 
 There appear to be many reasons which should, in an especial manner, 
 commend this subject to the consideration of the Architect, besides those 
 which give it so strong a claim on the philanthropist and political economist. 
 A moment’s reflection must show that the highest achievements of archi- 
 tecture are accomplished through the instrumentality of the working classes, 
 whose skill and persevering industry conduce as much to the fame of the 
 Architect as the steady valour of the soldier does to weave the crown of 
 victory around the brow of his triumphant General. 
 
 * At the fourth annual meeting of the Society for Improving the Condition of tho 
 Labouring Classes, 18th May, 1848, when his Royal Highness presided, and delivered an 
 Address, the electric effect of which extended far beyond the w : alls of Ereomasons’ Hall. 
 
 The subject 
 claims special 
 consideration 
 
2 
 
 THE DWELLINGS OF THE LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 Inability of 
 the Labour- 
 ing Classes to 
 improvetheir 
 dwellings. 
 
 Wretched- 
 ness result- 
 ing from 
 their actual 
 condition. 
 
 I feel assured, then, that this subject will command the patient con- 
 sideration of the members of the Institute, although it be devoid of those 
 charms which render attractive so many departments of our profession. 
 May we not also hope that it will engage the attention of some who are 
 carrying out as Contractors the designs of the Architect. Many of them 
 have in their employ a large number of the working classes, and without 
 pecuniary sacrifice might do much towards securing for those, whose labour 
 is to their employers a source of considerable profit, such dwellings as would 
 greatly conduce to their comfort, and promote the health and good morals 
 of themselves and their families. 
 
 It is only the merest fraction of the working classes who, in regard to 
 their dwellings, have it directly within their own power in any way to help 
 themselves. Hence, the greater claim for the kind consideration of those 
 whose position and circumstances give them the opportunity of providing 
 in this respect for their wants, on the sound principle of receiving in return 
 a fair per-centage on the necessary outlay of capital. 
 
 In addressing you on the Dwellings of the Labouring Classes, I abstain 
 from all topics of an antiquarian and historical character; I will not occupy 
 your time by describing the caves or the huts in which, at an early period of 
 our history, dwelt the masses of the labouring classes in this country ; nor, 
 in order to draw a comparison, need I ask you to explore the classic ruins of 
 other lands, to tread some narrow vicus in the disinterred remains of Pom- 
 peii ; neither will we stay to inquire whether the labouring classes are, in 
 reference to their dwellings, in a worse condition now than they were one or 
 two centuries since. The remark of Mr. Macaulay on this subject may 
 suffice, when lie says, “ Of the great body of the people, of those who held 
 the ploughs, who tended the oxen, who toiled at the looms of Norwich, and 
 squared the Portland stone for St. Paul’s, very much cannot be said ; history 
 was too much occupied with courts and camps to spare a line for the hut 
 of the peasant, or for the garret of the mechanic.” 
 
 I do not enter into any lengthened detail of the present state of the 
 dwellings in which a very numerous body of the labouring classes are lodged.* 
 My own observations most fully confirm what has been stated over and over 
 again as to the magnitude and wide extent of the wretchedness resulting 
 from their actual condition, which arises from the want of all those arrange- 
 ments which are calculated to promote the comfort and moral training of a 
 well-ordered family, as well as the utter absence of proper ventilation, 
 efficient drainage, and a good supply of water ; together with a system of 
 over-crowding that would not be tolerated in the farm-yard, the stable, 
 or even the dog-kennel, f One example may suffice. About four years since. 
 
 * “ A Lecture on the Uuhealtliiness of Towns,” by Viscount Ebrington, M.P., pub- 
 lished by the Health-of-Towns’ Association, describes in so lucid and feeling a manner 
 the miseries to which an over-crowded and badly-housed population are subject, and 
 gives in a condensed form so many important statistical facts, that its persual cannot fail 
 to interest as well as instruct even those who usually shrink from such inquiries. 
 
 f The following Statistical Report of a house-to-house visitation in the parish of St. 
 George, Hanover-square, was made in 1842, at the instance of the present Earl of 
 Ilarrowby. 14(i5 families of the labouring classes were found to have for their 
 
THE DWELLINGS OF TIIE LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 3 
 
 with the desire to obtain ocular demonstration as to the actual existence 
 of such a state of things, I visited with a friend several houses in St. Giles’s, 
 the immediate neighbourhood ot the Model Lodging House, George-street, 
 to be hereafter described. In one of these houses we found a room about 
 22ft. by 16ft., the ceiling of which could bo easily touched with the hand, 
 without any ventilation, excepting through some half-patched broken squares 
 of glass; here were constantly lodging from forty to sixty human beings, 
 men, women, and children, besides dogs and cats. Further details it is 
 unnecessary for me to describe ; their very recital would disgust you. 
 
 1 ho pulling down and clearing away of numerous dwellings occupied 
 by the labouring classes, in order to make way for modem improvements, 
 has greatly aggravated these evils, and even the carrying into effect the 
 important requirements of the Health-of-Towns’ Bill itself must press 
 heavily on the poor, unless it be connected with the building or fitting-up 
 of improved dwellings. 
 
 residence only 2174 rooms, and 2510 bads. The distribution of rooms and beds was 
 as follows : — 
 
 Dwellings. No. 
 
 Single room for each family . 
 
 of Families. 
 929 
 
 One bed to each family 
 
 623 
 
 Iwo 
 
 yy 
 
 408 
 
 Two ,, ,, 
 
 638 
 
 Three ,, 
 
 yy 
 
 94 
 
 Three ,, ,, 
 
 154 
 
 Four ,, 
 
 yy 
 
 17 
 
 Four „ ,, 
 
 21 
 
 Five „ 
 
 yy 
 
 8 
 
 Five ,, „ 
 
 8 
 
 Six „ 
 
 yy 
 
 4 
 
 Six ,, „ 
 
 3 
 
 Seven „ 
 
 yy 
 
 1 
 
 Seven ,, ,, 
 
 1 
 
 Eight ,, 
 
 yy 
 
 1 
 
 Dwellings without a bed . 
 
 7 
 
 Not ascertained 
 
 
 3 
 
 Not ascertained 
 
 10 
 
 Total 
 
 
 1465 1 
 
 Total 
 
 
 
 lieso Statistics, the collection of which has been incorrectly attributed t 
 
 Aiunor, were quoted, as recently as December 1800, by a learned Professor of 
 Aichitecture, in order to show the great desideratum for the .abodes of the “inferior” 
 class of working people in the metropolis to be “ single-roo'tned accommodation,” 
 for which he calculated the rents to return 9 per cent, on the outlay, at 3s. , 3s. (i d . , 
 and 4s. per week, according to the floors; stating, very erroneously, that none of the 
 Dwellings in the Model Lodging Houses already built were obtainable for less than 
 5s. to 6s. per week. 
 
 The evidence given by Dr. Letlieby, that the weekly rents paid by the poor in the 
 metropolis average 2s. 6d. per room, some being only Is. 6rf. per room, stultify such 
 calculations of pecuniary return from single-roomed tenements for families ; whilst the 
 evidence of an eminent Architect, my friend Mr. G. Gilbert Scott, given in his 
 Remarks on Secular and Domestic Architecture, ” pointedly hints at the lamentable 
 effects of single-roomed occupation by families. Commenting on “ the neglect of 
 pro\ icling the means of living consistently with the demands of human nature, ” he 
 says in a note, “It has beeu my misfortune on two occasions to serve on the Grand 
 Jury at the Old Bailey, when the crimes which have come before us, originating 
 entirely from this cause, have been too fearful even to think of. ” 
 
 Both the premises and the conclusions of Professor Kerr, in his paper “ on the 
 Problem of providing Dwellings for the Poor,” read at the Royal Institute of British 
 Architects, appear to the Author most erroneous. And he can only attribute to the 
 want of a more intimate acquaintance with the subject his having put aside, what lie 
 termed, all sentimental considerations, ’ as well as the imagining that “ he viewed it 
 from tho sensible and practical point, namely, from a purely business point of view, 
 as based upon figures and calculations.” 
 
 Evils greatly 
 aggravated 
 by public im- 
 provements. 
 
 Misuse of 
 House accom- 
 modation 
 Statistics. 
 
4 
 
 THE DWELLINGS OF THE LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 The evils not 
 restricted to 
 large towns. 
 
 Encourage- 
 ment derived 
 from past 
 successful 
 efforts. 
 
 If it be said that the remarks I have made can alone apply to a metro- 
 politan St. Giles’s, or to Saffron-hill, a reference to the reports of the Healtli- 
 of-Towns’ Commission,* * * § or to the more recent and graphic descriptions in 
 the columns of the Morning Chronicle, will abundantly show that our pro- 
 vincial towns, f our rural villages, and even many of the picturesque cottages 
 which so much enliven the landscape of Great Britain, form no exception to 
 the wretched condition of a large proportion of the dwellings tenanted by 
 our labouring peasantry, artisans, and mechanics. In a provincial town, I 
 lately entered one of three cottages approached by a passage 2ft. Gin. wide, 
 common to the whole of them; in a ground-floor room 10ft. 6in. by 8ft., 
 and 5ft. lOin. high, with a triangular loft in the sloping roof, were lodged a 
 husband, a wife, and five children. The out-buildings common to these 
 cottages I forbear to describe. Yet this is an underdrawn picture of the 
 domiciliary wretchedness which many a dwelling in England, with its boasted 
 civilization, refinement, and wealth, presents. Some have only one room, 
 occupied by a great number of inmates ; some have two, three, or four 
 rooms, each occupied by a distinct and often a numerous family ; in some 
 cottages, one or more lodgers occupy the same apartment with the family, 
 regardless of age and sex. 
 
 Great and widely extended as are these evils, morally, physically, 
 socially, and politically considered, we are happily not without encouragement 
 to hope that through the active operation of Christian principle, combined 
 with an enlightened and well-directed spirit of philanthropic enterprise, as 
 great a change will bo effected in the dwellings of the working classes, as 
 that which was brought about in the state of our prisons, mainly through 
 the exertions of the illustrious Howard. England^ surely cannot long allow 
 such a contrast to exist between the comparative domiciliary comforts 
 enjoyed by those who have forfeited their freedom as the penalty of crime, 
 and the wretched homes from which at present too many of our labouring 
 population are tempted to escape to the gin palace or the beer shop,§ — those 
 very portals of domestic misery and moral ruin. 
 
 * These invaluable Reports bear ample testimony to the zeal and untiring energy of 
 Mr. Chadwick in carrying on the good work to which he lias been so long devoted. 
 
 t Mr. Rawliuson, the Government Inspector under the General Board of Health, 
 assures the Author, that he believes there is not a town in Great Britain, with a popu- 
 lation of 4000 persons, which does not exhibit a similar scene to that referred to above 
 as witnessed by him in St. Giles’s. 
 
 X The numerous applications made to the Society for Improving the Condition of 
 the Labouring Classes for plans of their model dwellings, and the constaut inquiries 
 received from various parts of the country, prove that the Society has not laboured in 
 vaiD ; whilst it is particularly gratifying to know that our Continental neighbours and 
 Transatlantic brethren are profiting by our example and experience, in carrying out 
 the same plans, modified to suit their own peculiar circumstances. 
 
 § Were the amount of evil induced throughout the country by the temptation 
 which these places present to the labouring classes fully ascertained, and the expenses 
 they give rise to for hospitals, for workhouses, for lunatic asylums, for police, with all 
 the other machinery employed for the prevention and punishment of crime, summed 
 up together, they would present an aggregate which, irrespective of the more important 
 moral and social question, could not fail of putting aside at once all considerations of 
 public revenue or private interest. The introduction of the monosyllable “not” in 
 
TIIE DWELLINGS OF THE LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 5 
 
 Tlic 'practical view of the improvement of the dwellings of the labouring 
 classes which I desire to bring under consideration, will be most conveniently 
 taken by first pointing out the general principles, applicable as well in towns 
 as in the country, and afterwards by considering these two descriptions of 
 dwellings separately. 
 
 The most humble abodes, whether in a town or in the country, in order 
 to be healthy,* must be dry and well ventilated ; to secure the former, it is 
 essential that due attention bo given to the situation or locality, to the 
 foundation, and to the drainage, as well as to the material of which the ex- 
 ternal walls and roof are constructed. To secure ventilation, there must be 
 a free circulation of air ; a sufficient number and size of openings, and 
 adequate height of the rooms, which I should fix at not less than 7ft. 6in. to 
 8ft. ; in town buildings I have allowed 9ft. from floor to floor. The number 
 and area of the apartments should be in proportion to the probable number 
 of occupants ; where intended for families, there should, as a general rule, 
 be not fewer than three sleeping apartments, each with a distinct and in- 
 dependent access ; no other arrangement can secure a duo separation of the 
 sexes. The living room ought not to contain less than 140ft. to 150ft. 
 superficial, and the parents’ bed-room should at least measure about 100ft. 
 superficial ; in the latter, as a provision for sickness, a fire-place is of much 
 importance. In every room an opening for the escape of vitiated air ought 
 to be made near the ceiling, especially in the smaller bed-rooms for children, 
 when there is no fire-place. 
 
 For the comfort and health of the inmates of every tenement, the pro- 
 tection afforded by an internal lobby or close porch is of importance, 
 as well as the relative position of the doors and fire-places to the living 
 room, which should be so arranged that there may be at least one snug 
 corner free from draught. Where casement windows are used, the great 
 difficulty which is found in the lower class of buildings of rendering them 
 weather tight, renders it desirable that they should invariably be made to 
 open outwards, and be properly secured by stay-bar fastenings. Zinc I have 
 found the most satisfactory material for casements, and if the quarries are 
 well proportioned and not too large, their effect differs very little from that 
 of lead. 
 
 In illustrating the general principles which I would advocate as appli- 
 cable, particularly to town buildings, it will be convenient now to refer to 
 the dwellings erected by the Society for Improving the Condition of the 
 Labouring Classes. This Society was established in 1844, under the 
 patronage of Her Majesty the Queen, with the Prince Consort as its illus- 
 trious President. Influenced by the philanthropic principles so powerfully 
 advocated by their noble chairman. Lord Ashley, and stimulated by his 
 
 the “ licensed to be drunk on the premises” would certainly be a step in the right 
 direction. One instance, which occurred recently under my own observation, strikingly 
 manifests the evils of the present system ; no sooner had a model lodging-house for 
 single men been opened in an agricultural parish, than a beer-shop was licensed almost 
 opposite to it. 
 
 * For a more detailed Statement of “ the Essentials of a Healthy Dwelling,” see 
 the Second Part, p. 29. 
 
 Practical 
 view of the 
 subject and 
 general prin- 
 ciples. 
 
 Experience 
 of the Society 
 for Improv- 
 ing the Con- 
 dition of the 
 Labouring 
 Classes. 
 
(j 
 
 THE DWELLINGS OF THE LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 First exam- 
 ple of Model 
 Dwelliugs at 
 
 Wells.' 
 
 Adapted for 
 giviug Ten- 
 ants the op- 
 portunity of 
 becoming 
 owners . 
 
 example, the committee of this Society undertook, as one most important 
 branch of their labours, “ to arrange and execute Plans as Models for the 
 Improvement of the Dwellings of the Labouring Classes, both in the Metro- 
 polis and in the Manufacturing and Agricultural Districts.” For the past 
 five years they have been steadily engaged in presenting successive Models 
 of Improved Dwellings adapted to the various circumstances of the Industrial 
 Classes — a work which at the outset of the Society’s labours was charac- 
 terized by one of the most eminent builders in London* as “ exceedingly 
 complicated, and which could hardly be done well, and so as to make a 
 profit as an investment.” Notwithstanding this opinion, and the advice given 
 that the Society should limit itself to offering premiums for plans submitted 
 in competition, and publishing such as might be most approved, it was felt 
 that uo description or reasoning, however forcible, no plans or estimates, 
 however suitable and accurate, would be likely to make such an impression 
 on the public as actual experiments, and the demonstration by experience 
 that a fair return might be obtained from an investment judiciously laid out 
 in improving the dwellings of the labouring classes. 
 
 With these views, the Society proceeded to build, between Gray’s-inn- 
 road and the Lower-road, Pentonville, near Bagnigge Wells, their first set of 
 Model Dwellings! on the only eligible site of ground then offered, and which 
 they had some difficulty in securing, owing to the adverse feeling of parties 
 who apprehended injury to their property from the vicinity of what they 
 regarded as likely to prove a sort of nondescript pile of pauper buildings. 
 
 'fhe form of the site, and the unfavourable nature of the foundation for 
 a lofty building, being newly-made ground, in some degree influenced its 
 appropriation to a double row of two-story houses, facing each other, and 
 on three distinct plans, to accommodate in the whole twenty-three families, 
 and thirty single females. In their arrangement, the main object has been 
 to combine every point essential to the health, comfort, and moral habits of 
 the industrious classes and their families, particular attention being paid to 
 ventilation, drainage, and an ample supply of water.% 
 
 1. Nine of the families occupy each an entire house, with a living-room 
 on the ground-floor, having an enclosed recess, or closet, large enough to 
 receive beds for the youths of the family, two bed-rooms on the upper floor, 
 and a small yard at the back : the rent of these houses is 65. per week. 
 
 Such houses as these are well adapted for the carrying out a plan which has proved 
 to be a powerful stimulant to forethought and provident habits — it is that of giving 
 the tenants the option of paying either the ordinary rate of rent for their dwellings, 
 or a higher rate for a fixed period, at the termination of which they become owners of 
 the property. In the latter case, the house becomes virtually a savings’-bank to the 
 occupier, whilst those who have built it are, without any increase of their investment, 
 enabled to extend the benefits it is meant to confer. 
 
 2. The remaining fourteen families are distributed in seven houses, each 
 family occupying a floor of two rooms, with all requisite conveniences; and 
 
 * The late Mr. Thomas Cubitt. 
 
 f A view and plan of these buildings is given at pp. 88 & 89. 
 
 + Existing regulations of the Metropolitan Water Companies involve the incon- 
 venience and heavy expense of double-sized cisterns, owing to the want of a regular 
 daily supply, which, for some reasons, would be preferable to a main always charged. 
 
THE DWELLINGS OF THE LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 as the apartments on the upper Hoor are approached through an outer door 
 distinct from that leading to the lower Hoor, their respective occupants are 
 thus kept entirely separate, and both floors are virtually distinct dwellings. 
 
 The rent paid by each family is three shillings and sixpence per week. 
 
 A wash-house, with drying-ground, is provided for the occasional use of 
 the tenants of these houses, at a small charge. 
 
 3. The centre building on the east side will accommodate thirty widows 
 or females of advanced age, each having a room, with the use of a wash- 
 house common to them all. The rent paid for the rooms is one shilling anti 
 sixpence per week. Subsequently, it has been thought by the Committee 
 that this rent should have been fixed at two shillings per week. 
 
 Where space will admit of it, some modification in the arrangement of 
 houses built after this general model would be desirable. The Society has 
 published plans in which these alterations are embraced.* * * § 
 
 It may be further remarked that the use of hollow brick or tile arches in 
 the construction of the floors in the manner hereafter to be described, would 
 add greatly to the comfort of houses in which one family is lodged above 
 another, and should but little, if at all, increase their cost. 
 
 In many situations where a few additional feet could be given to the 
 width of the street, a third story, or even a fourth, might with advantage be 
 added to the height of the houses. In such case the access to the upper 
 stox-ies might be from a gallery carried along the back, and approached by 
 one or more external open staircase, similar to the arrangement of the 
 Streatham-street houses, hereafter described ; or one staircase might give 
 access to two or more tenements on each floor. f This arrangement would 
 obviate many of the evils to be apprehended from internal staircases common 
 to several families, as well as secure the tenements from liability to window- 
 tax, as it is confidently believed. In some localities an increased rent 
 might be obtained by arranging the ground floor for small shops ; the 
 dwellings above being kept entirely distinct, in the manner just described, 
 and of which an illustration will be given hereafter. 
 
 Encouraged by the immediate occupation of their first set of buildings, Improved 
 and the approval of the public, manifested by liberal contributions, J the ^oJwe'for 
 Society next proceeded to exhibit a Model of an Improved Lodging House Working 
 for Working Men. " Men. 
 
 It is difficult for those who have not by personal examination ascertained 
 the state of moral as well as physical degradation, which was exhibited 
 in the vast majority of the ordinary lodging-houses § of the labouring 
 
 * Plana showing these alterations are given at pp. 113 & 115, and working drawings 
 for such Buildings may be obtained at 21 Exeter Hall. 
 
 t Such an arrangement is shown at p. 117 in the lower plan, which was adopted for 
 the Exhibition Model Houses built at the cost of H.R.H. Prince Albert, as will be 
 seen on reference to the Appendix, p. 121. See also the plans, p. 123. 
 
 X In no case has the amount contributed by the public to the several model-houses 
 of the Society been equal to its cost. The revenue, after the gradual payment of the 
 amount borrowed for their completion, and the interest on the same, will be devoted 
 to carrying on the general objects of the Society as prescribed by the Charter. 
 
 § Public attention appears in the first instance to have been generally aroused to 
 the actual state of the lodging-houses in London, by a publication of the London City 
 
8 
 
 THE DWELLINGS OF THE LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 Character of 
 previously 
 existing 
 houses. 
 
 Renovated 
 Lodging 
 House in 
 Charles-st. 
 
 First Model 
 Lodging 
 House in 
 George-st. 
 
 classes, both in the metropolis and in the provincial towns, to imagine the 
 extent of the evil grappled with in this undertaking. 
 
 Many of these lodging-houses were truly described as the very hot-beds 
 of vice and crime, — a disgrace to humanity, a reproach to the Christianity 
 of England ; and yet such sinks of iniquity and contamination were too 
 often the abode of the young artisan on first arriving in London, or when 
 quitting the paternal roof, and there every good principle was undermined 
 by evil associates, until he became a pest of society, and either sank, 
 through disease and want, into an untimely grave, or forfeited his freedom 
 to the laws of his country. 
 
 To show the practicability of effecting a great improvement in the existing 
 lodging-houses, the Society began by taking three lodging-houses in one of 
 the worst neighbourhoods of London — viz., Charles-street, Drury-lune.* 
 These they completely renovated, and converted into one house, which was 
 fitted up with clean and wholesome beds, and all other appurtenances 
 requisite for the health and comfort of eighty-two working men, who pay 
 the same amount as is usually charged in the neighbouring wretched lodging- 
 houses for a single bed — viz., fourpence per night, or two shillings per week, 
 and cheerfully conform to the regulations of the Establishment. f 
 
 In a financial point of view, this experiment is amply remunerative, the 
 annual return having yielded from 12 to 15 per cent, on the outlay of 
 £1163 14s. 2d, 
 
 The main object of the Society it should be observed is, not to lower the 
 price, but to improve the quality, of the dwellings, and in no other way to 
 assume the position of rival landlords. 
 
 But, however valuable as an experiment, and calculated as a stimulant 
 to produce highly beneficial results, the house in Charles-street cannot be 
 considered as the model of what a lodging-house ought to be. The Com- 
 mittee therefore purchased a piece of freehold ground in George-street, 
 Bloomsbury, surrounded by other lodging-houses, and have built on it a 
 “Model Lodging-House ” for 104 working men,}: in which it has been 
 their aim to combine everything deemed essential or valuable in such an 
 establishment — complete ventilation and drainage ; the use of a distinct 
 living-room ; a kitchen and a wash-house, a bath, and an ample supply of 
 water ; separation and retirement in the sleeping apartments ; with all those 
 conveniences which, whilst conducing to the health and physical comfort of 
 the inmates, tend to increase their self-respect, and elevate them in the scale 
 of moral and intellectual beings. § 
 
 The Plaus fully describe the arrangement of the several floors ; and the 
 fitting-up of the principal apartments may be thus briefly stated : — The 
 
 Missionary Society, entitled “ The Lodging-Houses of London,” which exhibited such 
 an appalling picture of vice and wretched degradation as to be disbelieved by many 
 who might have found in the Reports of the Health-of-Towns’ Commission sufficient 
 to satisfy them that a concealed volcano existed in the very heart of the metropolis. 
 
 * A view and plans of this building are given at p. 91. 
 
 t Rules adopted for the general regulation of lodging-houses are given at p. 85, 
 in the Appendix. 
 
 J A view and plans of this building are given at pp. 94, 95. 
 
 § His Royal Highness Prince Albert, in his address at Freemasons’ Hall, 18tli May, 
 1848, said, in reference to this house — “I have just come from the Model Lodging- 
 
TIIE DWELLINGS OF TIIE LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 9 
 
 kitchen and wash-house are furnished with ever}’ requisite and appropriate 
 convenience ; the bath is supplied with hot and cold water ; the pantry- 
 hatch provides a secure and separate well-ventilated safe for the food of 
 each inmate. In the pay-office, under care of the superintendent, is a 
 small, well-selected library, for the use of the lodgers. The coffee, or 
 common-room, 33ft. long, 23ft. wide, and 10ft. 9in. high, is paved with 
 white tiles laid on brick arches, and on each side are two rows of elm 
 tables, with scats ; at the fire-place is a constant supply of hot water, and 
 above it are the rules of the Establishment. The staircase, which occupies 
 the centre of the building, is of stone. The dormitories, eight in number, 
 10ft. high, are subdivided with moveable wood partitions 6ft. 9in. high; each 
 compartment, enclosed by its own door, is fitted up with a bed, chair, and 
 clothes-box. In addition to the ventilation secured by means of a thorough 
 draught, a shaft is carried up at the end of every room, the ventilation 
 through it being assisted by the introduction of gas, which lights the apart- 
 ment. A ventilating shaft is also carried up the staircase, for the supply of 
 fresh air to the dormitories, with a provision for warming it, if required. The 
 washing closets on each floor are fitted up with slate, having japanned iron 
 basins, and water laid on. 
 
 This experiment, in providing a remedy for a great social evil, one which 
 would recommend itself to extensive adoption, anil be the means of stimula- 
 ting the owners of existing houses, from self-interested motives, to improve 
 and render them healthy abodes, was one of great practical importance. 
 Its results speedily afforded the most powerful arguments in support of an 
 appeal made to the Legislature for a somewhat unprecedented interference 
 with private property — by the Act of Parliament passed in 1851 for regu- 
 lating; Common Lodging-houses — a measure introduced in the House of 
 Commons by Lord Ashley, and carried by his Lordship, as Earl of 
 Shaftesbury, through the House of Lords. It has proved the most efficacious 
 means of ameliorating the condition of these houses, the number of which, 
 in the metropolis alone, brought under its regulations within two years, was 
 such, that they were occupied by not fewer than 80,000 persons, and since 
 then the number has greatly increased. 
 
 As one striking proof of the benefits resulting from this improved lodging- 
 house system, it may be stated, that whilst the cholera was ravaging to a 
 fearful extent the filthy and over-crowded receptacles in its immediate 
 neighbourhood, not one case occurred amongst its 104 inmates, and but few 
 of diarrhoea, which speedily yielded to medical treatment. 
 
 The Society subsequently fitted up in Hatton-garden a lodging-house 
 for fifty-seven single women,* which has been changed into a superior 
 lodging-house for young men, and being fully occupied, it yields about 
 
 house, tlio opening of which wo celebrate this day; and I feel convinced that its 
 existence will, by degrees, cause a complete change in the domestic comforts of the 
 labouring classes, as it will exhibit to them, that with real economy can be combined 
 advantages with which few of them have hitherto been acquainted ; whilst it will show 
 to those who possess capital to invest, that they may do so with great profit and 
 advantage to themselves, at the same time that they are dispensing those comforts to 
 which I have alluded to their poorer brethren.” 
 
 * Plans of this building are given at p. 95. 
 
 Beneficial 
 results of a 
 Legislative 
 character. 
 
 Sanitary 
 
 results. 
 
 Lodging 
 House in 
 Hatton Gar- 
 den. 
 
10 
 
 THE DWELLINGS OF THE LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 Requisites in 
 a Model 
 House for 
 Families. 
 
 Model 
 Houses in 
 Streatham-st 
 Bloomsbury. 
 
 per cent, on the outlay of £1077 14s. 7 d. It may be referred to as the 
 completest example of the adaptation and arrangement of an old house with 
 all the conveniences desirable in such an establishment. 
 
 The most important of the Society’s model buildings is that now to bo 
 described. It was felt that the design of a building to accommodate a 
 large number of families on a plan adapted to situations where the value 
 of ground renders it necessary to occupy but a limited space, required, in a 
 more than ordinary degree, the combination of everything worthy of imita- 
 tion, with that durability and rigid economy of construction, which is 
 indispensable in a permanent investment of capital. 
 
 The question of lodging a large number of families in one lofty pile of 
 building has been the subject of much discussion, and in reference to it the 
 most contradictory opinions were stated before the IIealth-of-Towns’ Com- 
 mission. Some thought it the best adapted and most economical plan to 
 provide in one house, with a common staircase and internal passages, suffi- 
 cient rooms for lodging a considerable number of families, giving them the 
 use of a kitchen, wash-house, and other necessary conveniences, in common ; 
 others objected that such an arrangement would lead to endless contentions, 
 and be attended with much evil in cases of contagious disease. 
 
 It must be obvious that in many localities where labourers’ dwellings are 
 indispensable, it is impossible to provide them with isolated and altogether 
 independent tenements ; and therefore, though modified by local and other 
 circumstances, it will be found the general pi’actice in Great Britain, as well 
 as in the large towns on the Continent,* for several families of the working 
 classes to reside in one house. 
 
 The important point, then, for consideration, is, in what manner can 
 the advantages of this economical arrangement be retained without the 
 serious practical evils which have been referred to ? 
 
 In providing for the accommodation of a large number of families in one 
 pile of building, a leading feature of the plan should be the preservation of 
 the domestic privacy and independence of each distinct family, and the 
 disconnexion of their apartments, so as effectually to prevent the communi- 
 cation of contagious diseases. This is accomplished in the model houses for 
 families built in Streatham-street, Bloomsbury ,f by dispensing altogether with 
 separate staircases, and other internal communications between the different 
 stories, and by adopting one common open staircase leading into galleries 
 or corridors, open on one side to a spacious quadrangle, and on the other 
 side having the outer doors of the several tenements, the rooms of which 
 are protected from draught by a small entrance lobby. The galleries } are 
 
 * One of tlie most imposing buildings tenanted by the working classes is the Albergo 
 di Poveri at Naples, which, in its unfinished state, when visited by the Author in 1829, 
 contained 2600 inmates ; it is six stories high, the upper being used for workshops, 
 wherein persons of dirferent age and sex are employed in weaving, shoe-making, tailor- 
 ing, and the preparation of coral. The sleeping apartments are remarkably neat ; the 
 beds in the daytime fold up in the centre, and are covered with a cloth ; above is the 
 name, and by the side a bag for the clothes of the occupier. 
 
 f Views and plans of these buildings are given at pp. 97 — 100 — 101. 
 
 + The galleries may be supported by light iron columns and beams instead of brick 
 piers and arches, which has been done in several buildings subsequently erected after 
 this model. 
 
 
THE DWELLINGS OF THE LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 11 
 
 supported next the quadrangle by a series of arcades, each embracing two 
 stories in height ; and the slate floors of the intermediate galleries rest on 
 iron beams, which also carry the enclosure railing. The tenements being 
 thus rendered separate dwellings, and having fewer than seven windows in 
 each, it was confidently felt that it could not be liable to the window-tax* * * § — 
 which, in a financial point of view, was a consideration of much importance 
 — a saving of at least between seventy and eighty pounds per annum having 
 been thus effected on the entire range of buildings. 
 
 The Plans fully describe the general arrangement of the several floors : 
 that on a larger scale (Appendix, p. 109) exhibits two tenements or sets of 
 apartments with their appropriate fittings, which comprise all the con- 
 veniences requisite for a well-ordered family, and include, in addition to 
 the bed-rooms, a provision for an enclosed bed for boys in a closet out of 
 the living-room. 
 
 The nature of the foundation rendering excavation to a considerable 
 depth indispensable, a basement story has been formed, with a range of 
 well-lighted and ventilated workshops ;f these will doubtless prove a great 
 convenience to some of the tenants, as will also the wash-house and bath 
 provided for their common use, under the control of the superintendent or 
 keeper, for whom an office is placed near the public entrance ; to him will 
 probably be also entrusted the retailing to the tenants, at low prices, coals 
 and potatoes, for which ample stowage is provided in the basement. 
 
 The floors and roofs of these buildings are rendered fire-proof by arch- 
 ing with tiles or hollow bricks slightly wedge-shaped 4 They are Gin. deep, 
 4in. wide, on the top part, 9in. long, ^ths to lin. thick; the rise of the 
 arches is from fin. to 1 in. per foot on the span, and they are set in Portland 
 cement, in the proportion of one part cement to two parts sharp sand, the 
 tiles being well wetted before being used. The weight of the arch is 371bs. 
 per foot superficial ; levelling up with concrete adds about 33lbs. per foot 
 superficial. 
 
 The arrangement of the building is such as to render the floor and roof 
 arches § a continued series of abutments to each other, excepting at the 
 
 * An attempt was made to levy this tax, but on an appeal to the Judges the ex- 
 emption of these houses was established, and since the removal of the window tax, 
 freedom from liability to the substituted house-tax lias on the same ground been 
 maintained. 
 
 f The rooms in the basement story not letting readily for workshops, they were 
 fitted up for families, and quickly taken at weekly rents of 2s. to 4s. per tenement, 
 according to the extent of accommodation. 
 
 X Tiles resembling the form of a garden-pot, closed at both ends, have long been 
 applied to the turning of floor arches. They appear to have been invented in France, 
 where they are extensively employed for that purpose. The writer used them when 
 building Fishmongers’ Hall in 1833. The ceiling of St. George’s Hall, Liverpool, presents 
 the finest example of vaulting with hollow bricks. A very interesting description of it 
 was given at the Institute of British Architects last year, by Mr. Rawlinson, C.E., 
 whose skill had been sought in designing and executing this part of the structure 
 after the death of Mr. Elmes, the talented architect of the magnificent building 
 referred to. 
 
 § Arches constructed of hollow bricks — like all brickwork of slight substance— should 
 not be executed at a season when frost may be expected, and care should be taken that 
 the joints are not washed out by heavy rain ; their setting should on no account be let 
 
 Fire proof 
 construction 
 of Floors and 
 Roofs. 
 
12 
 
 THE DWELLINGS OF THE LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 Thanksgiv- 
 ing Model 
 Buildings, 
 Portpool- 
 laue. 
 
 extremities, where they are tied in with £in. iron rods, secured to cast iron 
 or to stone springers ; the latter formed with two courses of York stone, 
 between which the tie-rods pass. The roof is levelled with concrete, and 
 asphalted. The floors of the bed-rooms are boarded on joists 2in. square, 
 cut out lin. on the back of the arch, and secured to two sleepers; the 
 remainder of the floors are in Portland cement, excepting the basement, 
 which is of metallic lava. 
 
 In order to test the strength of this somewhat novel application of tile- 
 arclies, an experimental arch was turned about 3ft. 2in. wide, Oft. Gin. between 
 the points of support, and rising 7in. The abutments or springers were 
 secured by two |in. iron rods, and left for some weeks ; pig-iron was then 
 piled on the centre, and the deflection carefully taken as follows : — 3 tons, 
 sin. ; 5 tons, .jin. ; 6 tons, left for twenty-four hours, -„in. ; 7 tons, 7 cwt., lin. ; 
 8 tons, IrVin. ; 9 tons, 4 cwt., |in. ; 9 tons, 14 cwt., broke down, the tiles 
 cracking first at the ends through which the tension rods passed; this experi- 
 ment proved that, calculating the greatest total weight, 32 cwt., which could 
 be ever placed on such a floor if covered with people at the rate of 120lbs. 
 per foot superficial, it would safely bear four times that weight, but broke 
 down with six times. Owing to the difficulty of obtaining sufficient tiles, 
 some of the narrower spaces, of Gft. to 7ft. span, were turned with the tiles 
 laid flatways, being 4in. deep, and others had half-brick arches. 
 
 The extra cost of rendering this building fire-proof, as well as preventing 
 the communication of sound and all percolation of water between the several 
 floors, by means of the tile arches, beyond the cost of construction with the 
 ordinary combustible floors and roof, as ascertained by comparative tenders, 
 did not exceed about 12s. per cent, on the contract for the entire pile of 
 building, which was £7370 ; and, in all probability, when a regular demand 
 arises for roof and floor arch tiles, they will be supplied at such a price as to 
 allow of their use without any extra cost. 
 
 The Society undertook, on the completion of this building, to raise one 
 other pile of model town dwellings, with money placed at its disposal from 
 thanksgiving-offerings* for the removal of the cholera ; and with this view 
 purchased an eligible freehold site in Portpool-lane, Gray’s-inn-lane. The 
 Plan of the Buildings, which with a more detailed description is given at 
 
 as task-work. A thoroughly solid foundation is indispensable for all buildings where 
 arching enters into the construction. The Appendix contains some further details in 
 reference to hollow bricks, and their application to the dwellings of the labouring 
 classes, with a section of an arched floor and roof, pp. 80 — 82. 
 
 * The raising of this fund is attributable to the following suggestion of the Lord 
 Bishop of London, in a Letter addressed to the Clergy of his Diocese, previous to the day 
 appointed for national thanksgiving for the removal of the cholera, Nov. 15, 1849. His 
 Lordship writes — ‘ ‘ I venture to recommend that the alms then collected should be applied 
 to the promotion of some well considered plan for improving the dwellings of the labouring 
 classes. I would not be understood to prescribe the channel through which the collec- 
 tions should be so applied ; but I would suggest that, where the funds so raised are not 
 sufficient for carrying out a local scheme for that purpose, they may be safely entrusted 
 to ‘The Society for Improving the Condition of the Labouring Classes,’ without fear of 
 misapplication or waste. Much good has been already effected by that Society in setting 
 an example of what may bo done towards providing the poor with decent and commo- 
 dious habitations, by an outlay which will ultimately be repaid with interest, both in a 
 
THE DWELLINGS OF THE LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 13 
 
 pages 104 and 105, exhibits an arrangement adapted to the circumstances of 
 a portion of the labouring classes not provided for in the Society’s other 
 model dwellings, and combines with 20 tenements for a poorer class of 
 families, apartments for 128 single women, and a public wash-house. 
 
 As it is my desire to take a comprehensive view of the subject under 
 consideration, and to point out — more especially to the junior members of 
 the Institute — any practical defects in arrangement which experience has 
 brought under my observation, I will proceed to notice some of the prin- 
 cipal dwellings for the industrial classes which have been built since the 
 establishment of the Society for Improving the Condition of the Labouring 
 Classes, in 1844. 
 
 The first, in point of time, are the lofty and imposing piles of workmen’s 
 dwellings raised at Birkenhead,* for 324 families, four stories high, and of 
 fire-proof construction. There is much to commend in this early effort 
 to provide suitable dwellings for the working classes ; but in several 
 important points there appears to me such great room for amendment, and 
 experience has so fully confirmed my original impression with reference 
 to the plans of these buildings, that I venture to refer to a Report made on 
 them, under date May 1, 1845, and addressed to Lord Ashley, whose 
 opinion had been requested by an influential gentleman interested in the 
 undertaking. 
 
 “ The Sub-Committee on Dwellings of the Society for Improving the 
 Condition of the Labouring Classes, have taken into consideration the 
 plans transmitted by your lordship, for the residence of labourers employed 
 on the Birkenhead Docks, and beg to make the following observations 
 respecting them : — 
 
 “ 1st. The width of the proposed avenues is only 18ft., whilst the 
 houses are designed to be nearly 40ft. in height. Under the new 
 Metropolitan Building Act, the width of such avenues ought to be not 
 less than the height of the buildings, 40ft. Waiving, however, the 
 application of this Act as a conclusive test, we are of opinion that, with 
 a view to secure good ventilation, and free access for the sun, the width of 
 the avenues should be at least 30ft., more particularly as the disposition 
 of the greater part of them is such as to preclude that thorough circulation 
 of air which would have been obtained by a free and unobstructed opening 
 at each end. 
 
 “ 2nd. The general arrangement of the houses appears to be good ; 
 and although the height of the rooms is ample, yet in other respects the 
 scale of building is decidedly less than the Committee can approve. All 
 
 social and a pecuniary point of view. It is a remarkable and encouraging fact, that in 
 the dwellings and lodging-houses belonging to the Society there was not one case of 
 cholera, and two only of diarrhoea, which speedily yielded to medical treatment.” 
 
 The total amount received for these buildings from church collections was about 
 £2iiu0 ; and from donations direct to the Society, about £2810. 
 
 * A plan of two tenements in these buildings is given at p. 109. 
 
 Motives for 
 pointing out 
 practical 
 defects. 
 
 Workmen’s 
 Dwellings at 
 Birkenhead. 
 
 Report of a 
 Sub- Com- 
 mittee. 
 
14 
 
 THE DWELLINGS OF THE LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 The Metro- 
 politan Asso- 
 ciationBuild- 
 ings in Old 
 Pancras. 
 
 the rooms are small, particularly those for sleeping, which measure only 
 9ft. 6in. by 7ft., and 9ft. Gin. by 6ft. It should further be observed, that 
 the want of a provision for the placing a bed in a recess out of the 
 living-room, precludes, in case of the dwelling being occupied by a family, 
 the possibility of a due separation of the sexes. 
 
 “ In reference to the dust-shaft, the greatest care will be requisite 
 to provide for the escape of gas from the decomposed matter in the 
 dust-cellar, which would otherwise ascend and find its way into the 
 dwelling. 
 
 “No specific plan for ventilation being described, it is impossible 
 to offer any opinion on this most important point, but it is highly 
 necessary that some efficient means should be adopted for this purpose, 
 and more particularly for carrying away the noxious products of com- 
 bustion arising from the gas-light. 
 
 “ We are, 
 
 “ Your Lordship’s very faithful servants, 
 
 “ William Denison, Capt. lloyal Engineers. 
 “ Henry Roberts, Architect. 
 
 “Josetii Toynbee, F.R.S.” 
 
 These buildings have been completed upwards of three years, and it was 
 with much regret, when visiting Birkenhead in October last, that I found 
 them tenantless, owing doubtless, in a considerable measure, to the sus- 
 pension of the Dock-works in contemplation when they were erected ; yet 
 being within accessible distance to a numerous and increasing working 
 population, I apprehend another cause may be, that the gloomy appearance 
 of the narrow alleys, on the pavement of which, in general, the sun can never 
 shine, has had a repulsive tendency. At no great distance, a single pile of 
 workmen’s houses, — for sixty-four families, — called “ Morpeth Buildings,” 
 has been erected on the same general plan, consisting of double houses, four 
 stories high, with central staircase, giving access, on each landing, to two sets 
 of apartments. Those houses are not fire-proof, but enjoy the advantage 
 of unobstructed light and air ; they are near to the occupations of the 
 tenants ; are always full ; and prove a great boon to the inmates, who 
 willingly pay a rent of 2s. 6d. per week, with 3d. additional for gas- 
 light. 
 
 The Metropolitan Association for Improving the Dwellings of the 
 Industrious Classes was incorporated by Royal Charter in October, 1845, 
 and their first range of dwellings, built in the Old Pancras-road,* for 
 the accommodation of 1 10 families, was opened for reception of the tenants, 
 early in 1848. These buildings — from the designs of Mr. Moflet — present 
 an extended and imposing front of about 226 feet, with advancing wings, 
 and are five stories high. The sub-division into distinct double-houses, 
 with a central stone staircase to each, is similar to that of the Birkenhead 
 buildings. They are not fire-proof, but have the advantage of larger-sized 
 apartments, and unobstructed light and air. The internal staircase arrange- 
 
 * A plan of two tenements in these buildings is given at p. 111. 
 
THE DWELLINGS OF THE LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 15 
 
 ment involves them equally in the heavy charge of window-tax,* which, 
 on the whole pile of buildings, amounts to 152/. 16s. per annum. These 
 dwellings have been constantly occupied since their completion, and the 
 most gratifying evidence has been given of the change produced in the 
 health and comfort of the tenants, by their improved and salubrious abodes. 
 
 The second undertaking of the Metropolitan Association has been the build- 
 ing, in Spitalfields, of a lod ring-house for 234 single men, with dormitories 
 arranged on a similar plan to those in the George-strect, Bloomsbury ,f lodg- 
 ing-house, opened in 1847 ; the living-room accommodation is more extensive 
 and costly, as it comprises a coffee-room 45ft. by 35ft., a kitchen 46ft. by 
 21ft. 9in., a lecture-room 35ft. by 21ft. 9in., and a reading-room 25ft. by 
 21ft. 9in. This building is just completed, from the designs of Mr. W. 
 Beck; the charge for each lodger has been fixed at 3s. per week, whilst that 
 in George-street,§ Bloomsbury, is only 2s. 4 d. per week; it remains to be 
 seen whether the extra payment beyond 4 d. per night, the usual charge for 
 lodgings for single men, will be paid for such increased accommodation. It 
 may also be questionable how far the class of men for whom lodgings in such 
 a neighbourhood are chiefly needed, will be really benefited by the luxuries 
 here provided, and which but few men in full employment can have much 
 time for enjoying. It should, however, be observed, that the proximity of 
 this establishment to the spacious range of dwellings for families, building by 
 the same Association, affords the opportunity of appropriating to the use of 
 the occupants of those dwellings, at fixed hours of the day, some of the 
 accommodation afforded in this building, and thus turning to good account 
 what might otherwise be surplus accommodation. 
 
 The internal plan of these dwellings for families is similar in general 
 disposition to those in the Old Pancras-road, see plan, p. Ill, the relative 
 position of the door and fire-places in the living-rooms is better than in the 
 latter buildings, but the entrance under the centre of the staircase, from 
 apparent want of height, is unsatisfactory. The construction of the floors. 
 
 * After many fruitless attempts to obtain its remission, as well as that of tlie house- 
 tax, when substituted for that on windows, the Treasury, in June 1800, authorized the 
 exemption of such dwellings from the inhabited house duty. See Appendix, p. 72. 
 
 f The Sailors’ Home, in Well-street, London Docks, must in some respects be con- 
 sidered the prototype of the improved lodging-houses. It was opened in 1835 ; and the 
 cost of fitting up the last dormitory was defrayed at the sole expense of her lamented 
 Majesty the Queen Dowager, a munificent patroness of the Labouring Classes’ Im- 
 provement Society. This admirable establishment, which will now lodge 300 inmates, 
 is, with the Destitute Sailors’ Asylum in the same street, a monument of the self- 
 denying and devoted energy of the late Captain R. J. Elliot, R.N. As the latter 
 building — to which the writer had the pleasure of acting as honorary architect in 1835 
 — may be useful in suggesting arrangements suitable for a class below that of ordinary 
 labourers, and not within the range of the designs carried out by the Society for Im- 
 proving the Condition of the Labouring Classes, such as Ragged-school boys, or nightly 
 lodgers, known as trampers, plans of it are given in the Appendix, p. 107. The 
 addition of a second floor would provide for the nightly separation of the sexes in a 
 caravansary lodging-house, a description of building much needed in all our towns, 
 and even in many villages. 
 
 ^ The charge at George-street has been subsequently raised to 2s. G cl. per week for 
 44 of the Dormitories, and 3s. per week for GO. 
 
 Buildings in 
 Albert-street 
 Spitalfields. 
 
16 
 
 THE DWELLINGS OF THE LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 Metropoli- 
 tan Associa- 
 tion based on 
 pound prin- 
 ciples. 
 
 Family 
 Houses built 
 in Glasgow. 
 
 originally intended to bo on the ordinary plan, has, since the contract was 
 taken, been changed to the fire-proof plan of Messrs. Fox and Barret 
 
 The Metropolitan Association,* by which these dwellings have been built, 
 is established on the sound, and, indeed, only principle upon which it can bo 
 reasonably expected that an extensive improvement in the dwellings of tho 
 labouring classes in towns should be effected — viz., that of an investment of 
 capital, with tho prospect that, under good management, a fair return of 
 interest on the outlay will be obtained. More can scarcely be expected from 
 a benevolent public than funds sufficient, with careful economy, to effect the 
 important object contemplated by the Society for Improving tho Condition 
 of the Labouring Classes — viz., the erection and completion of one model of 
 each description of building required to meet the varied circumstances of 
 the labouring classes, and at the same time tho demonstration that such 
 buildings may, with proper management, be made to yield a fair return on 
 the outlay. 
 
 In Glasgow, a dwelling-house of four stories, arranged to accommodate 
 thirty-one families, has been built, with a benevolent view, by Mr. James 
 Lumsden. The tenements are ranged on either side of a central passage, 
 which communicates with the common staircase, and is lighted at the ends. 
 Each tenement consists of one apartment, with a single window, two bed- 
 closets, and a scullery, separated from the main compartment by partitions 
 seven feet high. A water-closet, with a dust-shaft, is placed' immediately 
 within the entrance door, having no perceptible means for ventilation. Very 
 questionable as this arrangement must bo, regarded in a sanitary point of 
 view, it is chiefly referred to as a forcible illustration of the impediment 
 offered by the window-tax to the proper construction of large piles of 
 labourers’ dwellings on the ordinary plan of arrangement. In these tene- 
 ments three windows should have been provided where there is one only. 
 
 The policy of continuing a tax which so greatly conduces to augment 
 the evils of an over-crowded dwelling, and at the same time presents a 
 
 * The claims of this Association on public support were most powerfully advocated 
 in the eloquent address of the Earl of Carlisle at the opening of the lodging-house in 
 Spicer-street. “Let it be proved,” said his Lordship, “ that the act of doing good, in 
 however unpretending and common-place a manner, to large masses of the struggling 
 and impoverished, would pay its own way, and ensure its fair profit, and it would 
 follow that benevolence, instead of being only an ethereal influence in the breasts of a 
 few, fitful and confined in its operations, would become a settled, sober habit of tho 
 many ; widening as it went, occasioning its own rebound, and adding all the calculations 
 of prudence to all the impulses of generosity.” 
 
 A well-devised parliamentary enactment,! which would facilitate the formation and 
 general management of independent local associations, conducted on the principle of a 
 joint-stock company, with limited liability, would doubtless greatly facilitate the ex- 
 tension of these improvements. At present the expense and difficulty of obtaining a 
 charter operate as a serious barrier. Let these be removed, and there would then be 
 no excuse for corporate and other public bodies declining to take up the subject in 
 real earnest. 
 
 t Subsequent legislative enactments have afforded the facilities so greatly needed 
 when this note was first published. 
 
THE DWELLINGS OF THE LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 17 
 
 serious barrier to their improvement, by diminishing the fair return from 
 sucli investments, can scarcely be matter for question.* * * § 
 
 Besides the new buildings to which reference has been made, the spirit 
 of improvement lias in several places manifested itself by the re-modelling of 
 old buildings, f and fitting them up, as near as circumstances will admit, on 
 an improved and sanitary plan, so as to render them healthy and comfort- 
 able abodes. That improvements of this description might be effected to a 
 very great extent, with immense advantage to the working classes, and a 
 remunerative return to those who undertake them with judgment, and 
 who do not shrink from the trouble which they involve, the experience of 
 the Society for Improving the Condition of the Labouring Classes has 
 clearly demonstrated. 
 
 In adapting and fitting up old buildings, as well as in erecting new ones, 
 experience has also taught the importance of a judicious selection of the 
 locality, which should not be too far removed from the daily occupations 
 of the expected tenants, nor should they be in close contact with the 
 residences of a much higher class in society.^ 
 
 In reference to new buildings for the labouring classes, the most rigid 
 momy of arrangement, consistent with accommodation sufficiently spacious 
 < be convenient and healthy, and the utmost attention to cheapness of con- 
 struction, consistent with durability^ and comfort, arc essential elements of 
 a really good and suitable plan. The Architect should bear in mind that 
 the rents which the working classes usually pay, though exorbitantly high 
 for the wretched accommodation afforded them, will only just yield a fair 
 return for the outlay on buildings constructed for their express use, and 
 fitted up with all the conveniences which it is desirable they should possess. 
 Any expenditure on unnecessary accommodation, which involves an increase 
 of rent beyond that usually paid by the occupants of such a class of dwell- 
 ings, appears to be at least hazardous, and may jeopardize the whole, or a 
 portion of the interest to be fairly expected from the investment. 
 
 Renovated 
 old build- 
 ings. 
 
 Selection of 
 Localities. 
 
 Necessity for 
 rigid eco- 
 nomy. 
 
 * The removal, since the above was written, of the tax on windows and on bricks 
 is perhaps the most important concession made to the public call for sanitary 
 amelioration. 
 
 t The proprietors of old lodging-houses, and of tenements rented by the working 
 classes, have, from self-interested motives, also begun to put their houses in order, and 
 complain that lodgers are now not content without the conveniences and comforts 
 provided for them in the model dwellings. Thus a most wholesome spirit of rivalry 
 has already commenced its leavening influence. 
 
 X In a provincial city, an improved lodging-house for single men was fitted up, 
 several months since, with every suitable accommodation for between thirty and forty 
 inmates, but has never had above four or five lodgers. This is to be attributed to the 
 locality being too good for the class of persons intended to be benefited ; and probably 
 the selection, for a superintendent, of a person formerly in the police, has had a 
 repulsive tendency. 
 
 § The interior fittings of such buildings should be as indestructible as possible ; 
 iron pipes should be used instead of lead, and the ironmongery generally ought to be 
 of special strength and simplicity. 
 
 C 
 
18 
 
 THE DWELLINGS OF THE LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 Dwellings in 
 country dis- 
 tricts. 
 
 Example set 
 byJ. Howard. 
 
 The remaining branch of the subject, on which I have now to speak more 
 particularly, is that of labourers’ dwellings in agricultural or country dis- 
 tricts ; and whether we regard it, in its moral and social relations — in its 
 bearing on national stability or prosperity, or even in the infinitely less im- 
 portant, though more artistic, light in which it may be viewed as associated 
 with the attractive charms of English landscape, much might be said. 
 Assuming, however, the great necessity for improvement, and proposing as 
 my chief object practical utility, I will not dilate on these topics, but merely 
 offer the passing remark, that fitness of style, justness of proportion, and 
 internal comfort, are perfectly consistent with picturesque effect, and with 
 that strict economy of construction which is indispensable in cottage 
 architecture adapted for the masses of the people. 
 
 The attention of landed proprietors has often been directed to the ne- 
 cessity for the improvement of labourers’ cottages, and in not a few instances 
 the entire aspect of a village and a neighbourhood has in this respect been 
 completely changed by the well-directed efforts of a single landlord. Illus- 
 trations might be drawn from the example set by many noble and wealthy 
 proprietors: in the first instance I will cite a case which shows how, with 
 comparatively limited means, much good may in this way be effected. Mr. 
 Dixon’s recently published Memoir of John Howard records, that “when he 
 first went to reside at Cardington, in Bedfordshire, about 1756, he found it 
 ono of the most miserable villages which could have been pointed out on the 
 map of England. Its peasant inhabitants were wretchedly poor, ignorant, 
 vicious, turbulent, dirty. * * * With his characteristic energy and earnest- 
 ness, Howard set himself, within the sphere of his own competence and 
 influence, to ameliorate their condition both in a worldly and spiritual sense. 
 Beginning with his own estate, he saw that the huts iu which his tenantry, 
 like all others of their class, were huddled together, were dirty, ill built, ill 
 drained, imperfectly lighted and watered, and altogether so badly condi- 
 tioned and unhealthy, as to be totally unfit for the residence of human 
 beings. He resolved to begin his work at the true starting point, by first 
 aiming to improve their physical condition — to supply them with the means 
 of comfort, attaching them thus to their own fireside, the great centre of all 
 pure feeling and sound morals — to foster and develop in them a relish for 
 simple domestic enjoyments.” 
 
 “ Ilis first step, in furtherance of these objects, was obviously a wise one, 
 that of rendering the homes of the poor, dwellings fit for self-respecting men. 
 This must indeed be the starting point of every true social and industrial 
 reformation. In carrying his plan into effect, Howard does not seem to 
 have troubled himself much about that paramount question, the per-centage. 
 Though an arithmetician and a man of business, he considered that his 
 wealth was merely held in trust for the benefit of mankind, and consequently 
 he had no hesitation in investing it with a view to returns rather in the 
 shape of order, virtue, intelligence, and happiness, than in money.” 
 
 “ Having decided that the miserable mud huts in which he found his 
 cottagers living should be taken down, he carefully selected some good and 
 convenient plots of ground, on which he caused a number of very superior 
 cottages to be built, and transferred into them such persons as he most 
 strongly approved of for tenants. His absolute requirements were — habits 
 
THE DWELLINGS OF THE LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 10 
 
 Letter from 
 the Duke of 
 Bedford. 
 
 of industry, temperance, and observance of the Sabbath. The doctrinal 
 opinions of his tenants he did not interfere with.” 
 
 In now directing your attention to the very important communication 
 on the dwellings for agricultural labourers made by his Grace the Duke 
 of Bedford, through the Royal Agricultural Society, in a letter addressed to 
 the Earl of Chichester,* President of that Society for the past year, I feel 
 assured that it will not be deemed unsuitable for mo to quote such high 
 authority on the obligations of landed proprietors. 
 
 “ Cottage building,” writes his Grace, “ except to a cottage speculator, 
 who exacts immoderate rents for scanty and defective habitations, is, we all 
 know, a bad investment of money; but this is not the light in which such a 
 subject should be viewed by landlords, from whom it is surely not too much 
 to expect, that while they arc building and improving farm-houses, home- 
 steads, and cattle sheds, they will also build and improve dwellings for their 
 labourers, in sufficient number to meet the improved and improving cultiva- 
 tion of the land. 
 
 “ To improve the dwellings of the labouring class, and afford them the 
 means of greater cleanliness, health, and comfort in their own homes ; to 
 extend education, and thus raise the social and moral habits of those most 
 valuable members of the community, are among the first duties, and ought 
 to be among the truest pleasures, of every landlord. While he thus cares 
 for those whom Providence has committed to his charge, he will teach them 
 that reliance on the exertion of the faculties with which they are endowed, 
 is the surest way to their own independence and the well-being of their 
 families. 
 
 “ I shall not dwell, as I might, on the undeniable advantages of making 
 the rural population contented with their condition, and of promoting that 
 mutual good-will between the landed proprietor and the tenants and 
 labourers on his estate, which sound policy and the higher motives of 
 humanity alike recommend.” 
 
 Such are the admirable principles laid down by his Grace. Their prac- 
 tical echo from the halls and the mansions of our nobility and landed gentry 
 would speedily effect the much needed change. 
 
 I have lately had the pleasure of examining a considerable number of The Duke of 
 the new cottages recently built, with judgment and great caret, on the Duke’s 
 Bedfordshire property, which already exceed 100; and it is the intention of 
 .. his Grace gradually to continue the rebuilding of decayed tenements in the 
 same county, until 300 more are erected. The building establishment at 
 Woburn Abbey is on a princely scale, comprising extensive machinery, 
 worked by a steam-engine of twenty-five horse power, and providing em- 
 ployment for 200 workmen. In Devonshire the Duke is carrying out the 
 same spirit of improvement, to the extent of sixty-four cottages. 
 
 Bedford’s 
 
 Cottages. 
 
 * The attractive appearance of the cottages on the Sussex estate of the Earl of 
 Chichester will be remembered with pleasure by many, not only as conducing to 
 the picturesque beauty of Stanmer Park, but also as evincing a kind consideration 
 for the comfort of their occupants. 
 
 f The Plans of these cottages have been published, and an interesting account of 
 them was given in a pamphlet by the Rev. C. H. Hartshorne, entitled “ The System of 
 Building Labourers’ Cottages pursued on the estate of his Grace the Duke of Bedford.” 
 
20 
 
 THE DWELLINGS OF THE LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 Example 
 followed by 
 others. 
 
 Plans for 
 
 Agricultural 
 
 Cottages. 
 
 Published 
 Plans for 
 Cottages. 
 
 The example thus nobly set by the Duke of Bedford has been speedily 
 followed by his Grace the Duke of Northumberland. Many other great 
 proprietors have also undertaken the same good work, which, if it do not 
 return a full per-centage on the outlay, cannot fail to be repaid by those 
 feelings of increased contentment and goodwill which arc the best bonds 
 between a landowner and the peasantry on his estate. 
 
 The designing of improved dwellings for agricultural labourers, arranged 
 on the most economical plan, with proper regard to the health and comfort 
 of the occupants, has been repeatedly made a subject for architectural 
 competition. In most instances the result would have been altogether 
 unsatisfactory, but for the communications elicited from landed proprietors 
 whose attention had been practically directed to the subject : such, for 
 instance, are the plans of the Marquis of Breadalbano’s cottages, published 
 in the volumes for 1843, 1845, of the Transactions of the Highland and 
 Agricultural Society of Scotland ; and the plans of the Duke of Bedford’s 
 cottages, published in the Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society, for 
 July 1849. 
 
 The same number of this Journal contains the competition design to 
 which the first premium of fifty sovereigns was awarded by that Society, 
 in the spring of 1849. In reference to this design, a recent talented 
 and discriminating writer* on labourers’ cottages remarks, “ I can only say, 
 that I hope no one of its many influential members may be led — by the 
 sanction of the Society — to build after this model.” 
 
 To facilitate the adoption of plans which combine in their arrangement 
 every point essential to the health, comfort, and moral habits of the 
 labourer and his family, with that due regard to stability and economy 
 of construction, which is essential to their general usefulness, the Society 
 for Improving the Condition of the Labouring Classes published, and 
 have circulated extensively, a series of designs for Cottages,! prepared 
 with *these special objects in view. 
 
 These plans have lately been revised, and are now republished, with the 
 addition of others designed on the same general principles, but with such 
 variations as will afford not only a greater choice in the number and 
 disposition of the apartments, but also in the external elevation ; so that 
 where many cottages are built near to each other, a considerable variety 
 may be obtained by a judicious selection and grouping. It must be 
 obvious, however, that owing to the difference of material used in various • 
 parts of the country, no set of designs could be arranged so as to be 
 suitable to all circumstances ; hence it has been deemed advisable to 
 adapt the arrangement of these designs to the material in which they 
 will probably be most frequently built. Although, for this reason, brick 
 has been selected, the designs may, with some alterations in the thickness 
 of the walls, be executed equally well in stone, or in flint, with quoins 
 and dressings of brick or stone. 
 
 With a view to economy, as well as for other reasons which it is 
 unnecessary to detail, the dwellings generally are designed in pairs, care 
 
 • The Rev. T. James, of Tiled (lingworth, Northampton, 
 t Terms and agreements for letting cottages are given at p. 86. 
 
THE DWELLINGS OF THE LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 21 
 
 being taken to prevent, as far as possible, the interference of adjoining 
 families with each other, by placing the enfrance doors at the opposite 
 extremities of the cottages, whilst, by carrying up the chimney-stack in tho 
 centre, the greatest possible amount of warmth is obtained from the flues. 
 
 Each dwelling consists of a living-room, the general superficial dimen- 
 sions of which are about 150ft. clear of the chimney projection. A scullery, 
 containing not less than about 60ft. or 70ft. superficial, which is of sufficient 
 size for ordinary domestic purposes, without offering the temptation to its 
 use as a living-room for the family ; besides a copper, and in some cases a 
 brick oven, provision is made for a fire-place in all the sculleries, by which 
 arrangement the necessity for a fire in the living-room through the summer 
 is avoided. A pantry for food, a closet in the living-room, and a fuel store 
 out of the scullery, are provided in all the cottages. 
 
 The sleeping apartments, in conformity with the principle of separating 
 the sexes, so essential to morality and decency, are generally three in 
 number, each having its distinct access ; their dimensions somewhat vary — 
 the parents’ bed-room in no instance contains less than about 1 00ft. 
 superficial, whilst the smaller rooms for the children average from 70ft. 
 to 80ft. superficial. The height from the ground floor to tho first floor is 
 8ft. 9in., giving nearly 8ft. clear height for the living room. The bed-rooms 
 are 7ft. 9in. where ceiled to the collar peices, and 4ft. to the top of the 
 wall-plate, which, for the security of the roof, is iix no case severed by 
 the dormer windows. 
 
 Although these designs generally provide three bed-rooms, yet, as in 
 some cases, without any infringement of decorum, a less number of sleeping 
 apartments would be better suited to the wants and circumstances of the 
 occupants, and the temptation to take in lodgers be avoided, three of 
 the designs are arranged with a smaller number of bed-rooms. 
 
 Where circumstances render it desirable that the occupants of cottages 
 should be allowed to take in a lodger, the chief evil to be deprecated may, 
 in some measure, be guarded against, by separating his sleeping apartment 
 entirely from those of the family ; with this view the Design No. 7 has been 
 arranged with a bed-room on the ground floor, available either for a lodger 
 or for the boys of the family, whilst the first floor is exclusively appropriated 
 to a bed-room for the parents and one for the girls. Tho rustic porch to 
 this design formed with rough timber, would be ornamental, and, at the 
 • same time, inexpensive ; it might be applied equally well to some of tho 
 other designs, or may be omitted at pleasure. 
 
 The several designs may be thus briefly described (see Lithographic 
 Drawings at the end of the Appendix) :* 
 
 Suggestions for the Picturesque Grouping of Double Cottages : — 
 
 No. 1. Double Cottages with one bed-room. 
 
 No. 2. Ditto, with two bed-rooms. 
 
 Nos. 3, 4, 5, 6. Double Cottages, each with three bed-rooms ; varying in 
 internal arrangement and external elevation. The cost of the 
 
 * Working drawings, with a specification and bill of quantities of most of these 
 designs, are published by the Society, and may be obtained of the Secretary, at 
 21, Exeter Hall. 
 
2 2 
 
 THE DWELLINGS OF THE LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 Lodging- 
 house for 
 Labourers. 
 
 throe latter of these cottages would progress in the same relation 
 to each other as their numbers, but not in like proportion. 
 
 No. 7. Double Cottages, with three bed-rooms ; two ou the upper and one 
 on the ground floor, suited for a lodger or for the boys of the family. 
 No. 8. Double Cottages* for four families, with two sleeping apartments to 
 each ; two of these tenements are on the ground floor, and two 
 above, with separate entrances, and distinct domestic conveniences. 
 Hollow brick or tile arches tied with iron rods might advan- 
 tageously be used for the intermediate floors of these cottages. 
 
 No. 9. Two Single Cottages, with three bed-rooms, suitable for Gate Lodges ; 
 
 more ornamental and expensive in design than any which have 
 preceded them. 
 
 No. 10. A Lodging House for 14 or 16 unmarried workmen or labourers ; 
 
 adapted to Agricultural, Mining, and Quarry Districts, with apart- 
 ments for a married superintendent. 
 
 No. 11. Elevation of Design No. 5 ; showing a variation in the gable and 
 dormer coping, with flint wall facing, brick dressings, and quoins. 
 These alterations are equally applicable to any of the preceding 
 designs. This plate also contains three Plans with two elevations for 
 such out-buildings as are considered indispensable in some counties. 
 One plan is with, the other two without, a piggery. Where the 
 closets are in detached out-buildings, the space allotted for them in 
 the main building will be useful for agricultural implements, Ac. 
 
 No. 12. Double cottages similar to No. 6, in general arrangement, but more 
 commodious in the entrance, staircase, Ac., and with an alternative 
 elevation. 
 
 The Lodging-house for unmarried Workmen or Labourers is intended 
 to provide a comfortable, cheap, and healthy abode, free from the tempta- 
 tions to vice and immorality which beset the inmates of a crowded cottage, 
 where, without regard to age or sex, the married and the unmarried too 
 often herd together and contaminate each other. The youth who quits the 
 parental cottage, from its want of accommodation for a growing family, 
 or from the desire of independence, would find in such a house those 
 comforts which the unmarried labourer rarely enjoys, and to attain which 
 he too often marries improvidently. Instead of passing his evenings at the 
 beer shop, he would be led to seek both amusement and instruction in the* 
 pages of a selected Library, placed under the care of the superintendent ; 
 or his leisure hours might be profitably employed in an allotment garden, 
 if an acre to an acre and a half of ground could be thus devoted. 
 
 The number of lodgers which the proposed plan will accommodate may 
 be either fourteen or sixteen, as two of the compartments will contain two 
 beds ; under ordinary circumstances, it would be preferable to build a second 
 house rather than to increase its size to any considerable extent. 
 
 * Double cottages for four families, with three sleeping-rooms to each tenement, 
 may be arranged with an open staircase between them, similar to the plan described 
 at p. 7, of which H.R.H. Prince Albert’s Exhibition Model Houses is an example; see 
 the Appendix, pages 117, 121, A 123, and the Windsor Royal Society's Cottages, page 130. 
 
THE DWELLINGS OF THE LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 23 
 
 The arrangement provides on the ground floor two sets of apartments, 
 one intended for the superintendent and his wife ; the other, for the lodgers, 
 comprises a living room, fitted up with tables and benches, a kitchen, with 
 a pantry having a separate, secure, and well-ventilated safe for the food of 
 each inmate ; a fuel store, with depository for implements of tools, would be 
 at the back. 
 
 The whole of the upper floor is occupied by the dormitory, which is 
 sub-divided by wooden partitions, six feet six inches high, into fourteen 
 compartments, each 8ft. Gin. by 4ft. 8in., having its own window, with a door 
 opening from the central corridor, and being fitted up with a bed, a flap- 
 table under the window, a stool, and a locker or clothes-box. The ventila- 
 tion of the upper part of the dormitory is effected by openings over the 
 windows in the gable whlls. 
 
 The rent charged must in some measure depend on local circumstances ; 
 but it is scarcely to be expected that such accommodation can be provided 
 for less than 2d. per day, or 14c/. per week ; in some places 18d. or even 2s. 
 tvould not be too high a charge. Punctual payment must be strictly en- 
 forced ; and the occupation should be by the week, subject to such rules* as 
 may ensure the order and comfort of the inmates. 
 
 The cost of Cottages,! built in a substantial manner, in the country or 
 in the neighbourhood of London, must depend so much on the price of 
 materials, as well as the expense of labour and cartage, that no amount can 
 bo stated which woidd guide with accuracy under such varying circum- 
 stances. Information of the actual cost of cottages built after the Society’s 
 plans is received with thankfulness, and may be of service to other cottago 
 builders. 
 
 Some practical suggestions on the most important points connected with 
 Cottage building may be a useful termination to the preceding remarks. 
 
 In reference to situation, where it is practicable the front should have 
 somewhat of a southern aspect, the embosoming in trees should be avoided, 
 and particular attention ought to be paid to secure a dry foundation : whero 
 this is not otherwise obtainable, artificial means should be adopted by form- 
 ing a substratum of concrete, about twelve inches thick, or by bedding slate 
 in cement, or laying asphalte through the whole thickness of the Wall under 
 the floor level. The vicinity of good water and proper drainage are points 
 of obvious importance. A gravelly soil is always preferable to clay, and a 
 low situation is seldom healthy. 
 
 It is desirable that every cottago should stand in its own enclosed garden 
 of not less than about one-eighth of an acre, and have a separate entrance 
 from the public road. One well may generally be made to answer for two 
 or more cottages, and it is of great importance that it be so placed as not to 
 be liable to contamination either from the drains, cesspools, or liquid manure 
 tank ; the latter should, however, invariably be made water-tight, the cost 
 of which will soon be repaid to the tenant by its fertilizing products. 
 
 As respects the material used in the external walls of cottages, much 
 
 * Rules for the guidance of the superintendent, as well as for the lodgers, are 
 given at pp. 84 and 85. 
 
 t The contract cost of cottages built by the Royal Windsor Society is given at p. 125. 
 
 Cost of Cot- 
 tages. 
 
 Practical 
 
 Suggestions. 
 
24 
 
 THE DWELLINGS OF THE LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 Material of 
 
 External 
 
 Walls. 
 
 Process for 
 curing damp 
 walls. 
 
 must depend on local circumstances, and the facility for obtaining the various 
 kinds of natural or artificial substances adapted to the purpose. 
 
 The designs published by the Society have, for the reasons previously 
 stated, been wholly arranged for brick, but by increasing the thickness of 
 the external walls they will be equally well adapted for cottages built with 
 other materials. The external walls are described as 9in. thick, and when 
 built ot this substance, in order to secure their dryness,* unless the bricks 
 are unusually impervious to moisture, it is strongly recommended that they 
 should be hollow; this may be effected by three methods, two of which 
 require that the bricks be made on purpose. The plan No. 1 has been used 
 to some extent ; and unless where the bricks are so porous as to cause a 
 transmission of moisture through the heading courses, this plan will be found 
 to answer, rendering the walls drier and cheaper than when built in the 
 ordinary way. Three courses, with the joints, rise 1ft., the bricks being 
 3 1 square; they are of the ordinary length — viz. 9in. 
 
 No. 1. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 9iu. 21RIC 
 
 & HOL 
 
 LOW WALLING, AS AT W 
 
 No. 2. 
 
 OBURN. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 9in. longi 
 
 TUDINALLY BONDED HOLLOW BRICK WALLING. 
 No. 3. 
 
 II 11 II 
 
 
 i 
 
 i i i 
 
 i i 
 
 
 L 
 
 ..II 1 
 
 zr 
 
 
 
 rj 
 
 ZD 
 
 
 
 
 _L_ 
 
 
 lllll. COMMON BRICK HOLLOW WALLING. 
 
 12 6 0 1 2 
 ■ • ' . . I . . I 1 — I - 
 
 SRCTION’S. 
 
 9 - 
 
 * The following description of a process which has been successfully applied for 
 rendering brick and porous stone impervious to wet, may be useful : — ‘ ‘ Dissolve mottled 
 soap in water, in the proportion of three-quarters of a pound to a gallon of water, and 
 to the surface apply with a large brush this mixture, which, in order to its liquid state 
 being retained, must be kept heated. At the expiration of twenty-four hours the 
 application of this wash is to be followed by a second, composed of half-a-pound of alum, 
 thoroughly dissolved in four gallons of water. In order to avoid the disturbance of 
 the soap deposit, this solution is best applied with a syringe or common water-can, 
 having a finely perforated hose. The alum uniting with the fat, produces an insoluble 
 compound, which, entering into and adhering to the absorbing surface of the material, 
 a composition of alumen soap is formed, which has the property of repelling water. 
 Another process for Cueing Damp Walls has been thus described in “T/ie Builder .” 
 
THE DWELLINGS OF THE LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 25 
 
 The other plan. No. 2, is that of hollow bricks made wedge-shaped, and 
 bonded longitudinally over each other, so that two cavities run parallel 
 through every course of bricks, giving a double security against moisture, as 
 the joints are all broken, and there are no headers to pass through the wall ; 
 the rise of these bricks is also three courses to the foot,* and they are 12in. 
 long, which diminishes the number of joints, and gives greater boldness to 
 the work, more resembling stone in effect. These bricks may be easily 
 made with any tile machine at the same or at a small cost per thousand 
 above that of sound common stocks ; whilst from their increased size, which 
 adds but little to their weight, nine of them will be found to do the same 
 number of cube feet of walling as sixteen ordinary stocks. The saving in 
 mortar is full 25 per cent., and the labour, to an accustomed workman, 
 considerably less than to ordinary brickwork ; whilst great facility is 
 afforded by the cavities both for ventilation and warming. It should be 
 added, that the bricks for the quoins and jambs may be either solid or 
 perforated perpendicularly. 
 
 Where it is impracticable to obtain bricks made according to either of 
 the forms above described, the walls may be built hollow, 11 in. wide, with 
 common bricks (see Plan No. 3) ; a cavity of 2 in. being left in the centre, 
 and the length of the headers made up with 2-incli closures, every course 
 would bond, and a dry wall be secured. 
 
 Where flint or concrete is used, walls of either material cannot be less ^ ^ 
 than 12in. thick; they may be lined f with the longitudinal bonded hollow Flint or 
 brick, which would bond every course, and contribute to the dryness of concrete, 
 the wall, see p. 81. 
 
 Concrete walls are composed of gravel, lime, and sand, and they are 
 worked up between two planks on a frame, within which the concrete is 
 poured; they may be “spalshed” over outside, which gives them a neat 
 
 — “Boil two quarts of tar with two ounces of kitchen grease for a quarter of an hour 
 in an iron pot ; add some of this tar to a mixture of slaked lime and powdered glass 
 which have passed through a flour sieve, and been dried completely over the fire in 
 an iron pot, in the proportion of two parts of lime and one of glass, till the mixtui-e 
 becomes of the consistence of thin plaster. This cement must be used immediately 
 after being mixed. It is not well to mix more at a time than will coat one square foot 
 of wall, as it quickly becomes too hard for use, and continues to increase its hardness 
 for three weeks. Great care must be taken to jxrevent any moisture from mixing with 
 the cement. For a wall that is merely damp, it will be sufficient to lay on one coating 
 of the cement, about oixe-eighth of an inch thick : but should the wall be more than 
 damp, or wet, it will be necessary to coat it a second time. Plaster made of lime, 
 hair, and plaster of Paris, may be afterwards laid on the cement. This cement, when 
 put in water, will suffer neither an increase nor diminution in its weight.” 
 
 * If these bricks are made the ordinary height of course, or 2fin., they will bond in 
 with common bricks for the quoins. 
 
 t The lining of rubble stone walls with tile was common in Roman buildings ; the 
 Colosseum may be instanced as an example, where much of the inner wall is constructed 
 of rubble, and faced with tile, which has been covered with slabs of different coloured 
 marble. Behind these tiles are inducts containing circular earthenware pipes for con- 
 veying the water from the top of the building. At Pompeii, a hollow tile was in some 
 instances used for securing a dry sui-face to receive the fresco paintings. 
 
Chalk Walls. 
 
 Stone Walls. 
 
 Floors. 
 
 2G THE DWELLINGS OF THE LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 appearance. Concrete formed with clean coarse gravel, sharp sand, and 
 T Vh portion of Portland cement, would make a substantial wall. 
 
 Chalk has been used for the walls of cottages in some districts with 
 satisfaction, and when hardened by immersion in silicate of potash, its value 
 as a building material is increased. The artificial stone introduced by 
 Mr. Ransomc is a chemical combination of materials, which, when 
 brought to maturity, may be available for the construction of cottages and 
 their appendages.* 
 
 Where the walls are of stone, their dimensions must be increased 
 externally to not less than eighteen inches, and in such case six inches 
 should be added to the height of the roof, to preserve its proportions. 
 
 The main partitions on the ground floor should be of brick : hollow 
 bricks, where obtainable, may with advantage and economy be used for this 
 ji urpose ; in either case, they are stronger when set in Roman or Portland 
 cement. Where the upper floor partitions stand perpendicular over those to 
 the ground floor, brick or tile is decidedly preferable to wood. Partitions 
 formed with hollow bricks may in many cases be carried on a strong binding 
 joist. Stairs may also be made of fire-brick clay, with great advantage and 
 economy. 
 
 The ground floor should be raised not less than six inches above the 
 external surface, and where wood floors are used they ought to be ventilated 
 by means of air-bricks built in the external walls. The warmest and most 
 economical floor is probably that formed with hollow bricks. f In some 
 parts of the country lime and sand-floors are pretty generally used, and 
 found to last, when well made, upwards of forty years. The following 
 description of the mode of working them may be useful : — A foundation or 
 substratum should be prepared, about six inches thick, with coarse gravel or 
 brick-bats and lime-core, well beaten to a level surface ; in damp situations, 
 tar may be added to this concrete, on which is to be laid the lime and ash 
 floor, thus prepared — Take good washed sand, free from all earth and small 
 stones, together with the ashes of lime, fresh from the kiln, in the proportions 
 of two-thirds of sand and one-third of lime ashes, (where obtainable, the 
 substitution of one-third portion of smiths’-ashes, or pounded coke, for one- 
 half of the sand, increases the durability and hardness of the floor). Mix 
 the sand and lime ashes well together, and let them remain in a body for a 
 fortnight, in order that the lime may be thoroughly slaked ; then temper 
 the mortar, and form the floor with it tliree inches thick, well floated, and 
 
 * No particular reference is made to Pisd, mud or cob walls. In some counties 
 they are said to answer. The Author has seen them much used in Devonshire, but 
 cannot rcommend their general adoption. 
 
 f Vide Appendix, p. 80, for a description of the form and dimensions of hollow 
 bricks adapted for this purpose, and for additional information on the use of hollow 
 bricks and tiles. At the reading of this Essay, Capt. Buller, R.N., mentioned that he 
 had, in Devonshire, some years since, built with hollow bricks, at the cost of 1001. , 
 a pair of cottages, each containing two rooms and a kitchen, 13 feet square, all on the 
 ground floor. The walls, which were six inches thick, in consequence of the bricks 
 being used singly, had not been perfectly tight at the joints, although otherwise very 
 dry ; this inconvenience is effectually remedied by the double course of bonded hollow 
 bricks, described at pp. 24 and 81. 
 
THE DWELLINGS OF THE LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 27 
 
 so worked that it be not trodden on until it lias laid for three days, when it 
 should bo well rammed -for several successive days, until it becomes hard, 
 taking care to keep the surface level ; then use a lictlc water, and smooth 
 it with a trowel ; after this, keep the floor tree of dirt, and when perfectly 
 dry, it may he rubbed over twice with linseed oil, which gives the appear- 
 ance of stone instead of sand. The price paid for such floors is about Gd. 
 per yard for labour, and 8 d. per yard for materials. 
 
 Tiles* will generally he found preferable to slate for the covering of roofs. Roofs, 
 being warmer in the winter and cooler in summer ; and, requiring much 
 less lead, are more economical. In some localities, however, slate may more 
 effectually exclude the weather. 
 
 With a view to provide for efficient ventilation, an air-flue, 9in. by 4 Jin., Ventilation, 
 should be carried up in one of the jambs of the ground-floor chimney, com- 
 mencing under the floor-level, and passing into the flue from the bed-room 
 chimney, an opening being formed into it immediately under the ceiling of 
 the living-room, filled in with a plate of perforated zinc. The bed-room 
 over the living-room may bo aired and warmed by a pipe 2J inches dia- 
 meter, passing through this flue from the side of the fire-place on the ground 
 floor, and opening into the bed-room above. The lower part of the fluo 
 may be made to serve as an air-feeder to the fire-place of the living-room. 
 
 The bed-rooms without a fire-place should have an aperture in the partition 
 over the door, filled in with a perforated zinc ventilator, or an air-pipe may 
 be carried through the roof, and bent over at the top. 
 
 The windows should have chamfered and rebated wood frames, with oak Windows, 
 sills set on a stone or moulded brick projecting sill; they should have zinc 
 quarry casements, hung to open outside, with proper stay-bar fastenings ; 
 the shutters of the ground-floor windows may be conveniently arranged to 
 answer the purpose of a table, by hingeing them so as to fall under the 
 window. 
 
 The plastering to the walls of the living-room in cottages has in some Plastering, 
 cases been omitted, but with very little saving of expense, as the brickwork 
 requires additional care ; and there is certainly a diminished appearance of 
 comfort. If a chair-rail be fixed, the wall under it rendered with cement, 
 and above plastered with sharp sand and good lime, the annual cost of 
 repair will be but trifling. Plastering to the walls of any other part of the 
 ground-floor, excepting the living-room and perhaps the porch, is undesir- 
 able. Much benefit would result from a general adoption of the plan pur- 
 sued by the Puke of Bedford, of having all his cottages whitewashed! once 
 a-year, the cost being charged to the tenant at a fixed sum. 
 
 In lieu of receiving rain water from the roofs in wooden butts, it is a 
 greatly preferable plan to form between a pair of cottages an oval tank 
 
 * Blue metallic tiles, and ridge rolls of Staffordshire manufacture, are amongst the 
 most durable materials for roofs. 
 
 f The following composition of whitewash has been found to be very durable : — 
 Take one peck of unslaked lime, half a pint of whiting, a gill of powdered alum, a 
 gill of fine white salt, pour boiling water on, and mix it as thin as possible ; apply it 
 while warm, and in order to have it so, keep adding the hot water, as some of the 
 lime will settle at the bottom of the vessel. 
 
 / 
 
28 
 
 TIIE DWELLINGS OF THE LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 Artificial 
 concealment 
 of Closets. 
 
 about 7ft. by 4ft. diameter, and 3ft. 6in. deep, divided into two compart- 
 ments, with an oak flap to cover each side. The water from the gutter 
 piping should be led into it by earthenware pipes 4in. diameter. Soil drains 
 of any length should not be less than 6in. diameter. 
 
 In cases where the closets are constructed under the roof of the dwelling- 
 house, though entered from the outside, it is important that pans should be 
 used for conveying the soil to a cesspool or liquid manure tank formed with- 
 out the building. They are most efficacious when supplied with water, 
 which may be done at a little extra expense from the lift-pump in the 
 scullery, made to fill a small cistern or reservoir fixed a little above the seat. 
 These may be either of cast-iron, built in the wall, or of earthenware. 
 
 The following plan has proved effectual in situations where it was other- 
 wise difficult to blind or conceal the closets, when erected as an out-building ; 
 the appearance of a pile or stack of fuel-wood is given by a casing of split 
 or half-round larch timber laid horizontally, and having short pieces of 
 whole timber at the angle spiked to the ends of each alternate layer; the 
 interior framing may be bricknogged, and the roof of slab slate, or strong 
 zinc. These and other outbuildings might with advantage be constructed 
 with common hollow bricks 5in. or 6in. wide, which, when put together with 
 cement, form an economical covering. 
 
 The use of such hollow bricks for enclosure or division walls would 
 secure greater durability, and in many cases be but little more expensive 
 than wooden fencing. 
 
 In closing these remarks on the Dwellings of the Labouring Classes, I 
 cannot but add that it will be to me a source of permanent satisfaction if 
 they should prove of service to the members of the Institute, or conduce in 
 any way to the removal of obstacles which present so formidable a barrier to 
 the physical, the moral and the religious advancement of a very numerous 
 and deserving class of the community. 
 
 To contribute to the welfare of our fellow-creatures, with a view to the 
 glory of God, carries with it that durable happiness which the pursuit of 
 wealth, of fame, or of fleeting pleasure, cannot afford. 
 
PART THE SECOND. 
 
 ON THE 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY DWELLING. 
 
 READ AT THE 
 
 ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS, 
 
 20th JANUARY, 1862. 
 
 In acceding to the request of the Institute that I would, after an interval 
 of twelve years, again give to its members some of the results of that ex- 
 perience winch has been gained in my gratuitous efforts to promote the 
 healthfulness of our dwellings, and more especially those of the labouring 
 population, I feel that, however unattractive the subject may be in an artistic 
 point of view, it has some peculiar claims on your attention ; and that whilst 
 many of the difficulties with which it is beset can be appreciated, their solu- 
 tion may probably be aided by some amongst those whom I have now the 
 pleasure of addressing. 
 
 In my paper read the 21st January 1850, reference was made to the 
 great interest taken in this subject by our late illustrious Patron, the deeply 
 lamented Prince Consort, and His Royal Iliglmess’s own words were quoted, 
 to show that “ these feelings are entirely and warmly shared by Her Majesty 
 the Queen,’’ our most gracious Patroness. Proofs of an undiminished con- 
 tinuance of that interest, as well as some of its practical results, will be 
 stated in the latter part of my present paper. 
 
 In the grief so universally manifested at the death of this great and 
 good Prince we all participate ; but those who were honoured by occasional 
 intercourse with that illustrious person, and knew his kindly, courteous 
 manner, must feel the loss more deeply. Some present can, no doubt, bear 
 witness with me to the proofs of a real interest in the objects deemed 
 by His Royal Highness worthy of his attention, and in which a remarkable 
 appreciation of minute details was manifested — one characteristic feature, if it 
 be permitted me to say so, of a mind as reflective as it was highly cultivated. 
 
 The deep feeling of responsibility manifested by the following words of 
 the lamented Prince have led me to select them as a motto suitable to this 
 occasion: — 
 
 “ The blessings bestowed on us by the Almighty can only be realized in 
 proportion to the help which we are prepared to render to each other.” 
 
 In proceeding to point out the circumstances conducive to the healthful - 
 ness of a dwelling, some will be named which cannot be strictly termed 
 “essentials,” inasmuch as their absence may be compensated for. Such is 
 
 H.R.H. the 
 late Prince 
 Consort. 
 
 Essentials 
 of Health- 
 fulness in a 
 Dwelling. 
 
30 
 
 THE ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY DWELLING. ’ 
 
 Locality. 
 
 Soil. 
 
 tlio case where localities, though not elevated, have a good soil and are 
 well drained. It may, perhaps, appear scarcely necessary to add that the 
 healthy state of a dwelling will not be ensured by any one, or even by the 
 union of several of the features essential thereto, in the absence of others 
 which are of equal importance. 
 
 The condition of “healthy,” in regard to dwellings, arises out of a com- 
 bination of circumstances, which comprise — 
 
 1. Those appertaining to the locality, including a freo circulation of 
 pure air, a good soil, an efficient drainage, an ample supply of pure water, 
 and a genial aspect. 
 
 2. Those which are structural. 
 
 3. Those which depend mainly, though not wholly, on the occupants 
 themselves — external and internal cleanliness, and a proper use of structural 
 arrangements. 
 
 Firstly. — In regard to locality. High and dry situations, having 
 a free circulation of air, whether occupied by groups of buildings, as in 
 towns, or by isolated dwellings, as in the country, are proverbially healthy; 
 whilst those which are low and damp, or surrounded by confined air, are 
 the opposite. Experience, afforded by the state of troops when encamped, 
 or when in permanent barracks, or in hospitals, is conclusive on this point. 
 It is a known fact that the mortality of troops in Jamaica has been diminished 
 from 120 to 20 per thousand by their removal from the plains to the hills; 
 and it is well ascertained that ague, dysentery, and fever prevail in localities 
 where the surface of the ground is naturally wet and insufficiently drained, 
 or where there exists an accumulation of decaying matter, of which one sure 
 indication is the presence of an abundance of flies. Dampness of situation 
 is also productive of mental depression and bodily feebleness, which excite 
 a craving for intoxicating drink. The embosoming in trees, or any other 
 obstruction to a free circulation of air immediately round a dwelling, is 
 prejudicial to health, and should, therefore, be avoided. 
 
 A soil of gravel is unquestionably the most healthy, and, next to it, one 
 of sand. A soil of chalk is usually attended with the disadvantage of its 
 being necessary to sink a considerable depth for water; whilst the chemical 
 properties,* imbibed in the process of filtration, arc injurious to some con- 
 stitutions. Tanks, or reservoirs for storing rain-water are, in such cases, 
 often the most suitable expedient. Clay soil, which, from its non-porous 
 nature, retains the rainfall, is a frequent cause of the dampness so prevalent 
 in the lower stories of houses in many localities — an evil felt as much in 
 some which are elevated as in those at a lower level, and a fruitful source 
 of sickness amongst servants, as well as the occupants of small houses, 
 whether in towns or in the country. The precautionary measures which 
 
 * A process for softening water derived from chalk has been put in operation at 
 Woolwich, and is said to be successful. In au article on sanitary legislation in England 
 in the British Almanac for 1859, this process is noticed, and also the serious incon- 
 venience often occurring from the oxidation of iron pipes used for soft water supplies, 
 the only known effectual remedy for which is an internal coating, or varnish. 
 
THE ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY DWELLING. 
 
 31 
 
 should bo adopted when the soil is of clay will be noticed under the head 
 of construction. 
 
 Loose soil close to a house is a frequent cause of damp, which might be 
 remedied by a flagging of stone or asphalte, and in many situations a dry 
 drain or area ought to be formed round the building. Care should therefore 
 be bestowed in regard to the surface of the ground about a dwelling, as 
 well as in the selection of its site. 
 
 Drainage of the Soil and Surface . — Wherever dwellings are built on 
 naturally wet ground, it is essential to their being healthy that ample pro- 
 vision be made for draining the soil, as well as for ordinary surface drainage 
 and for the carrying off of surplus fluid from the house itself. The necessity 
 for this description of drainage is generally more manifest in the country 
 than in towns, their gradual formation and progressive increase having been 
 usually accompanied with surface drainage under some form or other. Good 
 surface drainage is, however, peculiarly necessary in towns built on an un- 
 even surface, as is the case with the metropolis, which stands on low hills in 
 the midst of an imperfectly reclaimed swamp, partially underlaid by a 
 stratum of peat. The lower levels on either side of the Thames, where the 
 drainage has been most inefficient, were much more severely visited by the 
 cholera* than the higher parts of the metropolis. 
 
 House Drainage . — The providing efficient means for house drainage, as 
 well as a good surface drainage, is a duty which, in the case of towns, 
 obviously devolves on the public authorities. The consequences of a past 
 neglect of this duty have been remarkably manifested at Windsor, where 
 the prevalence of fevers and choleraic complaints having led to an investiga- 
 tion, the drainage of the town was found to be very defective, and without 
 any proper ventilation to carry off the gasses which form in the sewers ; 
 whilst, on the contrary, at the Castle, f a separate and perfect system of 
 drainage having been provided, no disease existed. The case of Bedford 
 might be cited as another instance recently before the public. House 
 drainage should, as far as possible, be kept without the building, although 
 the valuable modern improvement of glazed earthenware tubes with perfect 
 sockets has greatly diminished the risk of leakage from defective drains, an 
 evil formerly so prevalent. Especial care ought to be taken that the pipes 
 which discharge into them are properly trapped, in order that they may not 
 become a medium for the escape of fold air into the dwelling. It may be 
 useful to point out the disinfecting properties of wood charcoal 4 now suc- 
 
 * I have the authority of Dr. Farr for stating that, if the mean of cholera epidemic 
 of 1848 and 1854 in London be taken, nearly 11 per 1000 of those living under 10 feet 
 of elevation died, to 1 per 1000 of those at the highest elevation ; and that if London 
 be divided into terraces of different degrees of elevation, the mortality from an epidemic 
 of cholera is, in round numbers, inversely as the elevation. 
 
 t The official Report made by Mr. Rawliuson, since the reading of this paper, 
 entirely confirms the fact here stated. The perfection referred to is attributable to 
 the thoughtful care of the lamented Prince Consort. 
 
 X Subsequent experiments on the comparative practical value of various deodorizing 
 agents confirm the opinion expressed by Professor Petenkoffa, in his Commentary on 
 Cholera, as to the superiority of “ Sulphate of Iron,” which has been used on the 
 Continent for disinfecting “latrines.” Sifted dry earth, or clay subsoil, has been 
 
 Drainage of 
 the soil and 
 surface. 
 
 House 
 
 drainage. 
 
32 
 
 THE ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY DWELLING. 
 
 Cesspools. 
 
 Pure Water, 
 for which 
 the Public 
 Authorities 
 are respon- 
 sible. 
 
 cessfully applied as a medium of filtration in ventilating sewers, house 
 drains, &c. 
 
 Cesspools under basement floors, so common formerly, have been the 
 cause of sickness and deaths innumerable. During; the cholera in 1849, to 
 my knowledge, several cases, wholly traceable to this cause, occurred in one 
 house. Whenever these latent sources of mischief are discovered, they 
 should be removed as quickly as possible. In many houses of the first 
 magnitude, both in the metropolis and in the country, which are not of recent 
 construction, this evil exists, as well as that of defective drains, causing the 
 ground under the house to become sodden with foetid matter. The gasses 
 which originate in these places, and diffuse themselves over the dwelling, 
 constitute one of those conditions of local impurity which exercise a powerful 
 influence when the state of the atmosphere is favourable to an outbreak or 
 spread of cholera, fever, or other kindred complaints. The abolition of 
 cesspools within all dwellings is therefore a sanitary measure of the first 
 importance. 
 
 Pure Water . — For an ample supply of pure water, one of the most im- 
 portant accessories to a healthy dwelling, the public authorities should, in 
 the case of towns, be held responsible. The contamination of our rivers by 
 their being unscrupulously, and at the same time most wastefully, made the 
 receptacles of sewage, has rendered them very generally incapable of supply- 
 ing the neighbouring population with pure water. Fully admitting the 
 improvement which, in respect to its supply of water, has taken place in our 
 own metropolis, it still remains far behind the metropolis of the Roman 
 Empire, and even many of its provincial cities. Those who have traversed 
 the Campagna di Roma can never forget the gigantic aqueducts whose ruins 
 proclaim how abundantly, and at what cost, Rome was supplied with water. 
 The water from Loch Katrine recently brought to Glasgow, at a cost of 
 1,500,000/., contains only 2-35 grains of impurity per gallon, whilst the 
 water supplied to London by six of the leading Companies is shown, by late 
 official returns, to contain from 17-72 to 2176 grains. The practice which 
 has to such an extent prevailed in our towns of obtaining water from wells, 
 sunk not unfrcquently near to a churchyard, has been very prejudicial to 
 health, though its sparkling appearance and freshness to the taste might 
 lead to the contrary supposition. Its impurity is generally caused by an 
 infiltration from some neighbouring drain, cesspool, or other deposit of 
 putrefying matter. Many such instances in the metropolis might be referred 
 to. One was recently mentioned to me by the medical officer to the General 
 Post Office as having been the cause of much internal derangement to 
 several of the employes in that establishment, and which had led to his 
 recommending the use of the patent carbon filter. In late reports of the 
 Registrar-General reference is made to a well at Sandgate as containing 
 40-96 grains of impurity per gallon; and in another at Hampstead as 
 containing 53-60 grains. 
 
 found, when used in layers, a very efficient means of deodorizing the deposits from 
 water-closets, Arc. , rendering it available for manure. (Vide “Manure for the Million,” 
 by the Rev. Henry Moule.) 
 
THE ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY DWELLING. 
 
 33 
 
 For dwellings in the country, good drainage and ready access to pure 
 water are not less essential than they are in towns, and they ought, therefore, 
 to be made the subject of deliberate investigation before the locality of a 
 dwelling is decided on. 
 
 The aspect of dwellings is often greatly dependent on local circumstances, 
 and has an influence on their salubrity which is too much overlooked. In 
 preference to all others, a southern aspect should be chosen, and where that 
 is unobtainable, one inclining either to the east or to the west, so that the 
 rays of the sun may enter at some part of the day. Rooms to be chiefly 
 occupied in the height of summer are exceptional, though in such cases I 
 should give tho preference to an eastern or a north-eastern over a due 
 northern aspect. In towns the difficulty of obtaining a sunny frontage may 
 frequently be great, if not insurmountable, but the importance of having the 
 sun’s rays within the dwelling for some portion of the day, especially in 
 rooms occupied by children or by invalids, should never be forgotten. I 
 could point to a large convalescent asylum in the country, which is so ar- 
 ranged that tho spacious gallery used by the patients for exercise during 
 the greater part of the day is without the cheering and warming rays of the 
 sun. Such defects tend to defeat the main object of the institution, and are 
 a discredit to all concerned in the building. 
 
 Secondly . — The structural features essential to a hqalthv dwelling 
 have now to be considex-ed. In pointing them out, the same brevity which has 
 characterized my remarks on those appertaining to locality will be aimed at; 
 and not doubting that your own recollections will supply the corroborative 
 passages which might be adduced from Vitruvius, from Alberti, and other 
 eminent authorities, I abstain from quoting them, in order to avoid un- 
 necessarily encroaching on your time and patience. 
 
 To secure the healthy condition of a dwelling, its structure must be — 
 1. Dry. 2. Warm. 3. The number and area of its apartments must be in 
 proportion to the number of their occupants ; and due provision must be made 
 for all the requisites appertaining to daily life. 4. It must be well lighted. 
 5. It must be properly ventilated, and be free from noxious vapours of 
 every kind. 
 
 1. In order to a house being dry,* it must stand on a dry foundation ; 
 and where this is not obtainable, artificial means should be adopted, either 
 by forming a stratum of concrete, varying in depth according to circum- 
 stances, but never less than 12 inches; — by a bedding of slate in cement, or 
 by a bed of asphalte laid through the whole thickness of the wall under the 
 floor level. 
 
 The lowest or basement floor should be raised not less than about 8 inches 
 
 * How greatly dryness on ship-board, which is the sailor’s dwelling, is conducive to 
 health, may be learnt from a fact stated by Captain Murray, R.N. After being two 
 years in H.M. Ship “Valorous,” amongst the icebergs of Labrador, he proceeded thence 
 to the Caraccas and the West-India Islands, on a long cruise, and returned to England, 
 “without one casualty, — or indeed, having a single man on the sick list.” After 
 describing the special care taken to secure perfect dryness in every part of the vessel, 
 Captain Murray says, ‘ ‘ I am satisfied that a dry ship will always be a healthy one in 
 any climate.” 
 
 D 
 
 Aspect. 
 
 Structural 
 
 Features. 
 
 Dryness of 
 Foundation 
 
 
34 
 
 THE ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY DWELLING. 
 
 Floors. 
 
 External 
 
 Walls. 
 
 Covering of 
 Roofs . 
 
 Advantage 
 of fire-proof 
 construction. 
 
 above the external surface; and if the floors are of wood, the ground beneath 
 them ought to be excavated, so as to give a clear depth of not less than 1 2 
 inches, which should be ventilated by means of air bricks, built in the 
 external walls. 
 
 Floors of stone or of slate should either be hollow, resting on brick 
 courses, or be laid on a dry bed, prepared for the purpose, which is also 
 essential in the case of brick or tile floors. In some parts of the country, 
 lime and sand floors are pretty generally used for cottages ; and when properly 
 made with a dry substratum they are said to last upwards of 40 years. I have 
 used Portland cement for the floors of living rooms in fireproof dwellings, 
 but in those places where there is much wear, stone is preferable. Bed-rooms 
 ought, in our climate, when not matted or carpeted, to have boarded floors. 
 
 External walls must be weather-proof, of sufficient thickness to secure 
 dryness and warmth. On the facilities for obtaining a good and non-porous 
 material may depend whether brick, stone, or flint be used : whichsoever it 
 be, good mortar is essential to dryness. In some places concrete, pise or 
 cob, with an external facing of plaster, or rough cast, may be employed with 
 advantage, provided the foundation be dry, and the walls are well protected 
 by an overhanging roof. Hollow walls conduce greatly to dryness and 
 warmth : they may be formed cither wholly of brick, or externally of one of 
 the other materials before named, and be lined with brick or tile, a small 
 hollow space being left between. The same advantages are derivable from 
 the use of hollow bricks, and they are also well adapted for the lining of 
 walls. A glazing on the external surface of brickwork is an effectual pre- 
 ventive of damp, and it is to bo regretted that suitably glazed bricks are not 
 easily obtainable at a moderate price. Their smooth surface is a great re- 
 commendation for some internal work, on account of its cleanliness and its 
 non-retaining properties of noxious odours. Colouring or whitewash is 
 more healthful than paper in common apartments, and it should be frequently 
 renewed. 
 
 For the covering of roofs, slate has with us so many recommendations 
 that its general ad option may be readily accounted for; the evils attendant 
 on its use, arising from changes in the temperature, should be particularly 
 guarded against by boarding, by felt, or by double plastering. Tiles are 
 generally found to be warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer than 
 slate, and, requiring less lead, are in that respect more economical. Project- 
 ing eaves should invariably have gutters, to prevent the drip which is often 
 the cause of damp in the walls and foundations: the same evil too frequently 
 arises from a stoppage of the rain-water pipes consequent on their being 
 either too small, or their heads being unprotected from the intrusion of birds’ 
 nests, leaves, &c. 
 
 For the roofs of town buildings more particularly, a fire-proof construc- 
 tion ,* such as was described in my paper of 21st January, 1850, has many 
 
 * I adopted the liollow-brick fire-proof construction here referred to, in the roof and 
 floors of the two ranges of model dwellings for families built in Streatham-street, 
 Bloomsbury, and in Portpool-lane, as well as in the Prince Consort’s model houses at 
 the Exhibition of 1851. Recently the efficacy of this mode of construction was tested 
 at the Streatham-street houses, by a tenant who accidentally set fire to the woodwork 
 
THE ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY DWELLING. 
 
 35 
 
 obvious advantages to recommend its general adoption. But the practice, so 
 extensively prevalent, of forming rooms for servants in the roof is an im- 
 pediment thereto. In reference to fire-proof constructions I would take this 
 opportunity of recalling a suggestion made in a Paper, read by my friend Mr. 
 
 S. Smirke, 5tli November, 1860, “ On the use of Coke,” which, from its 
 lightness appears to be equally suitable for the purpose of vaulting, as the 
 volcanic scoria or pumice, known to have been thus applied in many impor- 
 tant buildings in Italy and Sicily. 
 
 When the immense destruction of property caused by fire, and too often 
 accompanied by the loss of life, is considered, the question of an efficient 
 system of fire-proof construction generally applicable, appears to me to merit 
 the very serious consideration of the Institute of British Architects, and I 
 therefore venture this passing remark, though the suggestion is not im- 
 mediately connected with my subject. 
 
 Wood of au inferior quality, or unseasoned, when used in any part of a Wood, 
 dwelling-house, is a false economy, whilst the cracks and shrinkages caused 
 thereby arc, from the draught they occasion, often prejudicial to health. 
 
 Lead, a material which enters into the construction of most dwellings, Lead, 
 should bo used with great caution for pipes * which convey drinking water, 
 and ought to be dispensed with altogether for cisterns, excepting those for 
 the service of closets, on account of the injurious effects produced by the 
 chemical action which frequently takes place when the water in them is 
 soft. Iron, properly varnished or enamelled, may be substituted for both 
 purposes ; and for cisterns, slate is very suitable. The offensive and un- 
 wholesome smell which often proceeds from sinks of lead or ordinary stone, 
 renders the substitution either of slate, of glazed stone-ware, or of enamelled 
 iron, very desirable. 
 
 2. Warmth. — This in a dwelling depends not only on its aspect, its Warmth, 
 dryness, the materials used, their proper application and substance, as I have 
 already noticed, but also on the structural plan, particularly on the relative 
 position of the doors and fire-places, as well as of the windows and spaces 
 
 for beds, which should be such as that the occupants will not be exposed 
 to draughts. 
 
 With all our regard for comfort, it is surprising that we do not more 
 frequently endeavour to modify the effects of our variable climate by the use 
 of double sashes, which are so common in many parts of the Continent. 
 
 This would be a means of retaining more of the small portion of genial 
 warmth which passes into the room from our wastefully constructed open 
 fireplaces, a subject on which, in connexion with the artificial warming and 
 ventilation of dwellings, something more will be said hereafter. 
 
 3. The number and dimensions of the apartments essential to health in Number and 
 
 of his apartment, to which the fire was limited. Hollow bricks, with wrought-iron 
 girders, are now very extensively used for floors in Paris. Thirty years since, when 
 constructiug Fishmongers’ Hall, I used, over the kitchen and in some other places, a 
 vaulting of earthen pots, hollow bricks being then scarcely known, though they have 
 been found iu the remains of Roman buildings in this and other countries. 
 
 * Pipes and cisterns made of paper, rendered by a peculiar process a non-conductor 
 are said to have resisted the action of a severe frost of some weeks continuance. 
 
 D 2 
 
3(5 
 
 THE ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY DWELLING. 
 
 Dimensions 
 of Apart- 
 ments. 
 
 Space re- 
 quired for 
 health. 
 
 Labourer’s 
 
 dwelling. 
 
 Smoking of 
 Chimneys. 
 
 a dwelling, must be proportionate to the number of its occupants, and suit- 
 able provision must be made for all that appertains to a well ordered 
 domiciliary life, not only that of the master and mistress as well as of the 
 children, but also that of the servants, whose health and morals it is the 
 duty of their employers to care for. 
 
 The amount of space required for health being greatly dependent on 
 efficient ventilation, it will be considered under that head. In most dwellings 
 the scale of accommodation chiefly depends on the means and circumstances 
 of the occupants, in which the variety is so great that I shall not attempt 
 giving any thing but a brief outline of what may be termed the minimum 
 provision which, where practicable, ought to be made for a family consisting 
 of parents and children of both sexes, belonging to the labouring class, 
 undoubtedly the most numerous section of the community. 
 
 A labourer's dwelling in the country should have a small entrance lobby, 
 a living room not less than 150 feet in area, and a scullery of from 60 feet 
 to 80 feet in area, in which there should be a stove or fire-place for use in 
 summer, as well as a copper and sink ; there should also be a small pantry. 
 Above should be a parents’ bed-room of not less than 100 feet area, and two 
 sleeeping-rooms for the children averaging from 70 to 80 feet superficial 
 each, with a distinct and independent access. Two of the sleeping-rooms at 
 least should have fireplaces. There ought also to be a properly lighted, 
 ventilated, and drained closet, as well as suitable enclosed receptacles for 
 fuel and dust. The height of the rooms, in order to their being healthy, 
 should be scarcely less than 8 feet, and even 9 feet would be desirable but 
 for the extra expense. With a view to ventilation, the windows should 
 reach nearly to the ceiling, and the top be invariably made to open. In 
 windows which have transomes as well as mullions, some of the upper com- 
 partments may be hung on centres for this purpose. 
 
 It may be deemed almost Utopian to indulge the hope of seeing such 
 accommodation as this placed within reach of those of the labouring popu- 
 lation who are doomed to reside in towns ; but they who for several years 
 have been striving to place the benefits of a healthy dwelling within their 
 reach, whilst knowing by experience something of the numerous difficulties 
 to be overcome, and being fully aware that, in many cases, it may be im- 
 possible to accomplish all that is desirable, ought not on that account to be 
 daunted in the pursuit of an object of such great and wide-spread importance. 
 
 In returning from this digression to the structural features of a healthy 
 dwelling, I would point out the great importance of direct external ventilation 
 and light to all water-closets, including those in servants’ use. It is obvious 
 that constructive defects here must be a very serious evil. The water-pipes 
 should be carefully protected from the effects of frost. 
 
 The smoking of chimneys, if not caused, as it often is, by the want of 
 sufficient air in the apartment,* or by bad management in the first lighting, 
 
 * The late Mr. Thomas Cubitt told me that he had frequently cured smoky 
 chimneys, in houses of his own building, well known to be amongst the best in London, 
 by an imperceptible admission of a little air over the room doors, the woodwork fitting so 
 closely that when they were closed sufficient air could not gain admission to the room. 
 
THE ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY DWELLING. 
 
 37 
 
 or in the putting on of fuel, frequently arises from the proximity of 
 more lofty buildings, or of trees, and too often from a defect in the construc- 
 tion of the flue, such as its being too large to ensure a continuous upward 
 current — an evil which may be sometimes cured by a contraction of the 
 throat. For ordinary chimneys, flues 9 inches square, or, which is decidedly 
 preferable, 10 to 11 inches diameter, are quite sufficient. Those for rooms 
 above the ordinary size and for kitchens are exceptional. The dampness of 
 flues in a thin external wall is often the cause of their smoking. In some 
 cases, where not caused by a structural defect in the flue, the evil has been 
 remedied and fuel greatly economized by simply placing in the bottom of 
 the grate a plate of iron with a few minute holes bored in it. 
 
 Light* well diffused over all parts of a dwelling is essential to its being Light, 
 healthy. A dark house is not only gloomy and dispiriting, but is always 
 unhealthy. We know on high medical authority that “ the amount of 
 diseases in light rooms as compared with dark ones is vastly less.” Light 
 ought to be diffused over the whole dwelling, so that no dark corners be left to 
 invite a deposit of that which is untidy or offensive. Happily the motive 
 which in times past led so much to an exclusion of the light of heaven no 
 longer exists, and though ages may pass ere the evils resulting from a vicious 
 legislation are entirely swept away, yet the removal of the tax on windows 
 and of that on glass, must, amidst much to discourage those who have long 
 and zealously laboured in the cause of sanitary amelioration, be regarded as 
 most valuable concessions in its favour. 
 
 5. Ventilation and Artificial Warming . — These are questions of vital ^ entilation 
 importance in regard to dwellings, though, judging from the neglectful an d 'vanning, 
 indifference of multitudes, their value is far from being duly appreciated 
 by the educated, and even by some in the scientific classes of the community. 
 
 Were it otherwise, the closeness perceptible on entering many of their 
 dwellings, the oppressive heat of the rooms, the sickening fustiness in the 
 apartments occupied by the servants, and too often in those of the children, 
 would certainly not exist. When the number of hours passed within doors 
 by every human being in a civilized state is considered, it will be manifest 
 that the breathing of vitiated air for so large a portion of the twenty-four 
 hours must be as injurious as living on unwholesome food. 
 
 Unnecessary as it is for me to describe the component parts of the air,f 
 the process of its deterioration in passing through the lungs, or to dwell further 
 upon those sources of impurity and other accessory influences in and about 
 
 * Although the influence of light on physical life is a subject of which but little is 
 known, some important facts are recorded. Sir James Wylie, who studied at St. 
 Petersburg the effect of light as a curative agent, found in hospital rooms in that city, 
 which were without light, that oidy one-fourth the number of patients left cured, as 
 compared with those who had occupied properly lighted rooms. — Vide an article by 
 Sir David Brewster in the North British Review , vol. xxix., 1858, entitled “Researches 
 on Light.” 
 
 t Amongst the numerous works which may be consulted on this and otlier im- 
 portant questions connected with my subject, I would recommend “ The Principles of 
 Physiology applied to the Preservation of Health,” by Dr. Andrew Combe ; or the 
 more popular - publications by Dr. Lankester, as well as those issued by Jarrold & Co. 
 
38 
 
 THE ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY DWELLING. 
 
 Space re- 
 quired for 
 health. 
 
 Importance 
 of accuracy 
 in regard 
 thereto. 
 
 a dwelling which tend to vitiate the air within, it may be useful, beforo 
 giving the results of my own observ ations on the means of obtaining efficient 
 ventilation, to notice one important preliminary consideration, that of the 
 space required to keep a healthy man in full vigour, on which very 
 different opinions have been expressed. Experience gained in poor- 
 house dormitories, in prisons,* &c., has led to the conclusion that from 
 450 to 500 cubic feet are requisite thereto, and that the ventilation should 
 be such as will cause an entire renewal of the air about once in the hour. 
 
 Observations made at the Model Lodging-house, in George-street, 
 St. Giles’s, a confined situation, satisfy me that the cubical space of 535 feet, 
 which is provided in the dormitories of that building for each inmate, is, 
 with proper ventilation, abundantly sufficient to render them healthy: such 
 was proved to bo the case, even when the cholera raged in the neighbour- 
 hood, and had not a single victim out of the 104 men who lodged within 
 its walls. From this fact I think it reasonable to infer that the past un- 
 healthiness of the Wellington Barracks, Westminster, where the cubical 
 space per man allowed in the dormitories is stated to be 500 feet, must 
 have arisen, not from want of space, but from some other existing evils, 
 particularly the defective ventilation pointed out in the report made to the 
 General Board of Health by the Commission on Warming and Ventilation. 
 
 As mistakes with regard to space tend to create imaginary difficulties, 
 and either impede sanitary reform, or cause a serious unnecessary expendi- 
 ture, f I think it of use to notice two recent errors on this point which have 
 come under my observation — one in the Quarterly Review, where, in an 
 article on “Labourers’ Homes,” it is stated that “ The Lodging-house Act 
 requires an allowance of 700 cubic feet per person another in a publication 
 by Dr. Druitt, entitled “ The Health of the Parish,” where it is said that 
 “ It has been decided at Bow-street that every inmate of a family ought to 
 
 * The space allowed in the cells of prisons should not be regarded as an absolute 
 criterion : at the Model Prison, Pentouville, there are about 800 cubic feet. 
 
 f The Report of the Govemient Commissioners on Warming and Ventilation says, 
 at folio 99: — “Under all the circumstances, we would urgently direct the attention 
 of the Minister-at-War and the Horse Guards to the absolute necessity of providing 
 more room and accommodation for the soldier in barracks ; and that instead of 500 
 cubic feet of space, that 700 to 800 cubic feet should be allowed per man, or, as in the 
 case of the Wellington Barracks, that only ten persons should occupy the space 
 allotted to sixteen ; and that these regulations should be enforced as soon as extra 
 spaces can be provided throughout the whole of the United Kingdom.” In a previous 
 part of the report, at folio 92, are found the following apposite remarks, which scarcely 
 appear to have emanated from the same mind : — “The continuous removal of impuro 
 air, as it arises, is of very much greater importance than the cubical contents of air 
 in a room. In the soldiers’ rooms, which are constantly occupied, the amount of 
 cubical space can be of very little importance, for how lofty soever the rooms may be, 
 unless the heated and impure air can pass away, the space will soon be occupied by 
 air unfit for respiration, and the greater or the less size of the room will only resolve 
 itself into a little more or a little less time before the air is brought into an impure 
 condition.” “The soldiers’ rooms are about 12 feet in height : with good ventilation, 
 this might be reduced to 11 feet or even to 10 feet without disadvantage.” 
 
THE ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY DWELLING. 
 
 39 
 
 have 400 cubic feet of space.” On inquiring at Bow-street as to tho latter 
 decision, I learned that the magistrates have no power to determine tho 
 space, and was referred to the Assistant Commissioner of Police, who 
 informed me “ that 30 feet superficial is the space allowed to each lodger 
 in tho metropolitan common lodging-houses, the rooms averaging 8 feet 
 high,” which is equal to 240 feet cube, and that -50 feet superficial is 
 allowed to each police-constable lodged in a station or section-house, the 
 rooms on an average being 9 feet high,” which is equal to 450 cubic feet. 
 The Poor Law Board, without laying down any fixed rule applicable to all 
 circumstances, adopts as a basis of calculation an allowance of 500 cubic 
 feet for every person in sick wards,* and 300 cubic feet for every healthy 
 person in the dormitories. The Sanitary Inspector in Dublin requires in 
 registered lodging-houses an allowance of 308 cubic feet to each person. 
 
 Dwellings for all classes of persons, in order to their being healthy, 
 should be so constructed as that they will be everyichere accessible to pure 
 air, and be free from stagnation in any part ; and, whilst it is obvious that 
 the state of the surrounding air must have much influence on that within 
 the dwelling, the renewal of the latter should always be sought from tho 
 purest source, instead of the supply being drawn, as it often is, from a low 
 damp situation or a confined internal court. 
 
 Considered practically, tho main question with regard to ventilation is, 
 iu what way the air which has become vitiated can be renewed with a supply 
 of pure fresh air, without the creation of a draught injurious to health ? 
 To do this the air must enter copiously, and almost imperceptibly, and when 
 used, or become vitiated, its exit should be both continuous and complete. 
 
 Ventilation is of two kinds, natural and artificial ; the former being 
 effected by means of windows and doors, with the crevices round them, 
 as well as by chimneys and fireplaces, which are important agents in natural 
 ventilation, and may also, by scientific arrangements, be made conducive 
 to an efficient system of artificial ventilation, peculiarly applicable to 
 dwelling-houses. 
 
 In new buildings improvements may be easily adopted which are not 
 always applicable to old buildings ; but, as far as circumstances allow, they 
 should be carried out, from a settled conviction that pure air is indispensable 
 to a healthy state both of body and mind. 
 
 Windows properly constructed, made to open at the top as well as below, 
 and suitably placed, afford the most ready means for the natural ventilation 
 of dwellings, besides which are the various contrivances of louvres, of 
 perforated glass, zinc, tin, &c. 
 
 Chimneys act as ventilators whenever a fire is lighted in a room : the 
 lower stratum of air being immediately set in movement, a current of air is 
 
 • In order that the amount of space now deemed requisite in hospitals may he 
 readily compared with the above, I quote the following : — “ In solid-built hospitals 
 the progress of the cases will betray any curtailment of space much below 1500 cubic 
 feet. In Paris 1700, and in London 2000, and even 2500 cubic feet, are now thought 
 advisable.” — Miss Nightingale’s “Notes on the Sanitary Condition of Hospitals.” 
 
 The question 
 of Ventila- 
 tion regarded 
 practically. 
 
 Two kinds of 
 Ventilation. 
 
 Natural Ven 
 tilation. 
 
40 
 
 THE ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY DWELLING. 
 
 Chimney 
 
 Valves. 
 
 Fire-grates. 
 
 Escape of 
 vitiated air. 
 
 established from the crevices round the doors and windows, or from any 
 other openings towards the chimney, whereby much of the vitiated air is 
 carried off’. This process of ventilation takes place in a slight degree when 
 there is no fire in the chimney, and therefore bed-rooms are much more 
 healthy with a chimney than without. It should not, however, be forgotten 
 that a large portion of the vitiated air ascends above the chimney opening, 
 and therefore it is essential that a provision be made for its removal thence, 
 whenever perfect ventilation is desired. 
 
 An independent supply of fresh air may be introduced into most rooms 
 which have a fireplace, by conveying it through a pipe or channel formed 
 under the floor, or in the wall, to an air-chamber constructed at the back or 
 sides of the stove, in order that it should be there warmed before entering 
 the room. I have seen in Edinburgh a solid fire-clay bed-room chimney- 
 piece and grate so formed as to leave, when it is set, a cavity round it, which 
 appears well adapted for this purpose. The same, or a separate pipe or 
 channel may also be used for feeding the fire with air, independent of that 
 in the room : for this purpose it should pass out at the cheeks of the stove, 
 rather than beneath the grate, which is liable to cause a diffusion of dust 
 in the room. 
 
 Chimney ventilating valves are rendered, by such a supply of air, more 
 certain in their action than they often pi*ove to be, owing generally to an 
 insufficient draught in the chimney, which causes the emission of smoke 
 into the room. These valves woidd be invaluable for the discharge of 
 vitiated air, which is their intended purpose, were it not for this occasional 
 ingress of smoke. The mo*t effective means of avoiding that evil is carrying 
 up an independent flue in close contact with a smoke flue, constantly in use, as 
 that from the kitchen : the air within the ventilating flue is by this means rare- 
 fied, and the action of the valve rendered more efficient. Tubular flues, of 
 pottery, made double for this ex j tress purpose, are found to answer well, and 
 have the advantage of occupying but little space, whilst they are not liable to 
 the objection pointed out to me many years since, by an eminent builder, who 
 had found that cast-iron flue linings, having no mortar joints, acted as a dead 
 shore in the wall. In cases where the chimney-valve, being fixed in the flue, 
 causes an ingress of smoke, the most effectual remedy is, I believe. Dr. Arnott’s 
 smokeless grate, with the draught duly regulated by a contraction of the 
 vacant space over the fire. These grates economize fuel considerably. 
 
 Ordinary grates, I may here remark, are alike wasteful of heat and fuel, 
 both of which would be much economized by the substitution of a stove 
 projecting slightly into the room, and combining the chief advantages of the 
 one known as Dr. Arnott’s ventilating stove, with the cheerful open 
 fireplace. I have seen some such stoves in use on the Continent, and I 
 believe that the only valid reason against their adoption in England, beyond 
 the force of custom, is the difficulty — not, however, an insurmountable one — 
 of applying them to fire places with the ornamental chimney-pieces in such 
 general use. One of the most useful modern improvements in grates is that 
 of forming the back and linings with fire-brick instead of iron. 
 
 The intimate connexion between warming and ventilation has led to a 
 digression, in returning from which I remark that, in order to render 
 natural ventilation effectual, the openings required for the escape of vitiated 
 
THE ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY DWELLING. 
 
 41 
 
 air should be placed either in the ceiling or near to it.* IIow far the 
 admission of fresh air also in the upper part of the room be objectionable, on 
 the ground that the air vitiated by breathing, which ascends in consequenco 
 of its relative lightness, is in that case only diluted, and not entirely replaced 
 by pure air, remains, I believe, yet to be determined by properly conducted 
 experiments. 
 
 It would bo a vain attempt to point out the most suitable situation, or 
 even the level at which, under all circumstances, fresh air should be 
 admitted. The point of greatest importance is the avoidance of a perceptible 
 current or draught ; and wherever that can be combined with the admission 
 of a sufficient volume of pure air, there it may be allowed to enter. In some 
 situations this may bo near the floor, or a little above it, in others an 
 arrangement suitable for the purpose may be made by fixing a hopper or a 
 sliding ventilator over the door,t or in the upper part of it ; a plan often 
 applicable to bed-rooms, where good ventilation is so essential, though 
 lamentably neglected. In small rooms with a fireplace, this addition to the 
 usual means of changing the air, generally suffices to keep them in a healthy 
 state ; but where there is no fireplace there should be a distinct provision for 
 the escape of the vitiated air, which may sometimes be effected by means 
 of a pipe carried through the roof and bent on the top. It should be 
 remembered that where openings can be formed on the opposite sides of 
 rooms, the air will be most speedily and effectually changed. 
 
 With all the various contrivances and arrangements proposed for the ad- 
 mission of fresh, and the exit of vitiated air, unaided by those appliances 
 which arc scarcely consistent with the term natural ventilation, none have 
 come under my observation which secure uniform action, and fully gua- 
 rantee that the distinct provision made for the exit of vitiated air shall not 
 become the medium for the ingress of cold air, on a change of temperature in 
 the apartment, the frequent consequence of which is a draught, more or less 
 perceptible. In order to avoid this evil, various means have been adopted, 
 according to circumstances, with varying success. The use made of chimney- 
 shafts for this purpose Inns been already noticed. Tubes or shafts, of wood, 
 of clay, or of metal, are also available, provided a constant outward current 
 is maintained by such an application of heat as will sufficiently rarefy the 
 air. Hot water has often been applied externally for this purpose with ad- 
 vantage. I have used gas enclosed within an upright shaft, partly of wood, 
 the light being placed behind a square of glass, and the air entering through 
 perforated zinc, with a hopper enclosure : by these means the combined 
 
 Level at 
 which fresh 
 air should be 
 admitted. 
 
 Difficulty in 
 securing uni- 
 formity of 
 action. 
 
 • In a certain description of common rooms, ventilation may be effected by means 
 of wooden tubes perforated with holes, or having chinks at the angles : in some cases 
 they may be carried across the ceilings, and in others be fixed at the angles. They 
 have also been used for admitting fresh as well as for the exit of vitiated air. These 
 tubes distribute the air more generally, and are not so likely to be closed as either 
 Sherringham’s or Hart’s Ventilators, both of which are very useful in many situations. 
 A cheap cottage ventilator may be made with a piece of zinc, fixed in the upper part 
 of a window, perforated in the centre, and with a projecting rim formed round the 
 perforated part, in order to receive a moveable cover, which may be hinged. 
 
 t If arrangements were made for this purpose in the construction of new 
 buildings, much benefit might be derived therefrom. 
 
42 
 
 THE ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY DWELLING. 
 
 Artificial 
 
 Ventilation. 
 
 Suction or 
 Propulsion. 
 
 Raising the 
 Temperature 
 without 
 Ventilation. 
 
 benefits of light and ventilation are obtained from the same quarter. In 
 many situations this simple plan might be easily adopted, and in dwelling- 
 houses generally I believe that gsis might frequently be rendered a valuable 
 contributor to ventilation, instead of being injurious to health. As a sun- 
 light, with a double tube, it has been thus successfully employed in many 
 public buildings. 
 
 The utilisation of heat from stove fires, from hot water, or from gas in 
 ordinary use about a house, is apparently so natural and easy a means of 
 obtaining a motive power to assist in the ventilation of dwelling-houses, 
 that I have noticed them under the head of natural, rather than of artificial 
 ventilation, to which I must now refer. 
 
 Artificial ventilation is ordinarily effected by the action of valves, fans, 
 pumps, screws, furnaces, stoves, or other artificial heat, and a variety of 
 contrivances whereby air is either drawn out of, or forced into an apartment. 
 In the one case, the space occupied by the vitiated air withdrawn, is re- 
 placed by an admission of pure fresh air ; and in the other the pure air 
 forced into the apartment causes a displacement of the vitiated air, for the 
 escape of which due provision must be made. In both cases, a just propor- 
 tion between the volume of air which ought to enter, and that which should 
 be expelled, is necessary. In order that the fresh air may be adapted for use 
 at all seasons of the year, means must be provided for warming it prior to 
 its distribution in the apartment. The best means for effecting this is, I 
 believe, by bringing it in contact with heated fire-brick, suitably arranged in 
 stoves or furnaces. When heated iron is used for this purpose, the air is 
 likely to be deteriorated, or, as is commonly said, burnt. Hot water, which 
 is similarly employed, has not this injurious effect. 
 
 Whether suction or propulsion be preferable as a motive power for effect- 
 ing the change of air in ventilation, is a question which has been much dis- 
 cussed here, as well as in Paris and Brussels. After examining both systems 
 in their practical application, the latter appears to me decidedly preferable, 
 excepting in peculiar cases, where the power of suction may be more readily 
 applied. 
 
 When fresh air is forced into an apartment, through suitably placed 
 openings, it becomes more generally diffused than it does when its entrance 
 is dependent on the withdrawal of the vitiated air by means of suction, the 
 tendency of which is to draw the fresh air towards the point of exit, instead 
 of leaving it to disperse and circulate freely. Suction involves the further 
 disadvantage of setting in movement whatever noxious vapours may be 
 within its reach. 
 
 Nothing can be more inconsistent with a healthy system of warming than 
 those arrangements which provide only for raising the temperature of the 
 air already in the apartment, vitiated as it may be. Such is mostly the 
 case when the German hot-air stove is used, and also when hot water is circu- 
 lated in pipes through the apartments ; but either may be employed with 
 impunity as an auxiliary to an open fire. 
 
 Whilst artificial ventilation is mainly applicable to public buildings, to 
 manufactories, and to dwelling-houses of considerable magnitude, its princi- 
 ples may often be adopted in cases which are of ordinary occurrence in an 
 architect’s practice. 
 
THE ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY DWELLING. 
 
 43 
 
 For this reason, as well as on account of the great influence which ventila- 
 tion exercises on health, more has been said on this branch of my subject than 
 some may consider necessary. I cannot, however, quit it without expressing 
 a regret that the science of ventilation* has not been more thoroughly 
 mastered and its practical application more simplified than it would seem to 
 be from the Report of the Government Commissioners on Warming and 
 Ventilation (see note, p. 38), known doubtless to many of you, and which, 
 with its mass of practical information, appears to mo to have failed in placing 
 the subject in that clear light which was contemplated in the suggestions 
 made by Dr. N. Arnott, in 1849, for an investigation by “a committee of 
 eminent scientific men, comprising chemists, engineers, and physicians.” 
 
 Thirdly . — The circumstances which depend mainly, though 
 not aviiolly, on the OCCUPANTS themselves — external and internal 
 cleanliness, and a proper use of structural arrangements — remain to bo 
 briefly noticed. 
 
 The most suitable provision for rendering a dwelling dry, or for its 
 efficient ventilation, will not secure the health of the occupants if those 
 provisions are not properly used, or if there be around or within the abode 
 an accumulation of dirt, whether in a solid or in a liquid state. Houses may, 
 to all appearance, be very desirable dwellings, but if the drainago be out of 
 order, or if there be cesspools within their precincts, or untrapped and foul 
 sinks, there is no safety for the inmates. Nor can the close proximity of 
 stables be a matter of such indifference as might be supposed from the 
 practice so prevalent in the most wealthy parts of the metropolis ; for one 
 inevitable consequence is, that, in the summer, many windows which should 
 bo opened for ventilation remain closed, in order to exclude the noxious 
 fumes of the dungheaps. 
 
 Neglect of sanitary laws is as much manifested in the country as it is 
 in towns, and on the Continent not less than it is in England. It would be 
 easy to point to spots where the air is unrivalled for purity, and the scenery 
 around it of surpassing beauty; and yet the accumulations about the dwellings 
 are such as makes it often difficult to enter the doors without wading through 
 a stream of filth, alike offensive to the sight and to the smell. Can it bo a 
 matter of surprise if such violations of the known laws by which God 
 regulates the health of his creatures, be visited with sickness and prematuro 
 death? With equal certainty as to the issue, we may predict that those who 
 live in close proximity to black and stagnant pools, to fold ditches, or to 
 sluggish open drains, will periodically suffer from fever or dysentery, as we 
 do that the house in flames will be consumed if the destructive element be 
 not extinguished, or that the neglected garden will be overrun with weeds 
 and become a wilderness. 
 
 Internal cleanlmess in the houses of the wealthy, and all that as matters 
 of daily routine are connected therewith, including proper attention to the 
 sinks and traps, as well as the ventilation generally, is, in the main, left to 
 the care of servants! ; and often, through their ignorance, rather than their 
 
 * A simple test, whereby the deterioration of the air could be readily ascertained, 
 is a great desideratum. 
 
 t The publication in a cheap form of Miss Nightingale’s highly practical “Notes 
 on Nursing” afford the means of conveying many valuable lessous on this subject 
 
 The Science 
 of Ventila- 
 tion yet to be 
 mastered. 
 
 Circum- 
 stances de- 
 pendent on 
 the occupant. 
 
 Neglect of 
 
 sanitary 
 
 laws. 
 
 Internal 
 cleanliness . 
 
41 
 
 THE ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY DWELLING. 
 
 Lamentable 
 results of 
 ignorance. 
 
 Reluctance 
 to bear the 
 expense of 
 sanitary im- 
 provements. 
 
 Conse- 
 quences of 
 ignorance 
 weighty on 
 the labour- 
 ing popula- 
 tion. 
 
 culpable neglect, the health of the family, and especially that of the younger 
 children, is very seriously injured, without the slightest apprehension as to 
 the cause. Many instances might be cited in proof of a fact which is 
 calculated to arouse even the most self-indulgent, and to induce them to 
 co-operate in such a diffusion of sanitary knowledge as will alone insure 
 that which is dependent on the occupants themselves, a proper use of the 
 structural arrangements essential to a healthy dwelling. Disease may often 
 be communicated to the wealthy through the medium of articles of clothing 
 made in unhealthy dwellings; a fact which, if it were more palpable, might 
 lead even the most selfish to consider their personal intei'est in the sanitary 
 condition of the houses of working people. 
 
 The middle classes would contribute less grudgingly than they frequently 
 do, towards the cost of public sanitary improvements, and would even urge 
 their extension, if they were better acquainted with the laws of health and 
 the heavy expenses which their infringement often involves on the com- 
 munity, as well as on individuals; whilst a practical knowledge of those 
 relating to in-door life — whether it be that of the dwelling-house, the 
 manufactory, or the workshop — would lead them duly to appreciate the 
 advantages of cleanliness and good ventilation, and to see that their benefits 
 were extended more generally to those hives of human industry where 
 numbers of working people congregate for many successive hours, and 
 those partly under the deleterious influence of gas light. 
 
 If from a want of knowledge and forethought many in the upper and middle 
 walks of life are debarred the full enjoyment of a healthy dwelling, how much 
 more is it the case in regard to the labouring population, most of whom 
 are under the further disadvantage of having scarcely any choice as to 
 the external circumstances of their dwellings, and but little as to the 
 internal accommodation. The difficulties arising therefrom, which working 
 people have to contend with in most thickly populated towns, are well known 
 to be very great. I shall not dwell upon them here, nor attempt to point 
 out the degree in which they are increased by habits of intemperance — the 
 most fruitful cause as well as consequence of domiciliary wretchedness. Such 
 a calculation as would show the probable amount expended by the working 
 population in the metropolis and its suburbs in the 10,200 houses open for 
 the retail sale of intoxicating liquors would be instructive, not only as to one 
 fruitful cause of the evil, but also as to legislative measures, of an indirect 
 character, needed for its removal. 
 
 to domestic servants. I have endeavoured to give some practical instruction of a 
 more general character, in a lecture entitled “Home Reform ; or, What the Working 
 Glasses may do to improve their own Dwellings;” an abridgment of which, translated 
 into French and into Italian, has had an extensive circulation on the Continent. 
 Several of the cheap publications issued by the Ladies’ Sanitary Association have the 
 same object in view. 
 
PART THE THIRD. 
 
 ON THE EXTENSION OF THE 
 
 THE BENEFITS OF A HEALTHY DWELLING 
 
 TO THE LABOURING POPULATION. 
 
 READ WITH THE SECOND PART, 20th JANUARY, 1862. 
 
 The numerous discussions bearing on this question, which have taken place 
 in Parliament, in the daily papers, as well as in other periodicals and 
 pamphlets, might lead to the supposition that its importance is now duly 
 estimated by the public ; but those who have sounded the depth and scanned 
 the wide-spread extent of the evil to be remedied, well know that such is not 
 the case, and have too often seen the responsibility of contributing to its 
 removal ignored by those who ought to feel its weight ; whilst in some 
 deeply to be regretted instances, the want of a due estimate of the difficulties 
 to be overcome, and of the requisite practical knowledge, has led to the 
 pursuit of measures which, owing to their non-remuncrative pecuniary results, 
 have tended seriously to retard the progress of the movement which was 
 practically commenced in 1 844. 
 
 The pecuniary features of the question are of such vital importance, from 
 their necessary bearing on the adequate extension of the work, that I cannot 
 here omit the expression of my belief) that if the actual expenditure in 
 providing improved dwellings for the labouring classes in towns had more 
 generally been managed with such discretion as to yield the very moderate 
 return of 4 per cent., or even of 3^ per cent., after the payment of all expenses 
 and the providing a sinking fund for the repayment of the money laid out, 
 there would have been no difficulty in obtaining from philanthropic capitalists 
 an amount sufficient for building a very large number of improved dwellings, 
 in the metropolis, as well as in our provincial towns; and in evidence that 
 such a return is obtainable numerous examples might be instanced of that 
 and a higher rate of interest on the outlay having been regularly obtained. 
 Whilst some of these will be noticed hereafter, I think it right to remark, 
 in reference to certain exceptional cases, that due allowance should be made 
 for the difficulties and extra expenses attendant on most new undertakings, 
 as well as for the experimental nature of some of the establishments in which 
 the accommodation provided has been of a very mixed character. The results 
 in those instances show, I believe, invariably, that new houses for families yield 
 a better return on the outlay than lodging-houses for single persons, a 
 purpose to which, however, old buildings have been adapted with very 
 satisfactory pecuniary results. 
 
 Speculative builders, or those who are merely seeking what is usually 
 called a good investment, would not, of course, consider 4 per cent, a 
 sufficiently remunerative return ; but I confess to feeling some surprise 
 
 Responsibi- 
 lity too often 
 ignored. 
 
 Pecuniary 
 features of 
 the question. 
 
 Its aspect in 
 regard to 
 Builders. 
 
46 
 
 THE BENEFITS OF A HEALTHY DWELLING 
 
 Architects. 
 
 Measures 
 adapted for 
 effecting the 
 desired re- 
 form. 
 
 Legislative. 
 
 that, amongst the many who have accumulated large fortunes in connexion 
 with the building trade in the metropolis, I know of only one firm, that of 
 Messrs. Newson and Son, having so invested a part of the gains derived, in 
 a large measure, from the labour of the working classes. It may, however, 
 be owing to my limited means of information in this respect that I am 
 unable to name other instances in the metropolis, though in Edinburgh 
 several such examples were lately pointed out to me, which I coidd not but 
 regard with peculiar interest and as well worthy of imitation. Some notice 
 of these buildings is given in my report made at the Glasgow meeting for 
 the Promotion of Social Science. I have also seen with pleasure, in a very 
 useful monthly paper, the British Workman, which circulates extensively 
 amongst that class of readers, a view and brief notice of a village near 
 Lowestoft, rebuilt by Sir Morton Peto, which is described as one of the 
 most picturesque villages in the kingdom. 
 
 Architects have sometimes been reproached for a want of interest, and for 
 exercising so little influence in regard to the improvement of the dwellings 
 of the labouring classes. Knowing, as I well do, how rarely the members of 
 the profession* have to do with buildings of this class, such a charge is to 
 me only one amongst many other proofs of the prevailing ignorance with 
 regard to the measures and machinery best adapted to remedy the evil in 
 question, and which I shall endeavour, as far as my ability and experience 
 enable me, to point out, unbiassed by any interest whatever, and only actuated 
 by the earnest desire of contributing to an object which I believe is most 
 intimately connected with the physical, the moral, and the religious improve- 
 ment of the masses of our population. 
 
 The measures for effecting this much-needed reform may be classified 
 under three heads : — 
 
 1. Those of a legislative character, and those for winch the Executive 
 Government are responsible. 
 
 2. Those which ought to be adopted by landowners and employers 
 generally for the benefit of their dependents, whether as tenants or work- 
 people constantly employed by them. 
 
 3. Those which originate from benevolent motives, and are undertaken 
 either by associations or by individuals, in order to help those who need such 
 aid in helping themselves. 
 
 In noticing successively these three classes of measures, some illustrative 
 facts will bo stated, which arc partially the results of obseiwations made during 
 a residence of several years on the Continent for the recovery of health. 
 
 In considering the measures of a Legislative character it should be 
 remembered that a jealous respect for the rights of persons and property. 
 
 * My long and highly-esteemed friends, Mr. Sydney Smirke and Mr. G. Gilbert 
 Scott, have manifested, in their published works, a warm interest in this object ; the 
 former, in his “ Suggestions for the Improvement of the Western part of the 
 Metropolis,” published in 1834,- — aud the latter in his “Remarks ©n Secular and 
 Domestic Architecture,” — expatiate on its importance, and propose practical measures; 
 whilst the voice and pen of Mr. George Godwin, in his widely circulated journal, 
 “The Builder,” and elsewhere, have been exercised unceasingly for its advancement, 
 and often in vindicating the position and feelings of the members of his profession, 
 with regard to the question generally. 
 
EXTENDED TO THE LABOURING POPULATION. 
 
 47 
 
 which is our security for many of the inestimable advantages enjoyed under 
 a free government, has a manifest tendency to impede the carrying out of 
 such public improvements as those which, under arbitrary rule, have been 
 effected with unprecedented rapidity, on so gigantic a scale, in the metro- 
 polis of a neighbouring country. What I think, in our own metropolis, wo 
 have a right to complain of, and ought to feel ashamed of, is the bungling 
 and pettifogging manner hi which many of our new streets have been 
 formed, and fine opportunities for obtaining magnificent effects irrecoverably 
 lost. It would be invidious to point them out ; they will readily suggest 
 themselves to you. 
 
 Time will not allow me to dwell on the important bearing which the 
 formation of new streets has on this subject, or many facts that have come 
 under my own observation might be stated, particularly some with regard 
 to that great financial failure, Victoria-street,* -where several fruitless 
 attempts were made to obtain from the managers, on reasonable terms, back 
 land, as sites adapted for dwellings suited to the displaced population, who, 
 as a necessary consequence of the clearance which had been made, were 
 huddled together in a frightful degree. This is but one example of what has 
 so frequently taken place elsewhere in our own metropolis, owing to the want 
 of a compulsory provision for the displaced poor. 
 
 The same neglect on the part of the Government was the cause of an 
 incalculable amount of suffering in Paris, when the people who tenanted its 
 narrow and winding streets were forcibly ejected, and often their few articles 
 of furniture placed on the pave, they themselves not knowing where to seek 
 shelter. I visited more than once, in the spring of 1858, a kind of encamp- 
 ment of 600 such families, formed not far from the Barirere de l’Etoile, and 
 heard from some of them their pitiable tale, and the exorbitant rent they 
 were paying for temporary hovels, which the police had warned them would 
 be pulled down in three months, and they forced again to go they knew not 
 wliither. From a sense of duty, and encouraged by the fact of the 
 Emperor having caused the paper which I read before the Institute in 1850 
 to be translated and widely circulated in France, I thought it right to bring 
 this subject under his Majesty’s personal consideration, in a memorial, which 
 was graciously received, and has, I hope, not been altogether fruitless. 
 
 Our own legislative measures tending to give to the labouring population 
 the benefits of a healthy dwelling, only comprised, when I addressed the 
 Institute twelve years since, the passing of the Public Health Act, and the 
 Nuisance Removal and Diseases Prevention Acts. Since then several 
 measures, the necessity for which was dwelt upon in my paper, have been 
 adopted, such as the removal of the tax on windows and on bricks, for 
 both of which we are indebted to the Administration under Lord John, now 
 the Eai’l Russell ; the act for the regulation of common lodging-houses (one 
 of the most, amongst the many, valuable efforts of the Earl of Shaftesbury 
 in this cause); the empowering, under the Labourers’ Dwelling Act, the 
 formation and general management of independent local Associations, 
 
 Formation of 
 New Streets. 
 
 Sufferings 
 caused by- 
 neglect on 
 tbe part of 
 Government. 
 
 Legislative 
 measures 
 have been 
 adopted. 
 
 * More recently several piles of Model Houses Lave been built in this immediate 
 neighbourhood, which are noticed in the Appendix. 
 
43 
 
 THE BENEFITS OF A HEALTHY DWELLING 
 
 Legislative 
 
 measures 
 
 required. 
 
 Overcrowd- 
 ing of cot- 
 tages. 
 
 formed for providing improved dwellings, on tlie principle of joint-stock 
 companies, with limited liability. Other bills have been passed for facilita- 
 ting the construction of improved labourers’ dwellings and cottages in 
 Scotland and in Ireland. 
 
 During the last session, a bill which would have given to English land- 
 owners, tenants in tail, the power of raising money for building improved 
 cottages on their estates, very similar to that already granted in Scotland, 
 was, after it had passed the House of Commons with but little opposition, 
 rejected by a majority of 16 to 13 in the House of Lords. The debate on 
 this occasion had at least the appearance of showing how much less real 
 interest is taken in this question than might have been inferred from several 
 debates, at the opening of the session, relative to the destruction of 
 labourers’ dwellings, in consequence of the introduction of railways to the 
 centre of the metropolis. Those debates led to the insertion of clauses in 
 some of the railway bills obliging the companies to provide certain cheap 
 trains, at hours suitable for the conveyance of working people, to and from 
 the precincts of their residences out of town. A standing order, intended 
 to apply to cases in which application is made to Parliament for power to 
 pull down houses occupied by the working population, was passed by the 
 House of Lords in 1853, at the instigation of the Earl of Shaftesbury, 
 but it had, as regards practical results, become a dead letter. 
 
 That further legislative interference is indispensable to the remedying 
 existing evils might be proved by abundant evidence. Excepting within 
 the City of London,* and in the case of common lodging-houses, no adequate 
 power has yet been granted effectually to check the evil of over-crowding , 
 in regard to which the Medical Officer of Health in the City of London thus 
 speaks : — “ Without doubt, it is the worst of all the unwholesome influences 
 with which you have to deal ; and until it is corrected you will never be 
 secure from those outbursts of disease which appear to set your sanitary 
 measures at defiance.” A report made by the Assistant-Commissioner of 
 Police on the condition of single rooms occupied by families in the metro- 
 polis, without the precincts of the city authorities, after giving in detail 
 about forty most painfully disgusting examples of overcrowding, says: — “It 
 is evident from these cases, which might be greatly multiplied, that all the 
 evils which the Acts for regulating common lodging-houses were intended 
 to remedy still exist, almost without abatement, in single rooms occupied 
 by families, single rooms so occupied being exempt from the operation of 
 the Act.” “ The causes arc, the avarice of owners, and the poverty or 
 debasement of occupants, and the only hope of improvement seems to be in 
 some legislative enactment.” 
 
 In regard to the overcrowding of cottages in country districts, I might 
 remind you of the numerous letters on that subject which not long since 
 
 * The power referred to was conferred in 1851, and, under the supervision of the able 
 medical officer of health, it is exercised with great benefit to the poor, as a diminution 
 in the returns of mortality from 25 to 23 in 1000, traceable to this and other sanitary 
 measures, abudantly proves. 
 
EXTENDED TO THE LABOURING POPULATION. 
 
 40 
 
 appeared in the Times * and were but the echo of what lias been said and 
 proved so often elsewhere. With a view to obtain reliable statistical returns 
 on this important subject, about eighteen months since, the then Secretary 
 of State for the Home Department was memorialized, and urged by a 
 deputation from the Council of the National Association for the promotion 
 of Social Science, to take advantage of the Census for this purpose, as had been 
 done in Ireland; but, although the unobjectionable character of the inquiry, 
 and the ease with which it could be made, were fully admitted, the ap- 
 plication proved wholly fruitless. 
 
 After all that has been effected within the past fifteen years by many 
 proprietors in providing improved cottages on their estates, there are yet 
 numbers who need to be made aware of the conditions of some on their own 
 property,! and there is reason to fear that, with regard to other proprietors, 
 their obligations must be pressed home in such a way as they doubtless 
 would be were the Registrar-General enabled to instance flagrant cases of 
 neglect, and to show what the results are by unquestionable facts. I cannot 
 help, therefore, regarding the loss of this opportunity as a matter of very 
 serious regret, especially when it is remembered how little the Government 
 can do directly towards the domiciliary reform so greatly needed amongst 
 the masses of the population. 
 
 By legislative enactments can alone be prevented the recurrence of those 
 hardships and other great evils which have arisen out of the selfish system 
 pursued in some “ close parishes , where cottages have been pulled down in 
 order to obtain relief from a burthen which is thereby thrown upon a 
 neighbouring parish, regardless of the sufferings endured by the labourer, 
 who is often, as a consequence, compelled to walk several miles to and from 
 his work. A calculation of the positive loss, from the waste of valuable time 
 and strength thus expended, was made by the late Sir Robert Peel ; and 
 yet, how many who have labourers in their constant employ need to be 
 convinced that it is as much their interest to care for them in regard to their 
 dwellings, as it is to provide well situated, healthy, and convenient stables 
 for their cattle ? 
 
 * The writer of one of these letters, “A Berkshire Magistrate,” in a note to me 
 lately, says, “ I am constrained to confess, that from all I see and hear, unless the 
 Government take up the question honestly and fully, little or nothing will be done to 
 remedy evils which are so fearfully apparent. I brought the matter forward at a full 
 attendance of magistrates in Berkshire last week, and of all the influential persons 
 present, influential especially as regards this momentous question, not one seconded 
 my motion.” 
 
 f The Duke of Buccleugli, at a meeting in Edinburgh in January 1855, said “he 
 himself pleaded guilty to a great many charges of faults of omission as well as commis- 
 sion. . . . Many tenants had remonstrated with him on the condition of the labourers’ 
 dwellings.” On another occasion, his Grace said “he had found on his own property 
 in England cottages quite as bad as those in Scotland. ” 
 
 A system of registration of the actual condition and extent of accommodation in 
 existing cottages has been suggested by Dr. H. Acland, of Oxford, which, if generally 
 adopted by proprietors, would doubtless elicit some very startling facts. Mr. Parker, 
 of Oxford , will supply these forms of registration on the receipt of a postage-stamp. 
 
 I Recent legislation, bearing on the law of settlement, has a tendency to lessen, if it 
 does not entirely remedy this crying evil. 
 
 E 
 
 A lost occa- 
 sion for ob- 
 taining relia- 
 ble statistical 
 returns. 
 
 Evil results of 
 “CloseParish” 
 system. 
 
 / 
 
60 
 
 THE BENEFITS OF A HEALTHY DWLLING 
 
 Transfer of 
 land. 
 
 Undrained 
 
 ground. 
 
 Governments 
 of foreign 
 countries 
 study our ex- 
 ample. 
 
 Measures 
 taken by land- 
 owners and 
 employers of 
 labour. 
 
 Remunerative 
 
 returns. 
 
 Manufac- 
 
 turers. 
 
 An amendment of the laws relating to the Transfer of Land would in no 
 small degree facilitate the providing improved cottages, and enable the 
 working classes more easily to become the owners of their own dwellings, 
 an object which has proved in England as well as on the Continent, a very 
 powerful stimulant to forethought and general good conduct. 
 
 The only other legislative measure which I shall point out as being 
 especially needed, is one that would operate generally to prevent the 
 building small houses on undrained ground, and without proper sanitary ar- 
 rangements. Such a fruitful source of sickness and consequent expense to the 
 public, ought, without doubt, to be entirely interdicted ; it is an evil, the extent 
 or the magnitude of which it would be difficult to estimate with accuracy. 
 
 As bearing on this and several other points which have been referred to, 
 I may quote the words used two years since by a right lion, gentleman, the 
 present First Commissioner of Works: — “As yet the necessity of protecting 
 life from the influence of poisonous dwellings has not practically been 
 acknowledged, though the principle is in the statute book.” 
 
 It is unnecessary to occupy your time at any length with that which has 
 been done for the object under consideration by the Governments of other 
 countries, where, in numerous instances, our example has been attentively 
 watched, if not followed. In some of these cases I have had the pleasure of 
 tracing the results of my own labours in this cause, abroad as well as at 
 home, rendered in the former mainly through personal intercourse, and the 
 circulation of translated papers. 
 
 2. In noticing the measures which ought to be adopted by landowners and 
 employers generally for the benefit of their dependents, such as tenants, or 
 workpeople in their constant employ, I would refer to a letter from the late 
 Duke of Bedford, given at length in my former paper (p. 19), as the best 
 reply which can be made to the excuses of many, for their neglect of duty in 
 this respect. 
 
 The example which was set by his Grace in the building and improving 
 the cottages on his estates in seven different counties involved, in the course 
 of eight or ten years, an outlay of about 70,000/. Another instance of 
 princely expenditure on the same object is that of the Duke of Northumber- 
 land, which has been estimated at 100,000/. The average cost of the 
 cottages built by these two noblemen may be stated at from 90/. to 120/. each. 
 
 The question of a remunerative return on the outlay in building cottages 
 in agricultural districts, is one which impinges so closely on that of the rate 
 of wages, that I shall not venture on its discussion. It would be hopeless to 
 argue this point with those who think that wages of 8s. to 9s. per week can 
 properly maintain a working man and his family, as well as pay the rent of 
 a healthy dwelling. With the greatly increased prosperity of agriculture, 
 such a rate of wages appears to me unaccountable, and altogether at variance 
 with equity and sound policy. 
 
 The efforts made by some of our great manufacturers for the benefit of their 
 workpeople have been in proportion to those just noticed, particularly those 
 in Yorkshire, by Mr. Titus Salt, Mr. Akroyd, and Messrs. Crossley. 
 Many owners of mines, quarries, and works of various kinds, can bear 
 testimony to the great benefits resulting from their expenditure in providing 
 proper dwellings for the people in their employ. 
 
EXTENDED TO THE LABOURING POPULATION. 
 
 61 
 
 Tho same has been the ease with reference to the cottages built in Railway 
 considerable numbers by several of the leading railway companies. The Com P anil ' s - 
 secretaries of some of them, in speaking on the subject, referred par- 
 ticularly to the great advantage of the men being ready at hand, in case 
 of need, and removed from the temptation presented by public-houses. 
 Government has acted on the same principle in regard to the Police force. Police Bar- 
 and, taking the idea originally from the model lodging-houses, barracks have iatks- 
 been built generally for those of them who are unmarried — a good precedent, 
 which might doubtless be adopted in many other instances with much 
 advantage to both employers and employed. In such cases a sufficiently 
 remunerative rent can usually be charged, and its payment be guaranteed 
 by a deduction from the wages. 
 
 A lodging-house, established at Camden-town, by Messrs. Pickford and Co., 
 the well-known carriers, for the unmarried men in their employ, has now 
 60 inmates: the payment of 2s. 6 <7. per week by the men, and Is. 6d. by 
 small boys, covers all expenses and the interest on the outlay, whilst 
 there is “ a great improvement in the men as regards orderly conduct, 
 cleanliness, &c ” When visiting this house I noticed a common carter 
 copying a piece of music. 
 
 It would be easy to illustrate by many other examples the practical 
 recognition by those who have working people in their regular and exclusive 
 employ, of an obligation to see that they are properly housed, as well as 
 to show the benefits resulting therefrom to both parties. But other measures 
 have yet to be noticed, which will be grouped under the last head, viz. : 
 
 3. The measures which originate from benevolent motives, and have been Measures^ 
 undertaken either by Associations or by individuals, in order to aid in help- ckUon^and 0 
 
 in xr themselves those who need such aid. 
 
 by individuals. 
 
 My former paper recited the establishment by philanthropic individuals 
 of two Associations,* one of which commenced in 1844, and the other in 
 1845, the building of improved or model dwellings for the working classes 
 in the metropolis. 
 
 The first to begin the work practically was the Society for Improving the Society for 
 Condition of the Labouring Classes, which professed only to present a model Condition 8 'of 
 of each of the various descriptions of buildings adapted to the circumstances Labouring 
 of the working classes. In carrying that object into effect, the Society, 
 with an outlay of about 36,500/., established, between 1844 and 1851, six 
 different examples of dwellings, four of new, and two of old, with a public 
 washhouse and baths, as described in my first paper (pp. 5 to 12). 
 
 Subsequently, in different localities, three entire courts, called Clark’s- 
 buildings, TyndaPs-buildings, and Wild-court were taken ; and the con- 
 dition of the houses, which in two of them was indescribably filthy, f having 
 been completely changed, they were fitted up as separate tenements for 
 
 * As they may bo useful for reference, one of the Tabular Statements published 
 annually by both of these Associations, showing the cost of, as well as the receipts and 
 expenditure connected with their establishments, is given in the Appendix, pp. 78 & 79. 
 
 t My recollection of the state of these houses, and the sickening effects of a 
 minute examination of the property, is, after the lapse of many years, most vivid. 
 
62 
 
 THE BENEFITS OF A HEALTHY DWELLING 
 
 Comparison of 
 
 pecuniary 
 
 return. 
 
 The Cost of 
 repairs. 
 
 Metropolitan 
 
 Association. 
 
 Lodging- 
 house at Mar- 
 seilles. 
 
 Limitedextent 
 of benefits 
 conferred on 
 the former oc- 
 cupants of 
 renovated 
 houses. 
 
 healthy abodes of families, comprising collectively 275 rooms ; besides which 
 there is a single men’s lodging-house, with forty beds. 
 
 From the experience gained by this Society in regard to the pecuniary 
 return obtainable from the renovating and fitting up old buildings, it would 
 appear that a larger return may be expected from men’s lodging-houses than 
 from houses occupied by families, as will be seen by the tabular statement 
 given in the Appendix, pp. 78 <fc 79. Old buildings, often held on a short 
 lease, ought to yield a higher return than new, in order to repay the outlay 
 necessarily incurred in rendering them fit for habitation, which should be 
 provided for by a sinking fund. 
 
 In regard to the cost of repairs, it may be taken as averaging £ to f per 
 cent, on new, and 1 to 2 per cent, on old buildings. 
 
 The Society for Improving the Condition of the Labouring Classes was, in 1862, 
 enabled by the munificence of Miss Turner, of North Ferriby, Yorkshire, to build a 
 Model Lodging House for families at Hull, containing thirty-two tenements, which let 
 at rents of 2s. 6 d. to 2s. 9s. per week. Their architect is Mr. Eyton, under whose 
 direction has also been constructed the Working Men’s Club and Dwelling Houses in 
 Old Pye-street, Westminster, which originated mainly in the zealous efforts of another 
 lady, Miss Adeline Cooper, and has, with other kindred institutions, exercised a most 
 beneficial influence over a formerly notoriously debased neighbourhood. 
 
 The Metropolitan Association for Improving the Dwellings of the Indus- 
 trious Classes, which is the other Society referred to, had, up to 1860, 
 expended on its ten distinct ranges of dwellings, 89,613/. 14s. 10d. ; of which 
 71,328/. 2s. 6d. was laid out on six separate blocks of dwellings, in different 
 parts of the metropolis, accommodating 395 families. The net return from 
 these buildings, for the year ending 31st of March, 1860, after deducting all 
 current expenses and repairs, amounted to 2687/. 4s. 4 d., being about 3f 
 per cent, on the outlay. 
 
 On two lodging-houses for single men — one of them new, with accom- 
 modation for 234, and the other old, which provides for 128 — the return, 
 owing to the want of sufficient occupants, has involved a considerable 
 loss, which proves that the buildings are either too large, or in some way 
 unadapted to the class of men frequenting their neighbourhood. 
 
 It is w r orthy of observation that the same result has attended a similar 
 lodging-house which I have seen at Marseilles, built outside the town, for 
 150 men, too far from their daily occupation ; whilst many such houses 
 elsewhere, on a smaller scale, accommodating from 50 to 100 men, and near 
 to their work, have fully succeeded ; in some instances they have been 
 gradually increased, which is the case at Leeds and at Liverpool. Of two 
 adjoining houses, built on the Boulevard des Batignolles, in Paris, to 
 accommodate together 203 men, and having on the ground floor a restaurant 
 and cafe, one w-as closed three years since. In this instance, however, 
 the failure is doubtless in some degree attributable to defective management. 
 
 Highly valuable as must be the results of the transformation effected 
 in two of the courts which have been referred to, where filthy dens 
 became decent and healthy dwellings, the actual benefit arising out of 
 these efforts was not conferred, to the extent which might be supposed, on 
 those who were the occupants of the courts when they were taken by the 
 Society ; a considerable portion of them having been necessarily ejected in 
 
EXTENDED TO THE LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 53 
 
 order not only to reduce the number of occupants within a due limit, but 
 also to secure a more eligible set of tenants. My own conviction is very 
 decided, that the owners of such property* should be compelled by tho law, 
 either to put it into a healthy condition, to close it altogether, or to 
 part with it at its fairly ascertained value, to those who may be willing to 
 undertake the necessary outlay. At present, the fact of such property being 
 inquired for by philanthropic persons gives to it a fictitious value ; and in 
 numerous instances, within my own experience, the object has thus been 
 defeated, or the price paid for the property has been so high, that, with the 
 outlay on repairs, its net return is such as to discourage any further 
 attempts of the same kind. An Act of Parliament passed in 1855, and 
 applicable only to Scotland, contains a clause which, in a certain degree, 
 meets such cases ; but it appears to me that the principle involved in the 
 entire prohibition of the sale of articles of food, when in an unwholesome 
 condition, applies, with undoubted equity, to dwellings, and that its legal 
 enforcement is the only way of effectually remedying the evil. 
 
 I am glad, however, to notice some instances of individual effort, com- 
 pletely successful in improving old buildings, and rendering them healthy 
 abodes, the rents of which have yielded a remunerative return on the outlay. 
 
 In the parish of Chelsea, your honorary member, the Rev. Richard 
 Burgess, and some friends, established, in 1851, two of the earliest renovated 
 houses for families, which have proved an admirable example for those dis- 
 posed to promote this object in a quiet and unpretending way. The 
 houses are always filled with good tenants, on whom the most favourable 
 results have been produced ; and from the net receipts, after the payment of 
 5 per cent, interest on the outlay, which was 300/., that amount was 
 entirely paid off at the end of eight years, and, since then, there has been 
 a clear profit of between 30/. and 40/. per annum. 
 
 To give another example, in London: — A few months since, I went over 
 a considerable property in the city, part of which, in a central locality, 
 comprises dwellings for 86 families of the working class, and, in another, 
 three entire courts. The owner is a private gentleman, who derives his 
 
 * This view has, at various times, been urged by the Author, and not without 
 some good results, an instance of which occurred at Florence in 1854, where a personal 
 representation to the Grand Duke of Tuscany led to the issuiug a decree which 
 empowered all municipal magistrates, within his territory, who may deem it 
 expedient, to form a commission for providing the means of cleansing and rendering 
 wholesome the dwelling-houses actually let or occupied by any other person than 
 the proprietor, which are in such an unhealthy state as to be dangerous to the life 
 and health of the community. The machinery provided for effecting the proposed 
 object appears to be well devised. Vide Monitors Toscano , 9 Octobre, 1854. 
 
 In a Report lately made by Mr. Nugent Robinson on the Dwellings of the Poor in 
 Dublin, it is stated that “ the wretchedness of their dwellings is mainly owing to a 
 class of people called ‘ house jobbers/ who buy up dilapidated houses, and re-let 
 them, either by the house or by the room. As a general rule, the jobber remains 
 behind the scenes, while the actor is some low, brutish agent, employed on commission 
 to collect the rents by hook or by crook. The ‘ jobbers ’ are utterly averse to 
 ameliorating the condition of their tenants, when any thing like expense has to be 
 incurred. It is to be regretted that many men of social position belong to this class.” 
 The existence of the same evil in our own metropolis was pointed out long since. 
 
 Liability of 
 the owners of 
 unhealthy 
 houses. 
 
 Improvement 
 of old build- 
 ings. 
 
 In Chelsea. 
 
 By a private 
 owner in 
 London. 
 
54 
 
 THE BENEFITS OF A HEALTHY DWELLING 
 
 Society at 
 i tastings. 
 
 Strand Build- 
 ing Company. 
 
 WindsorKoyal 
 
 Society. 
 
 chief income from house property. On coming into its possession he felt 
 the responsibility of ownership, and desired to put it into a condition fit 
 for the occupation of well-conducted tenants. I can testify to his entire 
 success in that respect, and also to the contrast with the neighbouring 
 property which his presents. All that he was anxious to do has been 
 accomplished without pecuniary loss. His rent-book, kept with much 
 exactitude, shows the greatest regularity of payment, and this he told me 
 compensates for extra expenditures on various objects beneficial to the 
 tenants. The following results of the experience gained in this instance 
 may be useful. Of the gross amount received weekly and monthly for 
 rent, about one-fourth covers the taxes and general repairs, or one-third 
 covers the whole of the landlord’s expenditure, including the collection, 
 expenses of schools and medical attendance. A great secret of success 
 has been the forbidding the practice of underletting as a rule, though 
 occasionally a lodger is allowed. Another custom which has the same 
 tendency, is that of the owner going over the property himself frequently. 
 With much consideration and justice to the proprietor, one part of this 
 property was, on a recent application made to Parliament by a railway 
 company for power to take it, treated as an exceptional case, and allowed 
 to remain as an instructive lesson to neighbouring owners : amongst others, 
 to the railway company which coveted its possession. 
 
 The success which has — doubtless, in the main, owing to careful 
 management — attended the Society at Hastings, renders it worthy of 
 special notice. It was established about five years since, and has now a 
 paid-up capital of 16,000/., of which 14,000/. has been expended in 
 purchasing the freehold and putting into good condition about 130 old 
 cottages and two lodging-houses. An annual dividend of 6 per cent, has 
 been paid to the subscribers (now reduced to 5), besides laying by 1 per 
 cent, per annum as a reserve fund. A benevolent fund is formed among 
 the tenants, and two visitors inspect the property every fortnight. 
 
 The three examples which have been referred to in succession, after the 
 two metropolitan societies, arc instances of old buildings having been ex- 
 clusively operated upon. I shall now briefly allude to some instances in 
 which societies have constructed new buildings, with more or less pecuniary 
 success ; and as there have been, since 1850, from 25 to 30 such societies 
 established in various provincial towns in England, besides those in London, 
 you will not expect me even to name them all. 
 
 The Strand Building Company, on their houses for 25 families, in Eagle- 
 court, has paid a dividend of 4| per cent. 
 
 The Windsor Royal Society, which was established in 1852, under the 
 special patronage of llcr Majesty and the lamented Prince Consort, with 
 Major-General F. II. Seymour for its President, has now 9000/. invested in 
 new cottages* and in two lodging-houses ; the net return from which, 
 although, owing to temporary circumstances, for a time yielded only 4 per 
 cent, to the shareholders, has generally been from 4| to 5 per cent. 
 
 * The plans given by me for twenty of these cottages, which are in pairs and in 
 blocks of four tenements each, will be found in the Appendix, as well as their cost, 
 p. 125. 
 
EXTENDED TO THE LABOURING POPULATION. 
 
 65 
 
 Another Society, “ The Windsor Royal Association,” was established in 
 1850, at the special desire of the Prince Consort, for promoting habits of 
 neatness and order in cottagers’ dwellings, as well as stimnlating a spirit 
 of industry. This Society had the inestimable advantage of the constant 
 attention of His late Royal Highness, who, by distributing in person its 
 annual rewards, greatly increased their value. 
 
 The Redhill and Reigate Cottage Improvement Society commenced by Redhill and 
 building 19 cottages, to which 20 more have been added. The contract for .So^fgjy* 
 the second series was at the rate of 120/. 7s. Id. per cottage. A dividend 
 of 5 per cent, has been paid to the Shareholders. These cottages arc near 
 to the railway station, and have a neat appearance; they resemble much 
 some of those built by the Windsor Royal Society. 
 
 Amongst the efforts which may be classed with those of associations, Huddersfield 
 are the model lodging-houses built by the Huddersfield Improvement J™P ro T e “ cnt 
 Commissioners, in pursuance of powers granted by their Acts of Parlia- era. 
 ment ; and this, I have been informed, is the only instance in which 
 municipal authorities have erected such buildings at the public cost, and 
 out of improvement rates. Provision, in this instance, is made for the 
 accommodation of 221 men, 34 single females, and 12 married couples. 
 
 The Corporation of the city of London contemplated, in 1855, the Corporation of 
 construction of several large piles of buildings for the occupation of such Loudou ‘ 
 of the working classes as were ejected from their dwellings in the formation 
 of new streets ; but, actually, nothing has been accomplished.* 
 
 It is not necessary for me to notice at length what has been done in Scotland. 
 Scotland, where, both in the towns and the country, exertion is quite as 
 much needed as it is in the south. The lack of municipal supervision in 
 Edinburgh f was proved very recently by a melancholy catastrophe, which 
 issued in the death of 35 human beings, and brought prominently into 
 view the way in which the poorer population are huddled together in 
 gigantic buildings of seven and eight stories, divided into dwellings of one 
 and two rooms each. The painful scenes I have witnessed in Edinburgh, 
 there obviously arising in a great measure from drunken habits, rival those 
 met with in any part of the Continent. 
 
 In a paper which I read at the Glasgow meeting of the National Edinburgh. 
 Association for the Promotion of Social Science, and which is published 
 in the Transactions of the Association for 1860, a somewhat detailed 
 account is given of numerous blocks of improved or model dwellings 
 which have been constructed in Edinburgh since 1850. In several of 
 these, but very recently finished, the external gallon* (supported by 
 cantilevers) and open staircase system has been adopted ; and in other 
 
 * The imposing pile of dwellings, built by the Corporation of London, in the upper 
 part of Farringdon-street, near Clerkenwell, had not been commenced when this was 
 written ; they as well as those built by Alderman Waterlow’s Improved Industrial 
 Dwellings Company are referred to in a note, p. 63, and in the Appendix, p. 74. 
 
 f The present Lord Provost (1867), Mr. William Chambers, has given much 
 attention to this subject, and since he came into office has presented a scheme, the 
 carrying out of which is calculated to efface a blot that disfigures so greatly the most 
 picturesque of Capitals. 
 
56 
 
 THE BENEFITS OF A HEALTHY DWELLING 
 
 Glasgow. 
 
 Ireland. 
 
 Reply to a 
 charge often 
 made. 
 
 Efforts on the 
 Continent. 
 
 In France. 
 
 instances, where there is only one upper story, the dwellings in that part 
 — for all are arranged in flats — have their approach on the opposite side 
 of the building to that on which the ground floor is entered, and tho 
 access to each dwelling is through its own garden. The Pilrig model 
 buildings, near Leith-walk, is an example of this arrangement; there are 
 44 houses, the cost of which, including drains, was 92/. per house, and 
 they pay to the shareholders a dividend of 5 per cent., exclusive of 
 additions to a sinking fund. 
 
 An association in Glasgow, comprising about 12 spirited gentlemen, is 
 engaged in purchasing the property which will enable them to cut a new 
 street through one of the most miserable “ closes,” and to improve right 
 and left that wretched property. Through the exercise of ;much discretion, 
 the greater part has been obtained for 8 years’ purchase on the rental : 
 15,000/. is advanced for the purpose by bankers, at a moderate rate of 
 interest, on the personal guarantee of the members of the association 
 against loss. 
 
 The efforts made in Ireland for improving the dwellings of the working 
 classes may be learned from an address by Lord Talbot de Malahide, and 
 from other papers given in the Transactions at the meeting of the National 
 Association for Social Science in Dublin, 1861. 
 
 It has been often remarked, in reference to many of the undertakings 
 which have been referred to, “ that the most necessitous of the working 
 classes are not benefited thereby.” I would, in reply, say that it is the 
 want of such houses, which, in most of our thickly-populated towns, forces so 
 many working people into miserable, crowded, and unwholesome dwellings, 
 where they gradually sink in the scale of physical and moral position, ending 
 their days prematurely. Take one illustrative case, given in a Report by the 
 Metropolitan Police: — “The occupant of room No. 1 stated, ‘ I was a strong 
 healthy man when I came into this Court four years ago ; now I am fast 
 sinking into the grave. I have scarcely had a day’s health since I have 
 been here.’ ” 
 
 The measures for improving the dwellings of the labouring classes, 
 which, from benevolent motives, have been taken by Associations on the 
 Continent, and in the North American States, are so distinctly traceable 
 to our own in England, that it would not be right to pass them entirely 
 over in silence. 
 
 On the Continent our example has been much folio-wed. At the Paris 
 Exhibition, 1855, there were many views of workmen’s dwellings erected by 
 their employers. In two of them particularly, the leading features of the 
 Prince Consort’s Exhibition Model Houses -were strongly marked. One, 
 constructed in 1853, at Bourges, provides accommodation for four families on 
 the ground floor, and for twenty single men in the upper floor. The other 
 is that of the Cite OuvrRre des Venders, at Escautpont, near Valenciennes, 
 which comprises, in a central building, schools and other apartments used 
 in common, with some dwelling-houses, but the latter are chiefly contained 
 in two detached blocks, forming the sides of a hollow square. The frequent 
 repetition of recessed entrances, with galleries to the upper floor, is, from 
 the contrast of light and shade, productive of a novel and good effect. 
 
EXTENDED TO THE LABOURING POPULATION. 
 
 57 
 
 I have visited dwellings for workpeople built by their employers in At Mulhouse. 
 Brussels, at Lisle, and also at Mulhouse, one of the chief manufacturing 
 places in Frajice,* where, as Dr. Pinot, the Professor of Applied Sciences, 
 informed me, the idea of constructing a Cite Ouvriere originated in the 
 receipt of the translation of my former lecture, sent by order of the 
 Emperor. It was commenced in 1853, by an association of manufacturers, 
 headed by M. Jean Dollfus, on a scale more extensive and complete than 
 that of any similar establishment in France. A spacious road, planted on 
 cither side, runs between the main groups of cottages, and parallel roads run 
 behind them. The houses are chiefly arranged in detached blocks of four 
 dwellings each, placed in the centre of a square plot of garden ground, 
 which is divided equally between the tenants ; two of these dwellings front 
 the main central road, and two the minor or back road — an economical 
 arrangement in regard to cost of construction, and one which admits of 
 good internal ventilation, though not so perfect as when houses arc built in 
 pairs. The dwellings, though not precisely uniform in their disposition, 
 have mostly a wide entrance, fitted up with a cooking-stove and sink ; 
 beyond is a staircase, leading to three bed-rooms and a closet. The 
 remainder of the ground floor is devoted to the living-room, with a large 
 recess behind the staircase, of sufficient dimensions to contain a full-sized 
 bed ; this compartment has a side window, and, in some cases, being 
 partitioned oft' from the living-room, it forms a small separate room. There 
 are, besides these, several rows of double houses, built back to back, each 
 having a narrow strip of garden ground ; their arrangement cannot be 
 commended as consistent with good ventilation, and the general appearance 
 of the tenants indicated a decidedly inferior class of occupants. Baths, a 
 washhouse, and a bakehouse, as well as a public kitchen and restaurant , 
 conducted by a Society Alimentaire, were opened when I visited the cite in 
 1856 ; since which have been added a reading-room, a school, a lodging- 
 house for unmarried men, and one for men on the tramp. 
 
 In the summer of 1830 there were completed 480 houses, two-thirds of 
 which had been sold to the occupiers, and 90 more were in the course of 
 construction, land having been bought for 800 in the whole. 
 
 The outlay on the roads, fencing and planting, was defrayed out of a 
 Government subvention of 300,000 francs, or 12,000/. ; being a part of 
 10,000,000 francs appropriated to such purposes. by the Emperor, with a 
 view to stimulate the work in France. The tenants have the option of 
 purchasing the houses by a gradual payment of their cost price, which 
 
 * The Familistere, or Workmen’s Home, at Guise, not far from St. Quintin, is the The Familis- 
 most important recent undertaking of the kind in France known to the author, who tere at Guise, 
 visited it in June last , — vide “Labourers’ Friend” for October, 18G6. It differs in most 
 respects from the Citd Ouvribre, at Mulhouse, and was built by M. Godin Lemaire, the 
 proprietor of extensive Iron Works, for his workpeople, about 800 in number. It more 
 closely resembles the Model Houses in Streatham-street, with its open galleries, than any 
 other in England. When completed it will comprise three quadrangular piles of dwellings 
 of imposing exterior, each having an internal court, covered with a glazed roof, and 
 the whole forming a hollow square. There are magazines for supplying the tenants 
 with articles of food, clothing, firing, &c. Well conducted schools are also provided 
 for the children, and a nursery for infants. 
 
58 
 
 THE BENEFITS OF A HEALTHY DWELLING. 
 
 ranges from 72 1 . to 120/. each, and two-thirds of them have done so, to the 
 very marked benefit of ’themselves and families, and with the further good 
 result of providing the funds necessary for continuing the buildings, with- 
 out increase of capital on the part of the projectors, to whom, as well as to 
 M. Emile Muller, of Paris, under whose direction they were built, the 
 greatest credit is due. 
 
 I have thought that these details may be useful, and perhaps suggestive, 
 with reference to schemes often projected for building workmen’s dwellings in 
 large numbers out of our own metropolis, with a view to their occupants 
 being conveyed to and fro by cheap railway trains. With the same object. 
 In the neigh- 1 notice having seen near Paris an entire village, then all but completed, 
 Pnris!° 0Ci 01 which had been built by a Parisian tailor for his work-people. It comprises 
 wooden houses, or chalets, for 76 families, 28 intended for single, and 48 for 
 groups of families, each occupying a separate tenement, and having two, 
 three, or four rooms. There are two spacious workshops, and although some 
 defects might easily be pointed out, an air of neatness and order gives the 
 whole a very pleasing effect. Here the work, which is sold in the very 
 heart of the city, and has hitherto been done by workmen residing with 
 their families in miserable, unhealthy, and at the same time high-rented 
 dwellings, will be done under the advantage of abundant light and pure air, 
 greatly to the benefit of the consumer, the employer, and the employed, as 
 well as of the pockets of those who have generally to bear the burden 
 of supporting the working man and his dependents in case of sickness. 
 
 All that was done in Paris, to the summer of 1858, I have seen; and 
 having conversed on the subject with those most competent to form a 
 correct opinion, feel warranted in saying that the good intentions of the 
 Tho Emperor, in appropriating 10,000,000f. to the encouragement of this 
 
 appropriated °bj ec L i n the form of a subvention of one-third the outlay, have not, 
 
 by the excepting in a few instances, been duly seconded. Most of those who 
 
 Emperor. engaged in the enterprise to any extent appear to have done so exclusively 
 as a commercial speculation, expecting to derive a considerable pecuniary 
 . profit, and uninfluenced by benevolent motives. In addition to tlxis 
 
 unfavourable feature, the leading French Society had a similar misfortune 
 to that which befell one of the earliest established Societies in London, 
 through the misconduct of the then secretary, causing in both instances 
 a very serious discouragement to the -work. It is necessary to refer to 
 these adverse occurrences, as they alone will account, in a great measure, 
 for the sudden check wliich this movement had in both capitals some 
 years since.* 
 
 Turning to a brighter feature of the case, I mention with pleasure, that 
 when passing through Paris last autumn, it w*as stated to me, on reliable 
 authority, that a very considerable number of suitably arranged dwellings 
 
 # Those who desire to know something of the actual condition of the working 
 classes in France, will do well to consult a recent work, “L'Ouvrier,” par Jules 
 Simons. Valuable information was also given, on the same subject, in the two 
 Reports presented by Le Vicomte A. de Melun and Le Baron H. de Triquete to the 
 Congrhs International de Bieufaisance, held in London in 1862. Vide Transactions, 
 published by the National Association for the Promotion of Social Scieuce. 
 
EXTENDED TO THE LABOURING POPULATION. 
 
 69 
 
 have been recently built in different directions by private enterprise, and 
 with a return of full 8 per cent, on the outlay. Thus, as in our own 
 experience, private enterprise has proved more successful, in a pecuniary 
 point of view, than similar work undertaken by Societies. 
 
 The first Society on the Continent to follow the example given in Society at 
 England, is stated by Dr. Huber, who was for some years its secretary, Berlin - 
 to have been that in Berlin, formed under the patronage of His Majesty 
 the King, to whose enlightened and personal interest in the work I can 
 testify, having on two occasions had the honour of conversing with His 
 Majesty on tliis subject. At a late meeting of the Society, over which 
 His Royal Highness the Prince Frederick William presided, it appeared 
 that the capital embarked is about 34,655/., and that there are dwellings 
 for about 219 families and 31 workshops; the number of occupants being 
 1168. The shareholders received a dividend of 4 per cent., and the avail- 
 able addition to the reserve fund amounted in one year to about 3195/., 
 one-half of which was, however, repaid to the tenants. At the same 
 time, the annual meeting was held of a kindred, but smaller. Society, 
 called the “Alexandra Stiftting,” by desire of the Emperor Nicholas of 
 Russia, who, at its formation in 1852, gave 1000 ducats to the funds. 
 
 They amounted, in 1858, to about 21,338/., partly arising out of donations 
 and partly from loans at 4 per cent. 
 
 With an express view to the construction of suitable dwellings for the St. Peters- 
 working classes in St. Petersburg, where they are greatly needed, an bur S- 
 architect was deputed to visit London about three years since, and a large 
 number of such houses have been built by a company formed for that 
 purpose. 
 
 At Frankfort, a Society formed on a strictly commercial principle, to Frankfort, 
 supply a want greatly felt in that city, is now in successful operation, under 
 the guidance of its energetic and philanthropic promoter, Dr.Varrentrapp,wko 
 visited England eighteen months ago to obtain information on the subject. 
 
 More recently, a gentleman from Bremen has been to me for advice in Bremen, 
 regard to the carrying out of an extensive undertaking, which contemplates 
 the building a very large number of workmen’s houses on church property, 
 without the city. The remarkably favourable terms required for the ground, 
 and the unusually low rate of interest sought for by the projectors, prove the 
 earnestness of all engaged in this good cause, and how really anxious they 
 are to meet the necessities of a case, which is here seen to be, as it is in 
 reality everywhere else, most intimately connected with the well-being of 
 the masses of the population. The study of tliis example might be profitable 
 to some in our own country. 
 
 The usual rate of interest wliich is sought from such undertakings on the Bate of inte- 
 Continent appears to be 4 per cent., with a small sinking fund for paying 
 off the capital. In some few instances it is 5 per cent. ; and the opportunity 
 is frequently afforded the tenants of becoming the owners of their own 
 dwellings, by a gradual payment, in addition to the rent — a system which 
 renders the dwelling a savings bank, and has been found greatly to stimulate 
 habits of forethought and sobriety. 
 
 Much time would be occupied were I to enter on any detailed account of Countries '” 
 
 1 . , . . , .. the iNortn ol 
 
 what has been clone for this object in other countries besides those named Europe. 
 
60 
 
 THE BENEFITS OF A HEALTHY DWELLING 
 
 Switzerland 
 and Italy. 
 
 Florence. 
 
 Sanitary Im- 
 provement 
 greatly need- 
 ed in Italy 
 
 Naples. 
 
 United States 
 of America. 
 
 Individual 
 
 efforts. 
 
 Her Majesty 
 the Queen. 
 
 already. The movement lias extended to Norway, Denmark, Sweden, to 
 various towns in Holland, and to Belgium,* where enlightened views on the 
 subject have been advocated in two International Congresses, held under the 
 patronage of the King and the royal Princes. In Bavaria, and in several 
 of the minor German states, in many parts of Switzerland and Italy, model 
 houses now exist. One of the earliest and best arranged is in Florence ; 
 it accommodates 100 families ; and another range is in progress. How 
 greatly sanitary improvements have long been needed in most parts of Italy, 
 many of my auditors can testify, whose first recollections of Rome and 
 Naples are of a more recent date than mine, which go back to 1828-29. 
 When at Genoa, in 1856, its chief magistrate told me that the municipality 
 had there been put to an expense of 500,000/. sterling during the recent attack 
 of cholera, mainly in relieving those of the population wdio live in narrow 
 streets and filthy dwellings ; and he added, “ I can now, from experience, 
 confirm what is stated in the publications you formerly gave me, as to the 
 heavy expense which may be incurred in consequence of a defective sanitary 
 state.” It is rejoicing to know' that Naples is in this respect greatly bene- 
 fited by its emancipation from a rule so jealous of the semblance of foreign 
 interference, that, in 1855, our ambassador cautioned me against the at- 
 tempt to diffuse any of that light which even Cardinal Antonelli had 
 spoken of as being especially needed in Naples. 
 
 A periodical which has a w r ide circulation in the United States of America, 
 published much of my first paper read before the Institute in 1850, together 
 with plans of the Streatham-street model houses for families ; and since 
 then, partly, no doubt, owdng to the great interest taken in this object by 
 the late Mr. Abbott Lawrence, American Minister in London during the 
 Great Exhibition, piles of well-arranged model dwellings for families, five 
 stories high, have been constructed in New York and in Boston.f In the 
 former city the return on the capital invested is 4 per cent., and in the 
 latter, 6 per cent. ; with reference to which it is stated that “ the effect of 
 proving that houses for the poor can be built on the best plan for the health 
 and comfort of their inmates, and, at the same time, be good investments of 
 property, is manifest in many private undertakings. Several large houses 
 have been already built on similar plans ; old lodging-houses have been in 
 many instances remodelled and otherwise improved.” 
 
 Tlio measures adopted by individuals, with a view to aid those in helping 
 themselves who need such aid, remain to be noticed. 
 
 Our most gracious Sovereign has honoured by her royal patronage, two 
 societies established for this object, which have been already noticed, and has 
 given substantial proofs of interest in their success ; whilst the labourers’ 
 
 • The Belgian Government has published an instructive series of resolutions on the 
 construction of dwellings, which was drawn up and adopted at the meeting of the 
 Congres General d’ Hygiene, held in Brussels in 1852. 
 
 t These buildings in Boston owe their origin to a legacy of 50,000 dollars 
 bequeathed for that purpose by Mr. Abbott Lawrence. His son, Colonel Lawrence, 
 has informed me that they fully realize the desire of their founder, and yield a good 
 return, of which some portion is available for the construction of additional dwelluigs. 
 
EXTENDED TO THE LABOURING POPULATION. 
 
 61 
 
 dwellings belonging to Her Majesty abundantly manifest a kind and 
 thoughtful regard for the welfare of their occupants. 
 
 Much has been done towards a fulfilment of the desire so happily 
 expressed by an ancestor of our gracious Sovereign, “ That a Bible should 
 be placed in the dwellings of all his subjects,” and we rejoice at it; but who 
 that knows the actual state of vast numbers of those dwellings can be 
 unaware of the obstacles they present to the profitable reading of that 
 book, and to the embodiment of its holy precepts in the daily life of their 
 occupants ? 
 
 I have briefly stated some of the efforts made of late for the removal of 
 those formidable impediments to the physical, the moral, and the religious 
 improvement of the masses of the people, and have endeavoured to point 
 out the practical means which are calculated, tlirough their extensive 
 adoption, to diffuse more widely the benefits of a healthy dwelling amongst 
 our labouring population. 
 
 It is my conviction that the feeling of a weighty responsibility, which 
 rests much more extensively on the upper and middle classes in regard to 
 this matter than is generally admitted, needs to be pressed home and brought 
 into more active operation than it has hitherto been. 
 
 With this view I desire to urge on all the example of that truly great and 
 excellent Prince, whose loss must be long and deeply felt in every branch of 
 effort connected with the objects of social science. And it is with the 
 earnest hope of encouraging and stimulating many to follow in a path which 
 has been trodden by one so illustrious, that I bring before you some of the 
 many and wide-spread results traceable to a single manifestation of the great 
 interest felt by his late Royal Highness in the subject under consideration. 
 
 Having applied to the Commissioners for the Exhibition of 1851 for a 
 site on which to construct a model house, they replied, “ That a model 
 lodging-house does not come within the design of the Exhibition.” A 
 memorial was then presented to his late Royal Highness,* who immediately 
 expressed the most lively interest in the project, and a desire that the con- 
 
 * A Report on the Dwellings Section in the Paris International Exhibition, 1807, 
 made by Mr. Chadwick, to the Committee of Privy Council on Education, and 
 published in the Illustrated News, July 8, 1807, states at its commencement, “that 
 the Model Dwellings erected within the precincts of the great building, with one 
 exception, display no advance in principles, and no important improvement in con- 
 struction, and in one most important point a falling off from those which the careful 
 judgment of H.R.H. the Prince Consort adopted and displayed in the Model 
 Dwellings which he caused to be erected in connection with the International 
 Exhibition of 1851.” Several subsequent references made to these houses, in the 
 same Report, convey an impression so much at variance with the facts as above stated 
 by the author, that it has been deemed necessary to give, though very reluctantly, the 
 following extracts from the Minutes of the October Committee Meeting of the Society 
 for Improving the Condition of the Labouring Classes, as published in the Labourers' 
 Friend for November, 1851 : — “H.R.H. Prince Albert has written to the Earl of 
 Shaftesbury, as Chairman of the Committee, offering to place the Model Houses at 
 their disposal when removed from Hyde Park ; and to Mr. Roberts, as their honorary 
 Architect, H. R. H. has graciously expressed, ‘ his best thanks for his exertions 
 connected therewith, and the regret which he feels, that the Council Medal awarded 
 for them being merged in the one given to His Royal Highness for the Exhibition 
 
 Necessity for 
 a feeling of 
 responsibility. 
 
 Example of 
 the late Prince 
 Consort. 
 
 Exhibition of 
 1851. 
 
G2 
 
 THE BENEFITS OF A HEALTHY DWELLING 
 
 Dwellings for 
 
 married 
 
 soldiers. 
 
 Lord Her- 
 bert of Lea. 
 
 The Prince’s 
 ModelHouses. 
 
 Their imita- 
 tion in various 
 places. 
 
 templated structure should be his own by paying its cost. In thus carrying 
 my suggestion into effect I had the privilege of acting for his Royal High- 
 ness as honorary architect. With much personal trouble to the Prince, the 
 requisite official consents of four Government departments were obtained for 
 placing the houses in the Cavalry Barrack yard, opposite to the Exhibition. 
 An objection to this site was made by the Commander-in-Chief, the Duke 
 of Wellington, lest they should give rise to a feeling of dissatisfaction 
 in the army with the want of any accommodation for married soldiers ; 
 an evil which his Grace apprehended the country to be then unpre- 
 pared to remedy. I notice this fact in order to show how clearly their 
 effects were foreseen by the great Duke, and how speedily good results arose 
 out of their construction. Within twelve months after the Exhibition, a 
 large and well-arranged lodging-house for married soldiers was commenced 
 near the Vauxhall-bridge-road, by an association of officers of the Battalion 
 of Guards, which has subsequently been purchased by the Government. 
 
 The benefits resulting from this first essay soon led the Minister of War 
 to commence building separate dwellings for the married non-commissioned 
 officers and men at the Chatham Garrison ; and a grant of 30,000/. has 
 been made by Parliament for carrying out the same object elsewhere, at the 
 instigation of that great friend of the soldier, and, I may add, of the 
 labourer also, the lamented Lord Herbert. As recently as April last, that 
 distinguished example of sacrifice to self-denying duty, expressed to mo 
 his “ hope of seeing a great change in the next few years in the dwellings 
 of the rural population.” I mention this as an additional call to zealous 
 effort in the good work, for “ the night cometh wherein no man can work.” 
 
 Amongst the number of visitors to the Prince’s Model Houses,* amounting 
 to upwards of 350,000, many gave evidence of their having duly appreciated 
 the object for which they were placed in the Exhibition, viz., the conveying 
 practical information, calculated to promote the much needed improvement 
 of the dwellings of the working classes, and also of stimulating those whose 
 position and circumstances enable them to carry out similar undertakings, 
 and thus, without pecuniary f sacrifice, permanently to benefit those who 
 are greatly dependent on others for their home and family comforts. The 
 building was adapted for the occupation of four families of the class of 
 manufacturing and mechanical operatives who usually reside in towns, or in 
 their immediate vicinity— those, in fact, by whose labour the larger portion 
 of the objects in the Exhibition had been produced. 
 
 The open staircase and gallery, giving access to the upper-floor tenements, 
 were prominent features in the arrangement of these dwellings, and their 
 
 generally, it is not in bis power to give him the Medal, as it was his intention to do, 
 had it been given exclusively for the Cottages, the whole merit of which he considers 
 to be his due. ’ ” Mr. Chadwick had no part whatever, either in the suggestion or the 
 construction of these cottages. 
 
 • A plan and elevation of these houses is given in the Appendix, p. 121, and 
 their adaptation is shown to blocks comprising a large number of houses, p. 123. 
 
 t This point was justly held by H.R.H. to be of primary importance to the adequate 
 extension of the work, and that 7 per cent, was the minimum net return which would 
 induce builders to embark in such undertakings. The estimated cost, as published in 
 detail, of the model block of four houses, was 458/. 5s. 6 d. 
 
EXTENDED TO THE LABOURING TOrULATION. 
 
 63 
 
 subsequent adoption in buildings constructed for working people in towns, 
 has come under my notice in Edinburgh, at Liverpool, Ramsgate, Brighton, 
 
 Windsor, and other places, as well as in London,* and on the Continent. 
 
 The example which may, perhaps, bo pointed to in London as bearing 
 the closest resemblance to the original structure, and as best answering in a 
 pecuniary point of view, is at Cowley-street, Shadwell, close to a station on Cowley-ntreet, 
 the Blackwall Railway, where a number of miserable dwellings, tenanted Shadwell. 
 by the lowest class of persons, came by inheritance into the possession of a 
 private gentleman, W. E. Hilliard, Esq., of Gray’s-inn. Actuated by the 
 most philanthropic views, he decided on endeavouring to improve, not only 
 his own property, but also by example the immediate neighbourhood ; and 
 his efforts have been crowned with signal success. The old dwellings have 
 been replaced by an entire street of considerable length ; on both sides of 
 which houses for accommodating in the whole 112 families have been built, 
 on the general plan of the Prince Consort’s Exhibition model houses, with 
 open staircases, giving access to the upper-floor tenements. The twenty- 
 eight blocks of four houses cost 487/. each ; and, after allowing for ground- 
 rent and all charges, I can state on the authority of the owner, that “ they 
 continue to pay upwards of 6, in fact nearly 7 per cent, as a net return on 
 the investment ; and what,” he adds, “ is perhaps of more consequence, 
 they are almost constantly let, and are appreciated by the tenants, who, as 
 a rule, are pretty stationary, and not migratory, as that class frequently 
 are.” The Report of a Public Officer on these houses, laid before Parliament, 
 was to the following effect : 
 
 “The erection of these Albert cottages, provided with arrangements 
 essential to health, comfort, and morals, is producing the happiest results in 
 the neighbourhood. Tenants have become sensible of the discomforts and 
 evils of their unwholesome dwellings, and will not remain in, or take houses, 
 without many improvements which formerly they were content to do without, 
 and landlords are finding it to their interest to improve their old houses ; 
 and, in constructing new ones, to provide superior accommodation and 
 conveniences.” 
 
 Scarcelv any foreigners who visited the Exhibition of 1851 returned Foreigners at 
 without examining the Prince’s model houses, and but few left without tloi/ofVsM. 
 carrying back to their several countries some of the publications bearing on 
 the improvement of the dwellings of the labouring classes, which were 
 there abundantly distributed. Opportunities of judging of the effect of 
 this little structure enable me to say that it gave to the movement an 
 impulse such as it has not received from any other single effort, the results 
 of which have spread far and wide. My descriptive account of the building 
 was translated into German and published at Berlin ; much of it also 
 appeared in French. 
 
 Numerous other instances of individual effort might be given, I shall Individual 
 only notice — 
 
 efforts. 
 
 * Of those in the metropolis the most important are the piles of dwellings recently 
 built by the Corporation of London, by Alderman Watcrlow’s Industrial Dwellings 
 Company, and the GatlifF Buildings, belonging to the Marquis of Westminster, 
 completed in 1867- 
 
64 
 
 THE BENEFITS OF A HEALTHY" DWELLING 
 
 The Duke of 
 Lancaster. 
 
 Lord Tvin- 
 naird. 
 
 Miss Burdett 
 Coutts. 
 
 Benefit Build- 
 ing Societies. 
 
 Collection of 
 Sanitary Ap- 
 pliances. 
 
 1st. The building in Lambeth, on the property of His Royal Highness the 
 Prince of Wales, as Duke of Lancaster, a considerable range of model 
 dwellings for families, with shops on the ground floor, at a cost of 16,000/. 
 The close proximity of extensive gas works has, I regret to say, impeded 
 that frill occupation which is almost invariable in such buildings elsewhere. 
 
 2nd. The establishment, by Lord Kinnaird, in Pcter-street, Westminster, 
 of some of the earliest renovated model lodging-houses, and his promotion 
 of similar houses in Dundee. In the latter case, the original outlay, as well 
 as the interest thereon, has mostly been paid out of the profits. Although 
 the beneficial operation of the Lodging-house Act has tended to diminish, 
 in some measure, the great necessity for such houses, the adoption of a 
 suggestion made to me by Lord Kinnaird would doubtless prove of great 
 service to those of the working classes who migrate in search of employment. 
 It is “ that every town ought to have a model lodging-house, with notice 
 thereof stuck up at the different railway stations.” 
 
 3rd. Miss Burdett Coutts has contributed in various ways to the object 
 under consideration, the most important of which is the building, under the 
 direction of Mr. H. A. Darbisliire, a considerable range of dwellings for 
 working people in Bethnal-green, one of the poorest parts of the metropolis. 
 In the upper part of this structure, which is four stories high, a covered area 
 for exercise, and a play place for children, as well as a laundry, are provided. 
 
 The scope of my paper will only admit a passing remark with reference 
 to Benefit Building Societies,* of which Mr. Tidd Pratt stated recently that 
 there were 2000 with a paid-up capital of 8,000,000/. A machinery so 
 extensive, and having such resources, might, if well directed, accomplish 
 much for the object under consideration ; but it is to be feared that many 
 of the houses built in connection with these societies arc inconsistent with a 
 healthy and convenient dwelling. This evil, which has been pointed out to 
 me by the late eminent Dr. Soutliwood Smith, and other sanitary reformers, 
 would probably be most effectually remedied by the circulation of sound 
 views on the subject, through the medium of Mechanics’ Institutions and 
 kindred associations. Here is a fruitful field for individual effort , in the 
 cultivation of which much assistance might be derived from the exhibition 
 of suitable plans for the dwellings of working people, as well as from small 
 collections of domiciliary appliances conducive to health and comfort. 
 
 A collection of sanitary and other appliances adapted to the circumstances 
 of the working classes,f which was formed under my direction at the Office 
 of the Society for Improving the Condition of the Labouring Classes more 
 than twelve years since, led to the first public exhibition of the kind, on a 
 
 • Those who may desire information as to the working of some of these Societies, 
 will find an account of the origin and progress of four such associations in Yorkshire, 
 given in a p&per read by Mr. J. A. Binns at the Bradford meeting for Social Science, 
 and published in the Transactions of the National Association for 1859. One of 
 Chambers’s Social Science Tracts, entitled “Building Societies,” may be consulted 
 with advantage for a more extended view of their operations. 
 
 t The Economical Museum formed by my worthy friend, Mr Twining, at Twicken- 
 ham, close to the Railway Station, is a valuable expansion of the same idea. The 
 facilities it affords for gratuitous investigation are calculated to render it highly useful. 
 
EXTENDED TO THE LABOURING POPULATION. 
 
 05 
 
 very small scale, in the structure placed by that Society in the Exhibition 
 Building* of 1851, and in the Prince’s Model Houses. I had hoped to see 
 this collection continued and increased, when at the close of the Exhibition 
 the houses were removed to Kennington Park, a proposal with that view 
 having been made to the then Chief Commissioner, Lord Seymour. The 
 practical value of such a collection was recognised at the Congrcs General 
 d’Hygiene, held in Brussels in 1852, when, on my proposal, “the utility 
 of establishing in each country, and also in the principal centres of the 
 population, a collection as complete as possible, — a kind of Museum, where 
 shall bo gathered together models, plans, specimens of materials, &c., relating 
 to hygienic amelioration and progress,” was declared unanimously. 
 
 Experience having shown me the great necessity for a general diffusion of 
 sanitary knowledge, I was led to follow up this declarative resolution, in 
 regard to the establishment of illustrative Museums,, by proposing at the 
 Congrcs International do Bienfaisance, held in Brussels in 1856, the 
 following resolution: — “The Congress declares that it is of public utility 
 that the working classes be enlightened by all possible means in regard to 
 the improvement and keeping of their houses in good order. It declares that 
 the instruction of the young in the labouring classes ought to comprise all 
 which relates to the benefits resulting from good ventilation, and the evils 
 resulting from humidity. Lastly, it thinks that the study of the science of 
 preserving health is one which ought to be rendered accessible to all.” The 
 unanimous adoption of this resolution by the representatives of upwards of 
 twenty different countries, recognised the wide-spread extent of the ignorance 
 referred to, as well as the serious nature of the evils resulting therefrom. 
 
 Amongst individual efforts for promoting the object under consideration, 
 the prominence given to it as an object of vital importance, in public 
 addresses by many distinguished statesmen, ought not to be forgotten ; those 
 of Lord Palmerston justly carried with them all the weight and high official 
 influence of a Prime Minister. 
 
 Within the last five years many Ladies have directed their zealous efforts 
 to objects which tend in various ways to domiciliary improvement. The 
 Ladies’ Sanitary Association, the Female Domestic Mission, connected with 
 Bible colportage, and Meetings for the Instruction of Mothers, exercise a 
 highly beneficial influence in this respect. 
 
 Notwithstanding, however, all our recent ameliorations f it is a well- 
 
 Extension 
 of sanitary 
 knowledge. 
 
 The Ladies’ 
 
 Sanitary 
 
 Association. 
 
 Sacrifice of 
 human life. 
 
 • Of the 79 Council Medals given to British Exhibitors, two were awarded for 
 objects connected with the improvement of the dwellings of the labouring classes. 
 One of them to H.R.H. the Prince Consort, for the Exhibition Model Houses; the 
 other to the Society for Improving the Condition of the Labouring Classes, for 
 “improvement in the construction of bricks, and the improvement of habitations 
 for the labouring classes.” 
 
 t The beneficial results of sanitary improvements effected within ten or twelve years 
 in several of our large towns are manifest from the following returns, out of nineteen 
 which have been obtained. In the metropolis the death rate has been reduced from 
 25 in 1000 to about 23 ; in the Liverpool district, from 39 in 1000 to 26 ; in the 
 Bradford district, from 28^ in 1000 to 20 ; and in the Croydon district, from 28 in 
 1000 to 21. Knowing, however, as we do, that the normal standard is certainly not 
 above 17 in 1000, these results are a proof of our responsibility, as well as an 
 encouragement to perseverance in the discharge of duty. 
 
 F 
 
 
66 
 
 THE BENEFITS OF A HEALTHY DWELLING, &c. 
 
 N ecessity for 
 a combina- 
 tion of 
 measures. 
 
 ascertained fact that tens of thousands of human lives are sacrificed annually 
 in Great Britain through ignorance and the culpable neglect of means within 
 our own power. But, owing to the noiseless and almost imperceptible way 
 in which such multitudes are carried off by preventible diseases, and their 
 homes desolated, we witness no manifestation of the practical sympathy so 
 justly shown by the public, when, through some lamentable accident, a score, 
 or perhaps a hundred miners, are suddenly deprived of life, and their families 
 of the means of subsistence. 
 
 When recommending sanitary ameliorations to influential persons on the 
 Continent, the misery and degradation in which vast masses of our fellow- 
 subjects are sunk, owing, in a great measure, to their domiciliary state, lias 
 been so often pointed at as a reproach to England, that the words 
 “ Physician, heal thyself,” have frequently occurred to my mind, as a call 
 to renewed exertion for this object. 
 
 And now, in conclusion, if the remarks offered and the facts stated have 
 tended to show that it is not through the exclusive adoption of any one 
 of the means which have been pointed out, nor by any infallible specific, 
 that the benefits of a healthy dwelling can be extended to all classes of the 
 working population, I yet entertain a sanguine hope that, through the 
 general and earnest adoption of a combination of suitable measures, existing 
 evils will be greatly mitigated, if not entirely rooted out. Such an expecta- 
 tion is warranted by the well-known residts of the improvements in our 
 prisons, which are no longer hotbeds of fever* and of moral contagion as 
 they formerly were, as well as by those of the ameliorations very recently 
 introduced in our military barracks and hospitals, which have led to a 
 diminution by one-half in the mortality of their inmates, as was stated by 
 Mr. Gladstone, when Chancellor of the Exchequer. 
 
 Encouraging facts like these should stimulate all to exertion in their 
 various spheres of action, in order that the labouring population may, to use 
 the words of the lamented Prince Consort, adopted for my motto, “participate 
 in the blessings bestowed on us by the Almighty,” through the benefits of a 
 healthy dwelling, “ but which,” in their circumstances, “can only be realized 
 in proportion to the help which we are prepared to render to them.” 
 
 Several illustrative wood engravings have been added to those given in 
 the former editions. Special attention is invited to those on p. 123, on 
 account of their showing arrangements adapted to the circumstances of the 
 lower, as well as the higher paid class of working people in towns, and 
 admitting their occupancy in sets of 2, 3, 4, or 5 rooms, approached by open 
 staircases and galleries, as in the Prince Consort’s Exhibition Houses, 1851. 
 
 * At the black assizes held in Oxford in July, 1577 , the gaol fever spread from the 
 prisoners to the 001111;, and within two days had killed the judge, the sheriff, several 
 justices of the peace, most of the jury, as well as a great number of the audience, and 
 afterwards spread amongst the inhabitants of the town. 
 
67 
 
 ATPENDI X. 
 
 BRIEF NOTICE OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH LED TO, AND OF 
 THE PROGRESS MADE IN THE MOVEMENT FOR IMPROVING THE 
 DWELLINGS OF THE LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 Compiled chiefly from Papers contributed by the Author , and published in the Trans- 
 actions of the National Association for the Promotion of Social Science, for 1858, 1800, 
 1802, and 1804; in those of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, for 
 1862; and in the Reports of the Conyrhs International de Bienfaisance, particularly of that 
 held in London in 1802 ; with a notice of more recent legislative measures, including 
 those of 1806-7. 
 
 It may be useful as well as interesting to trace the origin and early progressive 
 stages of a movement, the wide-spread necessity for which has, within a few years 
 of its commencement in England, been recognised, and in many cases zealously 
 advocated, in most European countries, and in the United States of America, as well 
 as in the Colonial and other Dependencies of the British Crown. 
 
 Although appeals were from time to time previously made, by individuals whose 
 philanthropic or professional pursuits had made them acquainted with evils of long- 
 standing existence, it is only during the last twenty-five years that much attention 
 has been directed to this subject. 
 
 The sufferings of the poor during the ravages of the cholera, which in England 
 first broke out in 1832, and was, in the eastern parts of our metropolis, followed in 
 1837 by a violent and wide-spread epidemic of typhus fever, led the Government 
 department charged with the care of the poor (the Poor Law Commissioners) to insti- 
 tute a searching medical inquiry, and a state of things was revealed which the public 
 generally were ignorant of. A second report, made in 1839, exhibited, as their practical 
 results, excessive disease and premature mortality, together with a fearful amount 
 of physical and moral degradation ; whilst, by official returns, it was shown that, in tho 
 year ending 25th March, 1838, out of the 77,000 persons who in twelve months received 
 in and out-door parochial relief, 14,000 were the subjects of fever. The statements 
 in these reports produced so deep an impression on the public and on the Legislature, 
 that a combination was at once formed of some of the most distinguished statesmen 
 and philanthropists, with a view to the devising of remedial measures. For that 
 purpose, “The Health of Towns Association ” was established in 1839. A Committee 
 of the House of Commons, to pursue the investigation, followed in 1840 ; whilst tho 
 subject was taken up earnestly in the House of Lords by the then Bishop of London, 
 Dr. Blom field. The first legislative remedial measure was introduced and carried 
 through the House of Lords in 1841 , but, owing to a prorogation of Parliament, it 
 never reached the House of Commons. Continued practical attention to the subject 
 was, however, manifested ; and, in 1842, the Report of au “Inquiry into the Sanitary 
 Condition of the Labouring Population ” was published by the Poor Law Board. 
 Lord Stanley, when alluding to this report in 1857, described it as “ a work which 
 from that day to the present has been the text-book of sanitary research.” 
 
 In May 1842, a Royal Commission for inquiring into tire state of large towns and 
 populous districts was appointed. Amongst its members were the Duke of Buccleuch 
 and the late Duke of Newcastle. The final clause of the instructions to this Com- 
 mission directed inquiry to be made “ as to how far the condition of the poorer classes 
 of the people, and the salubrity and safety of their dwellings, may be promoted by 
 the amendment of the laws, regulations, and usages.” The first report of the 
 Commission appeared in 1844, and the second in 1845. The mass of evidence which 
 they contain may still be consulted with advantage on many important points ; and it 
 will be found that to certain definite conditions about their abodes were traced the 
 true sources of the constantly recurring epidemics which carried off one-half the 
 children bom, whilst yet in childhood ; destroyed by fever the heads of families, in tho 
 prime of life ; and deprived this class of the population of more than one-third their 
 
G8 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 natural term of existence : a result similar to that shown by all the investigations which 
 have been referred to, and fully borne out by the invaluable returns of the Registrar- 
 General. 
 
 Of the me.asures taken in consequence of these disclosures, amongst the first in 
 point of date was the establishment, by philanthropic individuals, of two Societies, 
 formed in the metropolis with a view to work out and to exhibit a practical remedy 
 for the great social evils resulting from the state of the dwellings of the working classes 
 — a remedy that would recommend itself to extensive adoption, be the means of 
 stimulating owners of existing houses, from self-interested motives, to improve and 
 render them healthy abodes, and at the same time afford the evidence of practical 
 results in support of appeals to the Legislature for a somewhat unprecedented 
 interference with private property. 
 
 One of these Societies, formed in 1842, under the designation of the Metropolitan 
 Association for Improving the Dwellings of the Industrious Classes, is based on the 
 sound and only principle on which it can be reasonably expected that the construction 
 of improved dwellings for the labouring population in towns can be effected on a scale 
 at all adequate to their necessity, viz. that of an investment of capital, with the 
 prospect that, under good management, a fair return on the outlay will be realized. 
 
 The other Society, that for Improving the Condition of the Labouring Classes, was 
 established as a professedly model institution, under the patronage of Her Majesty 
 the Queen ; H. R. H. the late Prince Consort having been its President, and the 
 Earl of Shaftesbury, Chairman of the Committee. It lias received benevolent con- 
 tributions to the extent of about one half its expenditure in the construction of a 
 series of model or improved dwellings, adapted to the various circumstances of the 
 industrial classes, and the renovation of numerous dwellings which were previously 
 in a wretched and altogether unhealthy condition. As a model Society it has aimed 
 at demonstrating by experience, that with a judicious expenditure and moderate 
 rents, a fair return might be obtained from money so invested. This Society, although 
 not founded until 1844, took precedence in the practical commencement of the work, 
 by beginning in the same year its first range of model houses, whilst the Metropolitan 
 Society did not begin to build until after its incorporation by Royal Charter 
 in 1845. 
 
 The earliest and most important legislative results of the reports which have been 
 referred to, was the passing of the Public Health Act in 1848, and of the Nuisances 
 Removal and Diseases Prevention Act in 1848 and 1849. These Acts have been 
 subsequently amended. The first named was so in 1858, by provisions in the Act 
 entitled, “The Local Government Act,” which effected very important changes, and 
 provided for an extensive application of local government to the carrying out of 
 sanitary and other kindred improvements, without recourse to a central Executive or 
 to Parliament. By this Act the sanitary functions of the late General Board of Health 
 were transferred to the Privy Council, and for the purpose of carrying them out, a 
 medical officer was attached to that department of the Government. This ‘ ‘ Local 
 Government Act ” was amended in 1860; and again by provisions in the “ Sanitary Act, 
 1866.” “ The Nuisances Removal and Diseases Prevention Acts of 1848 and 1849” 
 
 were amended in 1855, and again in 1860, whilst their further amendment was 
 provided for in the second part of the Sanitary Act, 1866.* lief erring to this last named 
 Act, Dr. Letheby, in his recent report on the Sanitary Condition of the City of 
 London, says, “that it requires a very close and constant supervision of the houses of 
 
 * The Regulations under the Sanitary Act, 1866, issued with the sanction of the Home 
 Secretary of State, unless very carefully considered, may become oppressive, as well as perplexing 
 in their application ; aud it is of importance that there should be an uniformity which does not 
 exist in some that have come under my notice, as, for instance, the requiring by the Board of 
 Works of St. Giles’s District a space of 400 cubic feet for each person, and that white-washing 
 should be done four times in every year ; whilst the regulat ions for houses or parts of houses 
 in the City of London let in lodgings, require, for one person, a space of 300 feet in any room 
 used for sleeping only, and that white-washing should be done twice in ovcry year. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 69 
 
 I 
 
 the poor. In other respects it is an important amendment of the Nuisances Removal 
 Acts of 1855 and 1860, for it not only enlarges the definition of a nuisance, but it 
 adds considerably to the power of the local authorities in dealing with it.” 
 
 In 1851, an Act was passed to enable parishes or boroughs, containing not fewer than 
 10,000 inhabitants, either to build new houses, or to adapt old ones, with a view to 
 provide better lodgings for the labouring classes : power is also granted to raise money 
 and to defray the attendant expenses out of the poor rates, such houses being, as far 
 as possible, made self-supporting. 
 
 In the same year, 1851, at the instigation of the Earl of Shaftesbury, an Act was 
 passed for regulating “ Common Lodging Houses,” a measure second only to the 
 Public Health Act as to its necessity and the importance of its results. This Bill, 
 which was amended in 1853, is in its operation compulsory, and one which local 
 authorities are bound to carry into effect : certain conditions of cleanliness, proper 
 ventilation, and the avoidance of overcrowding, as well sis the separation of the sexes 
 are enforced. The subjects, or the classes on which it operates, constitute the lowest 
 portion of the population, as well as artisans and labourers, who are either on passage, 
 or who have not the means of a better home. The want of a power of enforcing such 
 regulations generally, in all tenements in towns let at low weekly rents to the working 
 population, which was granted in the city of London in 1851, and there operates most 
 beneficially, has long been felt and urged in various ways : to what extent “ The 
 Sanitary Act, 1866,” will affect the much desired improvements remains to be seen. 
 
 In 1855, a Bill, entitled “The Labourers’ Dwelling Act,” was passed for promoting 
 the building of dwelling-houses for tho labouring classes, and providing for the 
 registration of Joint Stock Companies formed for that purpose. This legislative 
 measure has greatly facilitated the formation and general management of independent 
 local Associations, conducted on the principle of Joint Stock Companies, -with limited 
 liability. Bills have been passed with the same view applicable exclusively to Scotland 
 and Ireland ; and in order to facilitate the buildiug of cottages for labourers in those 
 parts of the United Kingdom, separate Acts were passed in 1860. But, strange as it 
 may appear, a Bill for effecting similar objects in England, though passed by the 
 House of Commons in the session of 1861, was rejected by the House of Lords on a 
 division of 16 to 13. This anomaly, however, has been subsequently remedied, by an 
 Act much more general in its operation. 
 
 In 1866, an Act was passed to enable the Public Works Loan Commissioners to make 
 advances towards the erection of dwellings for the labouring classes, whereby the 
 carrying out the powers granted in the Act of 1851 are greatly facilitated, as well as 
 the operations of Associations formed for this express object. Railway, Dock, or 
 other Companies who employ the labouring classes, and private individuals holding 
 laud for an unexpired term of not less than fifty years, are included in the provisions 
 of this Act, which, on some technical points, has been amended in 1867. 
 
 The other legislative measures adopted in England are, the repeal of duties that 
 pressed heavily on the construction, or tended to impede the healthy condition of 
 houses ; and the adoption by the House of Lords of a Standing Order, with a view to 
 ascertain the necessity for enforcing the building of suitable dwellings for the working 
 classes, in lieu of such as may be demolished, under powers granted by Parliament 
 for the carrying out of public improvements, or the works of large Companies, such 
 as railways, docks, <kc. 
 
 Of the required legislative measures, not yet adopted, perhaps the most likely to 
 prove extensively beneficial, would be one more imperatively obliging owners of 
 unhealthy dwellings either to put them into a good sanitary condition, to part with 
 them to those who would do so, to close them, or to pull them down ; such property 
 would then cease to have the fictitious value which now generally renders it an 
 unprofitable or an inadequately remunerative investment to those who, from 
 benevolent motives, seek the ownership with a view to its renovation. The Bills hitherto 
 introduced into Parliament with this view do not appear to have received that 
 deliberate consideration which the difficulties surrounding it render necessary, in order 
 to their being fully met. 
 
 Tho papers from which the present sketch has been chiefly drawn give numerous 
 details tending to show the spirit which has animated not only those who have been 
 
70 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 associated in pro noting this object in towns, but also many of our great landowners, 
 as well as the employers of labour in manufactures, mines, and quarries, in providing 
 improved dwellings for their workpeople. Several of these have already been noticed 
 in previous parts of this publication ; and an especial reference has been made to the 
 lively interest and the wide-spread influence which the example of the late Prince Consort 
 had in promoting this object, particularly to the impulse it received on the Continent,* 
 as well .as in Great Britain, from the efforts made in connection with the Exhibition of 
 1851. It is only left for me here to add, that the sense of responsibility, as well as 
 the more distinct perception of self-interest in the domiciliary condition of the 
 labouring population, is extending on every side, and their fruits may be seen in all 
 parts of the country, although, in too many instances, at a rate by no means 
 corresponding with the urgency of the case, and that, more especially in regard to the 
 metropolis. 
 
 A declarative resolution proposed by the Author, and unanimously adopted at the 
 Congrbs International de Bienfaisance held in Brussels in 1850, refers to an important 
 practical measure, in the general adoption of which it is to be hoped that England! will 
 not be behind the Continent. “ The Congress declares that it is of public utility that 
 the working classes be enlightened by all possible means in regard to the improvement 
 and the keeping of their houses in good order. It declares that the instruction of the 
 young, in the labouring classes, ought to comprise all which relates to the cleanliness 
 of their persons and of their dwellings, to the benefits resulting from good ventilation, 
 and the evils arising from humidity. Lastly, it thinks that the study of the science of 
 preserving health is one which ought to be rendered accessible to all.” 
 
 At the Ninth Annual Meeting of the Congress of German Political Economists, held 
 at Hamburg, as recently as the month of August of the present year, 1867, and attended 
 by 305 members, the subject for discussion was “the Dwellings of the Poor in large 
 cities.” A leading member expressed the opinion that the general endeavour of the 
 people to obtain a better class of dwellings was not the consequence of a greater 
 desire for luxury, but rather the necessity that was felt for pure air and more room as 
 a condition of health. 
 
 This opinion agrees with an observation made to me not long since by an English 
 nobleman, a distinguished agriculturalist, that landlords are beginning to find their 
 tenants insist on having good cottages on their farms, because good labourers are 
 otherwise unobtainable. 
 
 * In a pamphlet on “ The Physical Condition of the Labouring Classes, resulting from the 
 state of their Dwellings, and the beneficial effects of Sanitary Improvements recently adopted 
 in England,” which was written mainly for circulation in French on the Continent, the Author 
 has given the following statistics of the mortality in the principal cities and countries of Europe, 
 which may be useful for comparison : — 
 
 In London 
 
 . 24 in 1000 
 
 In Genoa . . 
 
 31 in 1000 
 
 In Stockholm 
 
 39 in 1000 
 
 Berlin . . 
 
 . 25 „ 
 
 Lyons . . 
 
 . 33 
 
 99 
 
 St. Petersburg, 
 
 41 
 
 1) 
 
 Turin . . 
 
 • 20 „ 
 
 Hamburg . 
 
 . 36 
 
 99 
 
 Vienna . . . 
 
 49 
 
 1) 
 
 Paris . . 
 
 • 28 „ 
 
 Moscow 
 
 . 38 
 
 99 
 
 
 
 
 The mortality of different countries is— 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 In England . 
 
 . 23 in 1000 
 
 In Holland . 
 
 24 in 
 
 1000 
 
 In Sardinia . . 
 
 30 in 1000 
 
 Denmark . 
 
 . 23 „ 
 
 Sweden 
 
 24 
 
 99 
 
 Austria . . 
 
 31 
 
 a 
 
 France 
 
 . 23 5 „ 
 
 Prussia 
 
 28 
 
 99 
 
 Russia . . 
 
 36 
 
 99 
 
 t From a very recent inquiry in Parliament it would appear that the introduction of an 
 elementary and popular Treatise on Sanitary Science in the list of books used by the National 
 Schools in Ireland is contemplated. Popular Lectures ou Sanitary Science are now delivered 
 in some towns in Italy, as well as in other parts of the Continent. 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 i 
 
 GENERAL VIEW OF THE EFFORTS MADE FOR IMPROVING THE 
 DWELLINGS OF THE LABOURING CLASSES IN THE METROPOLIS, 
 AND THEIR BENEFICIAL RESULTS. 
 
 Those who practically commenced this movement in 1814 proposed to prove by 
 experiment what had previously been often asserted — 
 
 1. That houses having good drainage, efficient ventilation, an ample supply of w'ater, 
 and combining every thing essential to the health, comfort, and moral habits of the 
 labouring classes, may be built and let to them at rents not exceeding those 
 generally paid for very inferior and unhealthy dwellings, yielding at the same 
 time a fair return on the capital so invested. That old buildings may also, on 
 the same principle, be improved and rendered healthy dwellings. 
 
 2. That under the influence of efficient sanitary regulations in regard to his dwelling, 
 the working man and his family may reasonably expect a much larger measure of 
 health and life than statistical returns show that they generally enjoy, and which 
 fall greatly short of the portion shared by the more wealthy classes. 
 
 3. That the improvement of the dwellings of the working classes will greatly conduce 
 to raise large masses of this portion of the community from the state of moral 
 and social as well as of physical degradation in which they are sunk. 
 
 Whilst the full accomplishment of the object, in its pecuniary aspect,* will be 
 regarded variously, according to the views entertained of a fair return on the capital 
 invested in such houses, there can be no question as to the beneficial results of efforts 
 which have led to an average annual reduction in the death rate of the tenants in the 
 Improved Dwellings to 17 per 1000, as compared with 23 to 24 per 1000, now the 
 general average in the metropolis and large towns of England. 
 
 After a lapse of ten years, from the building of the first model houses, the influence 
 of such dwellings was thus described in an Official Report made by Mr. Glover, Super- 
 intending Medical Inspector of the General Board of Health, the 20th January, 1855, 
 and laid before Parliament : — “ Some of these houses have been occupied nearly 
 three years, and the average population during that period, for the whole of the 
 houses tenanted, has been about 450. Among this number of inhabitants, congregated 
 in one of the worst localities of the metropolis, a large proportion of them being 
 children, it is gratifying to find that there has been a considerable diminution, if 
 not an almost total absence of epidemic disease. During the late epidemic there has 
 not been a singlo death from cholera or diarrhoea in any of the houses. ” ‘ ‘ The 
 
 erection of these ‘ Albert Cottages,’ provided with arrangements essential to health, 
 comfort, aDd morals, is producing the happiest results in the neighbourhood. Tenants 
 
 # The Author’s views on this important branch of the question have been stated in Part I. 
 (see p. 17), and again in Part II. (see p. 45). He has never entertained the hope of a higher 
 return than that of 6 to 7 per cent, net being obtainable from new, well-constructed dwellings, 
 let to working people at moderate rents, and of that only alter a realization ot the benefits 
 obtainable from the experience of pioneering efforts. In more than one instance the caution 
 he has given against exaggerated expectations, and the commencing by a payment of a higher 
 rate of dividend than could be maintained, has been fully justified by the results. The view 
 entertained by the late Prince Consort on the question of ret uni, and repeatedly expressed to 
 the Author, was, that in order to induce Builders so to invest their capital, 7 to 8 per cent, 
 would be necessary; which is very different from the assertion sometimes made, that in order 
 to induce Capitalists so to invest their money, 9 or even 10 per cent, must be obtainable. 
 
 The loan of money by Government, on the security of such buildings, at 4 per cent, (see 
 pp. 69 & 72) should increase, by not less than 1 or 2 per cent., the return available for those 
 who find the remaining half of the capital. 
 
 The appropriating of the ground-floor to shops has in some localities proved remunerative, 
 and been the means of raising the per-centage return : judgment is, however, required with 
 
 regard thereto. 
 
72 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 have become sensible of the discomforts and evils of their unwholesome dwellings, 
 and will not remain in or take houses without many improvements which formerly 
 they were content to do without, and landlords are finding it to their interest to 
 improve their old houses, and in constructing new ones, to provide superior accom- 
 modation and conveniences.” 
 
 In entire accordance with this statement was that made to the Author by a super- 
 intcndant of one of the establishments belonging to the Society for Improving the 
 Condition of the Labouring Classes, situated in a neighbourhood amongst the worst 
 of the metropolis : — “ The nocturnal uproars in the adjoining streets, which constantly 
 disturbed the inmates, when first the houses were opened, gradually diminished, and 
 finally ceased altogether.” They have, in their ameliorating influence, thus acted as 
 silent monitors, reproving disorder, and encouraging cleanliness and propriety. 
 
 The last published Tabular Statements of the two pioneering Societies, given at 
 pi - ). 78 and 79, show the extent of their operations to the present time, as well .as 
 the cost and current expenditure of each establishment ; whilst the preceding returns 
 of the tenants’ trades and occupations, p. 77, disprove the assertion, occasionally made, 
 that the occupants of the houses are not of the class for whose benefit they were intended. 
 
 The Metropolitan Association has a Guarantee, or Sinking Fund, of about £3000, 
 and now pays its Shareholders a dividend of 3| per cent, per aunum, with the 
 prospect of increase. For the purpose of extending its operations, and with a 
 special view to building at Tenge, on the line of the Loudon, Chatham, and Dover 
 Railway, additional cottages for workmen employed in London, who that Company 
 will convey daily to and fro for 2s. per week per head, a Government loan of 
 £18,000, under the Labouring Classes’ Dwelling-house Act, 1800, has been recently 
 obtained. This Act effects what the Author long since pointed out as one of the 
 means whereby the Government might consistently render aid in the providing 
 dwellings for the working classes, and it contains an empowering clause, the 
 desirableness of which he suggested to Mr. Childers, during the progress of the Bill, 
 authorizing Railway, Dock, or Harbour Companies, or any other Company or Asso- 
 ciation for trading or manufacturing purposes, who employ iu their business persons 
 of the labouring class, to erect, either on their own land or any other lauds 
 (“ which they are hereby authorized to purchase and hold for the purpose ”), dwellings 
 for the accommodation of the persons so employed by them, and granting them the 
 same powers of borrowing, as the Act confers on any other body or proprietor. 
 
 After many ineffectual appeals, the Metropolitan Association has been relieved 
 of the onerous charge of house duty on their dwellings for families, and as the 
 exemption applies to other cases, the letter announcing the same is given : — 
 
 Treasury Chambers, 6th June, 1806. 
 
 “ Sir, — The Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty’s Treasury, having had 
 before them a Memorial from the Metropolitan Association for Improving the 
 Dwellings of the Industrious Classes, pointing out that some of the dwellings 
 erected by that and kindred Associations have been charged to the Inhabited 
 House Duty, though each distinct tenement is of a less value than £20, I am 
 directed by their Lordships to acquaint you that they have authorized the Com- 
 missioners of Inland Revenue to afford relief in the present and all similar cases. 
 The enclosures to the Memorial are herewith returned. 
 
 “ I am, Sir, Your obedient Servant, 
 
 C. Gatliff, Esq. “H. C. Childers.” 
 
 The Metropolitan Association has, by an arrangement with the Marquis of West- 
 minster, who finds the capital at a low rate of interest, undertaken the carrying out 
 of plans, and the management of an extensive pile of Model Dwellings in Pimlico, to 
 accommodate 149 families, in tenements chiefly of two and three rooms. They are 
 designated Gatliff-buildiugs, and are near the new barracks, Chelsea Bridge-road. 
 The architect, Mr. Thomas Cundy, jun., has adopted the open gallery system, carried 
 round three sides of an internal quadrangle, similar to the Model Dw'ellings for 
 Families in Strcatham-street, Bloomsbury, where the special advantages of such an 
 arrangement for children, was pointed out to me by an eminent physician, soon after 
 it had been opened in 1850. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 73 
 
 In a record of the movement for providing Improved Dwellings for the Working 
 Classes in the Metropolis, the most important individual effort, considering the magni- 
 tude of the fund which is rendered available for that object, claims a special notice. 
 It is that of George Peabody, Esq. , an American merchant, long resident in Loudon. 
 Actuated, doubtless, by feelings akin to those of his friend the late much-esteemed 
 Ambassador from the same country, Mr. Abbott Lawrence, who, whilst he was in 
 England, took a deep interest in the plans then carrying out for this object, and 
 bequeathed 50,000 dollars for the building of model houses in his native town of 
 Boston, U. S., Mr. Peabody, in a letter dated 12th of March, 1802, addressed to the 
 United States Minister, to Lord Stanley, M.P., Sir J. Emerson Tenneut, Mr. C. M. 
 Lampson, and Mr. J. S. Morgan, announced his intention to attest his gratitude 
 and attachment to the people of London, among whom he had spent the last 
 twenty-five years of his life, by devoting £150,000 to ameliorate the condition, and 
 augment the comfort of the poor, who form a recognised portion of the population 
 of this great metropolis, subject to the condition that the fund shall “now and 
 for all time be administered without distinction of religious persuasion or political 
 bias.” The utmost latitude was given to the Trustees in deciding on the mode of ex- 
 penditure, whilst it was suggested by the munificent donor “ to apply the fund, or a 
 portion of it, in the construction of such improved dwellings for the poor as may 
 combine, in the utmost possible degree, the essentials of healthfulness, comfort, 
 social enjoyment, and economy.” 
 
 The Trustees, influenced by the considerations stated at length in their Report 
 of December, 1865 determined, “without precluding the consideration of other 
 subjects hereafter, to confine their operations for the present to the object specially 
 recommended to their notice by Mr. Peabody, namely, the improvement of dwellings 
 for the poor of the metropolis,” and they have purchased land for building sites in five 
 different localities — Spitalfields, Islington, Sh&dwell, Chelsea, and Bermondsey. On 
 the first three-named of those sites, large and commodious piles of buildings have 
 been erected. The accommodation they provide is given in the Tabular Statement, 
 as well as their cost, exclusive of the land, on which, £25,883 has been ex- 
 pended for the five localities. For these details I am indebted to their architect, 
 Mr. Darbisliire. 
 
 In their first Annual Report (December 1865), the Trustees name, as an obstacle 
 to the usefulness of their proceedings, that which has been previously felt by others, 
 “ the large amounts levied on their buildings for poor’s rate, inhabited house duty, 
 income tax, and general assessments for sewers and drainage and they add, that, 
 “ looking to the fact that the fund they administer operates to the repression of the 
 rates for the poor, in proportion to the numbers whom it saves from becoming 
 chargeable on the public, it seems to present a reasonable ground for exemption ; 
 but as the levy is made conformably to law, they are content to express a hope that 
 the Legislature may be induced to take the subject into consideration, with a view 
 to the early application of a remedy.” 
 
 In regard to the inhabited house duty, relief has been already afforded. See Mr. 
 Childers’ letter, p. 72. 
 
 The last Report issued by the Trustees, under date 31st of December, 1 866, mentions 
 the addition of £100,000 made by Mr. Peabody, in the preceding January, to his 
 original gift, which now therefore amounts to £250,000, with the accumulation of 
 interest ; and it is added, that in dedicating this further amount to the same object, 
 he has enlarged the sphere of its usefulness, by enabling the Trustees to possess 
 themselves of freehold sites at any locality within ten miles from the Royal Exchange 
 accessible by means of railways. 
 
GENERAL STATEMENT OF IMPROVED, OR MODEL DWELLINGS FOR WORKING PEOPLE IN THE METROPOLIS. 
 
 74 
 
 APPENDIX, 
 
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BUILDINGS ERECTED FROM THE DESIGNS OF MR. II. DARBISHIRE, ARCHITECT. 
 
 APPENDIX, 
 
7G 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 INDIVIDUAL EFFORTS NOT COMPRISED IN THE PRECEDING 
 
 STATEMENT. 
 
 In Black-horse yard, near Rathbone-place, the Rev. Thomas Ainsworth, Rector of 
 Kimbolton, expended, in 1841-2, about £3000 in the building of 40 improved 
 tenements, consisting of two rooms each, which let at 3s. Qd. per week. 
 
 In Great Peter-street, Westminster, one of the earliest renovated, or Model Lodging 
 Houses for Men, was established by Lord Kinnaird. 
 
 In New-street, Dorset-square, in 1849, at the cost of J. H. Harlowe, Esq., a building^ 
 which provides 18 tenements of two and three rooms each, was constructed and 
 let at 3s. Gd. to 5s. per tenement. 
 
 In Cowley- street, Shadwell, W. E. Hilliard, Esq., of Gray’s Inn, rebuilt an entire 
 street of wretched houses, on the general plan of the Prince Consort’s Model 
 Houses, to accommodate 112 families, which yield from G to nearly 7 per cent, net 
 on the outlay, as described at p. G3. 
 
 In Grosveuor-mews, near Berkeley-square ; in the Parish of St. George, Hanover- 
 square ; in Bull-head court, Snow-hill, aud elsewhere, five piles of Improved 
 Family Dwellings have been constructed by Mr. John Newson, a builder, in 
 tenements of two and three rooms, which let at rents of 3s. Gd. to 5s., yield a net 
 return of about 5| per cent, on the outlay of £13,200. These buildings have all 
 open galleries. In the planning of those in the first named locality my advice was 
 sought aud gladly given. 
 
 The renovated Houses for Families in Chelsea — the Onslow Model Dwellings, built by 
 Mr. Freake — the Victoria Chambers, Ebury-street — the Albion Chambers, Dean- 
 street, Soho — the Dormitory for Girls, Dudley-street, St. Giles’. 
 
 Amongst improved suburban dwellings may be named those built at Hampstead, by 
 Messrs J. and H. Jackson, solicitors — the Coleridge Buildings, containing nearly 
 100 rooms, recently constructed by the Highgate Dwellings Improvement 
 Company — those of Mr. Mortimer, at New Cross— and a series of cottages at 
 Lower Norwood, belonging to a Co-operative Building Company. These two 
 latter are mentioned favourably in the Society of Arts Report of 18G4, on the 
 Statistics of Dwellings Improvement in the Metropolis, which, in addition, names 
 a few other suburban buildings of minor importance. 
 
 Efforts to provide improved dwellings for the working classes, made at the following 
 places, have, with a few exceptions, led to the establishment of local associations for 
 effecting that object : — 
 
 Bath. 
 
 Hampstead. 
 
 Macclesfield. 
 
 Southampton. 
 
 Birkenhead. 
 
 Hastings. 
 
 Newcastle-on-Tyne. 
 
 Sunderland. 
 
 Bradford. 
 
 Highgate. 
 
 Norwich. 
 
 Torquay. 
 
 Bristol. 
 
 Hertford. 
 
 Nottingham. 
 
 Tunbridge Wells. 
 
 Brighton. 
 
 Huddersfield. 
 
 Ramsgate. 
 
 Windsor. 
 
 Cambridge. 
 
 Hull. 
 
 Red Hill & Reigate. 
 
 W ol verhamp ton . 
 
 Dudley. 
 
 Leeds. 
 
 Rumsey. 
 
 Worcester. 
 
 Halifax. 
 
 Liverpool. 
 
 Shrewsbury. 
 
 
 In Scotland, Societies have been established in Edinburgh, in Glasgow, at Greenock, 
 at Aberdeen, Dundee, and Perth ; and Ireland has its Society established in Dublin. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 77 
 
 LIST OF TENANTS’ TRADES AND OCCUPATIONS. 
 
 IN THE HOUSES OF THE SOCIETY FOR IMPROVING THE CONDITION OF THE 
 
 Artist. . . 1 
 
 Bricklayers . 3 
 
 B r a s s - 
 finishers . 2 
 
 Bookbinders, 6 
 Bootmakers, 9 
 Butcher . . 1 
 
 Blacksmiths, 4 
 Bag-maker . 1 
 
 Butler . . 1 
 
 Brewers . . 4 
 
 Bakers . . 2 
 
 Bailiff . . 1 
 
 Bill-posters . 5 
 
 Cabinet- 
 makers . 6 
 
 Compositors. 6 
 Clerks . . 18 
 
 Cabmen . . 2 
 
 LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 | Coach-maker, 1 
 Carpenters . 14 
 Coach-trim- 
 mers . . 3 
 
 Commission 
 Agents . 12 
 Chemist . . 1 
 
 Carvers and 
 gilders. . 6 
 
 Cellarmen . 3 
 
 Cork-cutters, 2 
 Charwomen . 22 
 Decorators . 3 
 
 I Drapers . . 8 
 
 Dealers . . 6 
 
 Dyers . . 8 
 
 Dressmakers, 2 
 Engraver . 1 
 
 I Engineers . 2 
 
 1 Furriers . . 3 | 
 
 Frenc li - 
 polishers . 3 
 Gasfitter . 1 
 
 Grocers . . 2 
 
 Grooms . . 3 
 
 Hatters . . 2 
 
 Harness- 
 maker . . 1 
 
 ! Hairdressers, 7 
 Hawkers and 
 Coster- 
 mongers . 18 
 Instrument- 
 maker . . 1 
 
 ! Ironfounder, 1 
 Jeweller . . 1 
 
 Labourers . 202 
 | Label-maker, 1 
 
 Librarian . 
 
 1 
 
 Modeller 
 
 1 
 
 Machinist . 
 
 1 
 
 Messengers . 
 
 3 
 
 Missionary . 
 
 1 
 
 News-agent. 
 
 1 
 
 Nurses . 
 
 2 
 
 Optician . . 
 
 1 
 
 Plasterers . 
 
 2 
 
 Painters . 
 
 17 
 
 Plumbers . 
 
 3 
 
 Police-officers, 6 
 
 Porters - . 
 
 23 
 
 Printers . . 
 
 16 
 
 Pump-makers, 2 
 
 Pensioners . 
 
 2 
 
 Reporters . 
 
 3 
 
 Shopmen 
 
 8 
 
 Sempstresses, 16 
 
 1 Sadlers . . 2 
 I Stonemasons, 6 
 Soap-maker, 1 
 Servants . 5 
 
 Scale-maker, 1 
 Silversmiths, 2 
 Sawyers . . 2 
 
 Tailors . . 14 
 Travellers . 2 
 
 Trunk-makers, 2 
 Turners . . 3 
 Tinworker . 1 
 Toy-maker . 1 
 
 Upholsterer, 1 
 Wood-carver, 1 
 Whip-maker, 1 
 Waiters . . 3 
 
 Writers . . 7 
 
 Total . . 570 
 
 IN THE HOUSES OF THE METROPOLITAN ASSOCIATION FOR IMPROVING THE DWELLINGS 
 
 OF THE LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 Actor ... 1 
 Artists . . 3 
 Auctioneer . 1 
 
 Agents . . 3 
 Attendant at 
 Museum . 1 
 
 Armourer . 1 
 
 Bricklayers . 4 
 Booksellers . 2 
 
 Bookbinders, 5 
 Boiler-maker, 1 
 Button-maker, 1 
 Butchers. . 7 
 Blacksmiths, 3 
 Basket- 
 makers . 6 
 Billiard- 
 marker . 1 
 Brewer . . 1 
 Bakers . . 2 
 Butlers . . 3 
 
 Brush-makers, 7 
 Boot-makers, 2 
 Brass-caster, 1 
 Bonnet- 
 blocker . 1 
 Cabinet- 
 makers. . 5 
 Captain . . 1 
 
 Compositors, 11 
 Clerks . . 27 
 Cutlers . . 6 
 
 Check-takers, 3 
 Cab-drivers . 4 
 Coachman . 1 
 
 Carpenters . 25 
 Copperplate 
 printer. . 1 
 
 Carvers . . 5 
 
 Collectors . 5 
 
 Coach-smith, 1 
 Coach-maker, 1 
 Chemists . 6 
 
 Cellarmen . 3 
 
 Candle-maker, 1 
 Coopers . . 10 
 
 Coalheaver . 1 
 
 Carmen . . 25 
 
 Curriers . . 5 
 Custom- 
 officers . 4 
 
 Carpet-plan- 
 ner ... 1 
 
 Clickers ... 2 
 
 Chairmaker . 1 
 
 Cheesemonger, 1 
 Cigar-makers, 8 
 Charwomen, 4 
 Collar-cutters, 3 
 Drysalter . 1 
 
 Decorator . 1 
 
 Doll-dresser, 1 
 Draymen . 7 
 
 Distiller . . 1 
 
 Dyer ... 1 
 
 Drapers . . 4 
 
 Dress-makers, 2 
 Engineers . 18 
 Engine-driver, 1 
 Engravers . 3 
 
 Frame-maker, 1 
 Farriers . . 3 
 
 Footman . 1 
 
 Furrier . . 1 
 
 French- 
 polishers . 2 
 
 | Fishmongers, 4 
 Fireman . . 1 
 
 Glass-cutters, 2 
 Gun-makers, 4 
 
 Gate-keeper, 1 
 Grooms . . 2 
 
 Glass-blower, 1 
 Grocers . . 6 1 
 Glazier . . 1 
 
 Gasfitter . . 1 
 Hair-dresser, 1 
 Hammerman, 1 
 Hatters . . 2 
 I Horsehair- 
 sorter . . 1 
 
 I Horse-keepers, 2 
 Iron-moulder, 1 1 
 Ivory-turner, 1 
 Ironmongers, 2 
 Jewellers . 4 
 
 Last-maker, 1 
 Labourers . 37 
 Lamp-trim- 
 mer. . . 1 
 
 | Lighterman. 1 
 (Licensed 
 Victualler, 1 
 Laundresses, 0 
 J Messengers, 4 
 Machinist . 1 
 . Mat tress- 
 makers . 2 
 [ Moulders . 2 
 
 Meter-maker, 1 
 Mangle- 
 women . 3 
 
 J Music- printer, 1 
 { Milliner . . 1 
 
 J Missionaries, 5 
 Nurses . . 3 
 
 j No occupa- 
 tion . . 25 
 
 Organ- 
 builders . 4 
 
 Plasterers . 
 
 2 
 
 Painters . . 
 
 13 
 
 Plumbers . 
 
 4 
 
 Policemen . 
 Police- 
 
 11 
 
 officers 
 
 Pianoforte- 
 
 2 
 
 maker . 
 
 1 
 
 Porters . . 
 
 Parasol- 
 
 35 
 
 maker . . 
 
 1 
 
 Packers . . 
 
 2 
 
 Perfumer . 
 
 1 
 
 Pier-man 
 
 Pattern- 
 
 1 
 
 maker . 
 
 1 
 
 Pipe-makers, 
 
 2 
 
 Publican . . 
 
 1 
 
 Portmanteau- 
 
 
 makers . 
 
 2 
 
 Paper- folders 
 
 , 2 
 
 Printers . . 
 
 11 
 
 Poulterers . 
 
 2 
 
 Riveter . . 
 Rail way- 
 
 1 
 
 guards. . 
 School-mis- 
 
 3 
 
 tresses . . 
 
 2 
 
 Spring-maker 
 
 1 
 
 Shoemakers, 
 
 9 
 
 Saw-setter . 
 
 1 
 
 | Shoe-binder, 
 
 1 
 
 | Smiths . . 
 
 4 
 
 Shopmen 
 
 7 
 
 Slater 
 
 1 
 
 Sawyers . . 
 
 2 
 
 Sempstresses, 2 
 Suga r-r e- 
 finers . . 2 
 
 Sadlers . . 6 
 
 Sailor. . . 1 
 
 Stone-masons, 2 
 Stokers . . 3 
 Ship-keeper . 1 
 Salesman . 1 
 
 Secretary. . 1 
 Servants. . 8 
 
 Stationers . 3 
 Stereoscope- 
 maker . . 1 
 
 Scale-maker, 1 
 Surveyors . 2 
 
 Tallow-melter, 1 
 Teacher of 
 Music . . 1 
 
 Travellers . 6 
 Trunk-maker, 1 
 Teachers . . 2 
 Turners . . 2 
 
 Tin-workers . 5 
 Tailors . . 69 
 Upholsterers, 3 
 Umbrella- 
 makers . 2 
 
 Wheelwrights, 2 
 Watchmaker, 1 
 Whitesmith, 1 
 Wood-carver, 1 
 Whip-makers, 2 
 Wine-porter, 1. 
 Waiters . . 3 
 
 Warehouse- 
 men . . 17 
 
 Watchmen . 2 
 
 Wool-sorter, 1 
 Wine- cooper, 1 
 
 Total. . 697 
 
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80 
 
 ON THE USE AND FORM OF HOLLOW BRICKS. 
 
 Tjte importance of hollow bricks in the construction of dwellings for the labouring classes 
 warrants some further remarks on this subject. No one conversant with houses of slight 
 construction can be unaware of the evil to which they are so liable from damp external walls 
 and floors ; any remedy winch contributes to its removal, without adding to the cost of the 
 building, must therefore prove a great benefit to the occupants of such dwellings ; and where 
 a mode of construction effects this object at a diminished cost, it is a boon to the landlord 
 as well as to the tenant. 
 
 The use, in architectural construction, of hollow-shaped clay, in a variety of forms, was 
 known to the ancients, and amongst other purposes was adopted by them in lightening the 
 weight of the spandrils to vaulting of considerable span. For the lining of rubble-stone walls 
 tile was commonly used in Roman buildings. The Colosseum may be instanced as an example, 
 where much of the inner wall is constructed of rubble and faced with tile, which has been 
 covered with slabs of different coloured marble. At Tomped, a hollow tile was in some 
 instances used for securing a dry surface to receive the fresco paintings. In the Illustrated 
 London News of October 5, 1850, drawings arc given of Roman flue-tiles, found at Lymne, in 
 Kent, where they have been used for distributing warm air from an hypocaustum under the 
 floor of the building. 
 
 Hollow bricks are peculiarly adapted for agricultural buildings, and for enclosure, park, or 
 fence walls, as well as for the ordinary dwellings of the labouring classes, for schools, and for 
 houses generally of moderate height, and with the usual weight of roofs and floors. For 
 conservatories they may be used with singular advantage. Heat may be passed through every 
 portion of both floors and walls. M'hen used for partitions, or for roof and floor arches, they 
 are fire-proof, deaden sound more effectually, and are considerably lighter than solid brick- 
 work. As a lining to stone or flint walls, they supersede the necessity for battening, and the 
 consequent risk of fire and dry rot is avoided. For cottage floors they are also well adapted. 
 
 The strength of hollow bricks may be adapted to circumstances, and where required, be 
 rendered fully equal to that of solid bricks. The diminution in the weight of hollow, as 
 compared with solid, bricks, is an important consideration in reference to carriage. 
 
 Hollow bricks may be made with any good tile machine, in the same manner as ordinary 
 draining pipes, and at about the same cost in proportion to the quantity of clay contained in 
 them. The material is finer ; they are more compressed, require less drying, and with much 
 less fuel, are better burned than ordinary bricks, even when waste heat, or that in the upper 
 part of the kiln, only is used, a fire skin being formed both within and without. The process 
 of drying is more rapid than in common brickwork, and frost has less effect on the joints. 
 
 By the form adopted in the longitudinal hollow brickwork, the patent for which has 
 expired, a perfect bond, running longitudinally through the centre of the wall, is secured, 
 all headers and vertical joints passing through it arc avoided ; internal as well as exiernal 
 strength is obtained ; and every facility given for the fixing of fioor-plates, and other timbers ; 
 whilst great facility is afforded for ventilation, as well as for the conveyance of artificial heat, 
 and for the transmission of bell-wires, pipes, &c. 
 
 These bricks may be either wedge-shapod or rebated, as shown by the wood-cut sections. 
 If the former, their most suitable thickness is 2} inches or 3J inches, so as to rise either 3 or 4 
 courses to the foot, and they should be cut in lengths of 11} inches. If rebated, they should 
 be 5} inches thick, so as to rise 2 courses to the foot. By the increase, beyond that of 
 ordinary bricks, greater boldness and resemblance to stone is given ; the quantity of mortar 
 and of labour is lessened when the work is done by accustomed hands. 
 
 When passing through the machine, or in the process of drying, any number may be 
 splayed at the ends to the rake of gables, be mitred, or be marked for closures, and broken off 
 as required in use ; or they may be perforated for the purpose of ventilation. If nicked with 
 a sharp-pointed hammer, they will break off at any desired line ; and the angles may be taken 
 off with a trowel as readily as those of a common brick. A sufficient portion of good facing 
 bricks may be selected from an ordinary burning, and in laying them, a better bond will be 
 obtained than is usually given in common brickwork. 
 
 The splayed bricks may be used lor the weathering of plinths, for eaves moulding under 
 gutters, and for gable moulding under projecting tiles or slates, in lieu of barge boards. 
 Labels for doors and windows may be made hollow in lengths. 
 
 The bricks for the quoins and jambs may be made cither solid or perforated ; and with 
 perpendicular holes, either circular or Bquare, those in the quoins may be arranged to serve 
 for ventilating shafts. Stone is equally applicable for the quoins and jambs, and the appear- 
 ance of the work may bo thereby improved. 
 
 The smoothness of the internal surface of walls built with the longitudinal bonded bricks 
 renders plastering, in many instances, quite unnecessary, whereby a saving is effected, not only 
 in the first cost, but also in the subsequent maintenance. If glazed on the outer face, as 
 may be done with many clays, a superior finished surface is obtainable without plaster. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 
 Ki 
 
 Section of a 
 9in Dwabf Wall. 
 
 
 
 r \^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 tVa 
 
 
 
 111 
 
 
 
 rSS'c? 
 
 
 
 
 
 /l 
 
 '/V 
 
 k 
 
 frN^\v 
 
 LONGITUDINAL BONDED BRICKS. 
 No. 1 . No. No. a 
 
 QUOIN BRICK. 
 No. 3. 
 
 JAMB BRICK. 
 No. 4, 
 
 ARCH AND PARTITION BRICKS. 
 No. 5 & 0. No. 7. 
 
 The bricks represented above are all 3| in. thick ; but, if preferred, in order to work 
 with common bricks, they may be made 2j in. thick. The dies will admit of more sub- 
 stance of clay been given where it is required to increase the strength of the bricks. 
 
 The quoins and jamb bricks may be made solid where it is more convenient. 
 
 Form and arrangement of Hollow Bricks 
 adapted for walls where extra strength is 
 required , or ivhere the appearance of Stone 
 is a recommendation. 
 
 Sections of walls built w'ith Longitudi- 
 nal Bonded Hollow Bricks, having square 
 rebated joints, and rising in 6 inch courses 
 externally. 
 
 The form and dimensions of the bricks 
 here shown will apply to walls 6, 9, 12, 18, 
 24, 30, and 36 inches thick. Above 1 2 inches 
 thick the alternate inner courses may be 
 laid either as headers or as stretchers, in the 
 manner shown by the lower section, and 
 where desired an internal course may be 
 omitted for ventilation. 
 
 A filling-in of concrete may be substituted 
 for the internal bricks. The external bricks 
 will bond in with, and form a good lining to 
 flint or stone walls, they may be also used 
 with common bricks. 
 
 The internal bricks are suitable for parti- 
 tions. The Quoin and J amb bricks may be 
 similar in f o rm to those used with the Splayed 
 bricks, as shown above. 
 
 j If 
 
 Experimental floor-arches, of 10ft. 3in. span, turned with hollow bricks G inches 
 deep, between two cast-iron springers, similar in form to those shown in the drawing on 
 tlio following page, and connected by fin. wrouglit-iron tie rods, 7ft. Gin. apart, were 
 loaded with bricks equally distributed over the arch to the extent of 8 tons 13 cwt. 3qrs., 
 when they broke down through the crushing of the bricks ; the deflection of the springer 
 being |in. In another arch of the same span, with the tie rods 9ft. Gin. apart, and 
 loaded with 8 tons 10 cwt. 3qrs., one of the springers broke; and, on examination 
 a flaw was found in the casting. 
 
 G 
 
 
SECTION, SHOWING THE FLOOR AND ROOF ARCHES TO n.R.H. PRINCE ALBERT’S EXHIBITION MODEL HOUSES, ON THE 
 ’ SAME PRINCIPLES AS THOSE TO THE MODEL HOUSES IN STREATHAM STREET AND PORTPOOL LANE. 
 
 82 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
83 
 
 ARTICLES OF IMPORTANCE IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND FITTING UP 
 OF DWELLINGS FOR THE LABOURING CLASSES, WITH ADDRESSES. 
 
 The best form of Soil Drain is probably that shown in the 
 margin, it may be cleansed without any other removal than that 
 of the upper tile, to which additional strength would be given by 
 making it convex. 
 
 The best form of Water Closet Pan and most economical 
 arrangement of Water Supply brought under the notice of the 
 Author is that by W. Patten, of Old Fish-street, Doctors’ Commons. Those by Mr. 
 Beggs, of Southampton-street, Strand, are also well worthy the notice of parties intending 
 to build, as are some of his other Sanitary appliances. The Pans and other Sanitary 
 Vessels manufactured by ltidgway and Co., of Cauldon-place, Staffordshire Potteries, 
 are of superior material. 
 
 Iron Pumps, arranged for supplying the reservoir of the water-closet described at 
 page 28, as well as for common house use, may be obtained, at 35s. each, of B. Fowler, 
 Whitefriars-street, Fleet-street, who also supplies iron pipes and sinks. The same 
 description of pump, with G feet of iron pipe, may be obtained, at 35 s. each, of W. 
 Williams, brick machine and agricultural implement maker, Bedford. 
 
 Ventilators, Dust Valves, Cottage Furnishing Ironmongery, including Galvanized 
 Iron Window Casements and Bars with suitable fastenings, <kc., are supplied by Hart 
 and Son, 53, Wych-street, Strand, at schedule prices. 
 
 The best English Cottage Range brought under the notice of the Author is that 
 manufactured by W. N. Nicholson, of Newark, to whom a prize was awarded by the 
 Royal Agricultural Society of England, at the York meeting in 1848, for “ the best and 
 cheapest grate or stove for cottages, combining safety and economy of fuel, with effec- 
 tual warmth'and facility for cooking.” The range, with oven and boiler, for a 3-feet 
 2-inch opening, is charged at 35s. without, and 41s. with a brass tap ; other sizes in 
 proportion. Bed-room stoves, with fire-brick backs, cast iron chimney-piece and shelf, 
 are supplied by the same manufacturer, at 8 d. to 9 cl. per inch in width. One, 24 inches 
 wide, a good bed-room size, costs lGs. Neat bed-room stoves, with metal bottom grates 
 and hobs, have been supplied to the Windsor Royal Society at the following prices — viz., 
 for 14-inch openings, 3s. Gd. each, 20-inch, 5s., and 27-iuch, 7s. Gd. 
 
 For Lodging-houses, Iron Bedsteads are recommended in preference to wood ; 
 those with patent joints, sold at the Bordsley Iron Works, Birmingham, and at No. 12, 
 Pantou-square, Piccadilly, also Mr. Burton, No. 39, Oxford-street, London, are well 
 made, and have the advantage of being easily taken to pieces ; their price varies 
 according to the value of iron ; if on castors, and japanned dark green, G feet 4 inches 
 long, and 2 feet 6 inches wide (the dimensions recommended), they have been sold at 
 15s. Gd. each, in quantities of not less than twelve ; 4 feet 6 inches wide for the Superin- 
 tendents, cost 23s. Gd. Between the mattrass and iron laths, a strong canvass bag, filled 
 with cut straw, which may be easily changed, has been found to answer well. 
 
 The Traps recommended for sinks are those of Lowe and Co., Salford, which can be 
 obtained through any Ironmonger. 
 
 Metallic Lava is supplied by Orsi'and Armani, Guildhall Chambers, Basinghall-street. 
 
 Seyssel Asphalte is supplied by the Asphalte Company, 15, Stangate, Lambeth. 
 
 Fire Clay Ovens, as manufactured at the Bovey Tracey Pottery, Devon, are found to 
 be cheap and useful articles, and are strongly recommended for general adoption. One 
 charged 10s. at the Works, is sufficiently large to bake with once heating five quarterns 
 of bread. The cost of heating is not more than three halfpence each time. In the 
 couutry, where firewood is cheap, it does not exceed one penny per time. The cost of 
 setting varies, but may be stated at from 15s. to 25s. or 30s. 
 
 THE ECONOMICAL MUSEUM, formed by Thomas Twining, Esq., in the grounds 
 of Perryn House, near the Railway Station, Twickenham, affords many facilities for 
 the comparing of various articles necessary in the construction and fitting up of 
 Labourers’ Dwellings, amongst which may be mentioned cooking and other stoves of 
 foreign manufacture, particularly those made by M. Godin Lemaire at Guise. 
 
84 
 
 DUTIES OF THE SUPERINTENDENT 
 
 OF 
 
 THE LODGING-HOUSE 
 
 FOR 
 
 UNMARRIED WORKMEN AND LABOURERS, 
 
 The Superintendent, together with his Wife, are expected to set an example of sobriety, 
 deconim, and exemplary conduct, abstaining from whatever might in any degree coun- 
 tenance in the Lodgers an infringement of the Rules for the general regulation of the 
 House. 
 
 He must faithfully account for all monies received by him or his wife from the 
 Lodgers, at such time, and in such manner, as is required by the owner of the House. 
 
 He is to keep a book, in which, besides a regular entry of the names, period of occu- 
 pancy, and payments made by each Lodger, a Record shall be kept of any particular 
 circumstance which may occur, either of the nature of complaint or otherwise. 
 
 The Superintendent is to occupy, free of rent, the apartments appropriated to him, 
 and lie will be allowed Fuel, Candles, Salt, Soap, and such other necessary articles a3 
 may bo required for keeping the house in proper order. 
 
 He is to bo responsible for all the Beds, Bedding, Furniture, and other effects in the 
 House, and, as far as is in his power, to preserve them, as well as the building and 
 fixtures, from injury. 
 
 He is, together with his wife, to keep the House, the Bedding, Furniture, &c., 
 scrupulously clean, and, to the best of his ability, conduct the establishment according 
 to the Rules laid down for its government ; in addition to which, the following 
 instructions arc to be carefully observed : — 
 
 J. No Lodgers to bo admitted who are filthy in their persons, or of known bad 
 character. 
 
 2. Although it is a Rule of the House that each Lodger shall pay his rent in advance, 
 yet, as from time to time it may occur that Lodgers of whom the Superintendent has 
 reason to form a good opinion may, from want of employment or other causes, be unable 
 to pay, he may give credit to such for two weeks, but no longer, and this indulgence is 
 not to be extended to more than three at any one time ; in every such case the arrear 
 may be paid gradually, but with as little delay as possible. 
 
 3. As it respects the notice required from a Lodger before he leaves the House, 
 although the Lodgers are weekly tenants, if, under peculiar and unforeseen circumstances, 
 a tenant is obliged to leave the House suddenly, or if he has been a tenant for three 
 months, any money paid by him in advance may be returned to him. 
 
 4. The duo observance of the Rules to which every Lodger subjects himself on his 
 admission is to be enforced by the Superintendent ; and in the discharge of this some- 
 what difficult part of his duty, he is expected to combine firmness with kindness, and to 
 abstain from all needless and vexatious interference w r ith the Lodgers. 
 
 6. In the management of the establishment, strict regard to economy must be 
 observed, so as to prevent all waste of the articles to be provided for the Lodgers, 
 which will comprise Fuel, Candles, Salt, and Soap. 
 
 6. In reference to the Books placed under the care of the Superintendent, he is to 
 keep a list of them, and to enter regularly the name of every Lodger to whom they are 
 lent, and to see that they are returned in good order. 
 
85 
 
 RULES 
 
 OF 
 
 THE LODGING-HOUSE 
 
 FOR 
 
 UNMARRIED WORKMEN AND LABOURERS, 
 
 AT 
 
 The Lodgers arc to be admitted by the Week, on payment of 
 
 per week, in advance, and to be subject to the 
 following Rules, which are intended for the general comfort of the Inmates, 
 and the good order of the Establishment : — 
 
 1. The House to be open from Five in the morning till Ten o’clock at night, subject 
 to alteration according to the season of the year and to the occupations of the lodgers. 
 
 2. The Lamp in the Bed-room to be lighted from Nine o’clock in the evening to 
 Half-past Ten o’clock, when it is to be extinguished. 
 
 3. As the occupancy is by the week, each Lodger must give the Superintendent at 
 least two days’ notice, before the end of the week, if it be his intention not to remain, 
 otherwise it will be considered that his occupancy is continued. 
 
 4. Each Lodger will be provided with a box and locker, for the security of his 
 property, the keys of which will be delivered to him on depositing the sum of One 
 Shilling, to be returned on the re-delivery of the keys. All property belonging to 
 the Lodgers must be considered as under their own care, and at their own risk. 
 
 5. Each Lodger will be provided with a tray, two plates, a basin, a jug, a cup and 
 saucer, or a metal cup, a knife, fork, and two spoons, which are to be under his own 
 care, and on leaving the House they are to be returned to the Superintendent in a 
 sound state. 
 
 6. The property of the Establishment is to be treated with due care, and, in 
 particular, no cutting or writing on the Tables, Forms, Chairs, or other articles, and 
 no defacing of the Walls, will be permitted. Any damage done by a Tenant is to bo 
 made good at his expense, or any article entrusted to him for his use, which may bo 
 lost or broken, is to bo reinstated at his expense. 
 
 7. No spirituous liquors to be brought into the House, or drunk there. No person 
 to be admitted or allowed to remain in a state of intoxication. No one, excepting 
 the Lodgers, to be admitted to the House, excepting with the permission of the 
 Superintendent. 
 
 8. No card-playing, gambling, quarrelling, fighting, profane or abusive language, 
 to be permitted ; and it is expected that the Superintendent and his Wife be treated 
 with respect : their duty in promoting the comfort of the Inmates will bo to see that 
 these Buies are strictly observed. 
 
 9. Habits of cleanliness are expected in the Lodgers, and any person guilty of 
 filthy or dirty practices, or rendering himself offensive to the other inmates, will not 
 be permitted to remain in the House. Smoking cannot be allowed in the Living- 
 Room or Bed-Room, but in the Kitchen only. 
 
 10. A wilful breach of any of the above Rules will subject the party to immediate 
 exclusion from the House ; but any money paid by him in advance will be returned 
 after deducting the rent then due, and the amount of any damage which he may have 
 done to the property. 
 
 11. It is expected that every Lodger will so conduct himself on the Sabbath, as not 
 to desecrate the day. 
 
 12. For the benefit of those who may wish to avail themselves of the opportunity, 
 the Holy Scrij)tures, and other books of an interesting and instructive character, will 
 be lent by the Superintendent, iu the hope that the Lodgers in this House will be 
 thereby induced to spend their leisure hours iu a profitable manner, as intelligent and 
 accountable beings. 
 
86 
 
 TERMS AND AGREEMENTS FOR LETTING COTTAGES. 
 
 Terms and Conditions of Letting the Cottages belonging to 
 
 © © © © 
 
 situate in the Parish ot and Comity of 
 
 1. The Rent to be paid punctually, as per Agreement. 
 
 2. All Rates and Taxes in respect of the House to be paid by the Landlord. 
 
 3. Either party may terminate the Tenancy at any tune, by giving a week’s notice 
 for that purpose. 
 
 4. Only one Family will be permitted to reside in a Cottage, and the Tenant is not 
 to underlet or take in a Lodger, or carry on any trade or business therein, or keep 
 poultry or a pig, without leave first obtained in writing from the Landlord or his 
 
 Agent. 
 
 5. The Windows are to be kept clean, and the Ground-Floor Chimneys are to be 
 swept once in Six Months. No alteration — by fixing or removing shelves or other 
 fixtures — is to be made, without permission of the Landlord or his Agent. 
 
 G. General outside repairs are to be done at the expense of the Landlord. 
 
 7. The Windows, Ovens, and Coppers, are to be kept in repair by the Landlord, 
 and the cost of such repairs to be re-paid by the Tenant ; as well as the cost of white- 
 washing once a year, with the making good of any damaged plastering. 
 
 8. The Fences to be kept in repair by the Landlord, and the cost of the repair to be 
 re-paid, in equal proportions, by the Tenants of the Cottages enclosed within such 
 Fence. 
 
 9. The re-payment agreed to in the Clauses numbered 7 and 8, as above, to be made 
 by the several tenants, within one week after payment thereof shall have been demanded 
 by the Landlord's Agent. 
 
 10. The Tenant to clear away the ashes, and to remove all manure, &c. , which may 
 have been laid near the Cottage, every week. 
 
 11. The Gardens in front of the Cottages to be kept in good order, and the Cottages 
 themselves in a neat and tidy state, to the satisfaction of the Landlord or his Agent. 
 
 12. Freo access to be given, at all times, to the Landlord, his Agent, Servants, or 
 Workmen. 
 
 FORM OF AGREEMENT. 
 
 does hereby agree with 
 
 to take of him the Cottage 
 
 from week to week, at the weekly rent of 
 
 to be paid by the said to the said 
 
 at the end of each week, subject to the terms and conditions 
 
 above specified. 
 
 As witness their hands, this _ 
 
 _ day of- 
 
 18 
 
 Witness. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
88 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 VIEW OF MODEL BUILDINGS NEAR BAGNIGGE WELLS. 
 
 Between the Lower Road, Pentonville, and Gray' s-Inn Road. 
 Commenced in 1844. 
 
 EXPLANATION OF THE ANNEXED PLAN. 
 
 The six houses. Nos. 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, and 11,* are the residences of twelve 
 families, each occupying a floor with two rooms ; the larger 13ft. by 10ft., 
 the smaller 10ft. 6in. by 7ft. 6in. All requisite conveniences are pro- 
 vided separately for each family, with distinct access to the upper floor. 
 
 1 he eight houses. Nos. 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, and 15, are the residences 
 of eight families, each having on the ground floor a living-room, 13ft. 6in. 
 by 12ft. 6in., with a lobby, enclosed recess for beds, closets, and a scullery 
 under the stairs, with a small court-yard : the upper floor, as shown by Nos. 
 12, 13, 14, and 15, is divided into two bed-rooms ; the larger 12ft. 6in., 
 by 10ft. 6in. the smaller 13ft. by 7ft. Gin. 
 
 The house. No. 3, is intended for the residence of thirty widows or aged 
 iemales, each having a room 12ft. 6in. by 8ft. 6in., approached by a 
 corridor, lighted and ventilated in the centre and at both ends. A sunk 
 wash-house for the use of the inmates of this house, is provided at the back 
 oi No 4, and one adjoining it, for the occasional use of the other tenants. 
 
 Additional houses, to accommodate three families, have been built on 
 the east side of the ground, towards the entrance ; these are not shown on 
 the Plan. 
 
 * The Albert cottages, recently built by the Metropolitan Association in Albert- 
 street, Spitalfields, resemble these houses in their general arrangement, but with the 
 addition of a kitchen at the back. A plan of them is given at page 137. 
 
BACK OF HOUSES TOWARDS THE LOWER ROAD, PENTONVILLE. 
 
 89 
 
 / 
 
 100 feet. 
 
Living Room, 
 Lighted by Skylight. 
 
 Scullery 
 
 Bath Room, 
 
 Bed Room. 
 
 Superintendt.’s 
 
 Apartment. 
 
 Bed Room. 
 
 TUE RENOVATED LODGING-HOUSE, CHARLES-STREET, DRURY-LANE. 
 
 hound- Floor Plan of the Renovated Lodging- House , Charles- street, Drury-lane, 
 to accommodate 82 Single Men. 
 
 Note.— This House was formed out of three old Houses. 
 10 5 0 10 20 
 
 ■ ■ 1 
 
 30 feel. 
 
THE MODEL LODGING.-HOUSE IN GEORGE-ST11EET, BLOOMSBURY. 
 
 To Accommodate 104 Working-men. 
 Commenced in 1846. 
 
 PLAN OF FOUR FLOORS OF DORMITORIES. 
 
 PLAN OF GROUND FLOOR. 
 
 Scale of m 
 
 sojiet. 
 
 Vm/tlulor . *!! 
 
PLAN OF FIRST FLOOR. 
 
 05 
 
 TUB MODEL LODGING-HOUSE FOR 104 WORKING MEN, IN GEORGE-STREET. 
 
 Slai reuse. 
 
 A. Press Bed. 
 
 B. Linen Press 
 
 C. Library. 
 
 D. Stores. 
 
 E. Pay Window 
 
 PLANS OF THE MODEL LODGING-HOUSE, No. 76 , HATTON GARDEN. 
 TO ACCOMMODATE 54 SINGLE MEN. 
 
 10 5 0 
 
 10 20 30 40 
 

 97 
 
 SOUTH AND WEST SIDE OF INTERNAL QUADRANGLE TO MODEL HOUSES, STREATIIAM-STRBET, 
 THE ENCLOSURE WALL ON THE EAST SIDE BEING REMOVED. 
 
 
 
 THE MODEL HOUSES FOR FAMILIES, IN STREATHAM-STREET, BLOOMSBURY. 
 
 ( For plans of this building, sec succeeding pages.) 
 
 
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PLAN OF GBOUND FLOOR. 
 
 
 101 
 
 6TREATHAM STREET. 
 
 
 Hv. Roberts, F.S.A., Hon.Archt. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 V * 
 

 104 
 
 THE THANKSGIVING MODEL BUILDINGS IN PORTPOOL-LANE, 
 
 GRAY’S-INN-LANE. 
 
 Accommodating 20 Families and 128 Single JJ omen. 
 
 INCLUDING A PUBLIC WASHHOUSE AND BATHS. 
 
 Lffl 
 
VIEW OF T1IE EAST S1DB OF THB THANKSGIVING MODEL BUILDINGS, PORTPOOL-LAWE, GRAT'S-INN LANE. 
 
 For these Buildings, as stated in p. 12, a spacious freehold site, eligibly situated 
 in Portpool-lane, Gray’s-Inn-lane, was purchased, and Model Dwellings raised for 
 twenty families, and for one hundred and twenty-eight single women ; whilst an 
 existing building has been converted into a Washhouse for the use of the neighbour- 
 hood, and tho tenants of the Model Dwellings, for whose use two Baths are also 
 provided. 
 
 The twenty families occupy two distinct buildings, of four stories in height — one 
 building having three tenements, with three rooms each on a floor ; the other having two 
 tenements, with two rooms each on a floor— a scullery and other requisite conveniences 
 have been provided separately for each family, whilst to both houses there is an open 
 staircase, and to the larger one a gallery of communication, by which means complete 
 ventilation is secured. In their arrangement it has been the aim of the Honorary 
 Architect to show how the disadvantages of an enclosed common staircase may, in a 
 great measure, be obviated ; and to offer two models of houses, one adapted to the 
 accommodation of two, and the other of three families on a floor. 
 
 The one hundred and twenty-eight single young women, of whom the majority aro 
 supposed to be poor needlewomen, occupy sixty-four rooms, in a building of four 
 stories, divided by a central staircase ; a corridor on either side forms a lobby to eight 
 rooms, each 12ft. 6m. long, by 9ft. Gin. wide, sufficiently large for two persons. They 
 are fitted up with two bedsteads, a table, chairs, and a washing-stand. The charge is 
 one shilling per week for each person, or two shillings per room. This building is 
 intended to meet the peculiar and difficult circumstances of a class of persons on whose 
 behalf much public sympathy has been justly excited, and for whom no suitable 
 provision had hitherto been made by the Society. 
 
 The Washhouse, 60ft. long by 20ft. broad, (formerly a brewhouse), has washing- 
 troughs for thirty-four persons, and in a gallery ironing-tables for tewlve persons ; a 
 wringing apparatus and twelve drying-horses, heated with hot water. The arrange- 
 ments for this establishment are made with a view to avoid confusion, by keeping tho 
 various processes as distinct as possible. 
 
 With the exception of the Washhouse roof, the buildings are of fire-proof con- 
 struction, on a plan similar to that adopted in the Society’s Model Houses for Families 
 in Streatham-street. 
 
 DESCRIPTION OF THE PLAN. 
 
 A Entrance to Model Building for 128 Single Women. I C Entrance to Model Building for Eight Families. 
 B Entrance to Model Building for Twelve Families. | D Entrance to Public Washhouse. 
 
 a Living-rooms. 6 Bed-rooms. e Sculleries. d Water-closets. e Entrance-lobbies. / Galleries and 
 landings from staircase. q Staircases, h Euclos ore for light and ventilation. * Sunk areas. * Chimney- 
 shaft from boiler of washhouse. I Pay-office for the Superintendent of the Washing Establishment, Ac. 
 rn Staircase to the Gallery, with Ironing Tables, to the Baths, and to the dwelling apartments of the Superinten- 
 dent. n Pay-lobby to Washhouse, o Washing troughs, with slate enclosures, p Wringing machine. ? Sliding 
 horses for drying linen, r Covered way leading down to the Basement. 
 
 Note.— The Washhouse is lighted and ventilated from the roof, and has a Gallery on one side, with a range of 
 
 Ironing Table?, 
 

107 
 
 THE ASYLUM FOR DESTITUTE SAILORS, 
 
 DOCK-STREET, LONDON DOCK. 
 
 ELEVATION. 
 
 PLAN OF DORMITORY FLOOR. 
 
 The open Roof extends over the Superintendent’s Apartments, and is ventilated at each end. 
 
 With an additional Story this building would accommodate with berths 150 persons. It is adapted for the 
 Model of a Caravansary Lodging-house, (See note, p. 15). 
 
 
 PLAN OF GROUND FLOOR. 
 
 The Yard contains arrangements for Washing, with a Stove for Drying and Purifying Clothes, 
 a Bath and other requisite conveniences. 
 
 ± 
 
 £ 
 
 6C feet 
 
 to 
 
 5 
 
 10 
 
 d= 
 
 30 
 
 40 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ' • 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
109 
 
 PLAN OF TWO OF THE TENEMENTS IN THE STREA TII AM-STREET 
 MODEL HOUSES FOR FAMILIES. 
 
 BUILT BY THE SOCIETY FOR IMPROVING THE CONDITION OF THE LABOURING CLASSES. 
 
 Open Gallery, 5 feet wide. 
 
 A Living Room. 
 B Bed Room. 
 
 C Bed Room. 
 
 D Lobby. G Bed Closet. 
 
 E Seullery. H Sink. 
 
 F W. C. and Dust. I Meat Safe. 
 
 PLAN OF TWO OF THE TENEMENTS IN THE DWELLINGS FOll 
 LABOURERS AT BIRKENHEAD. 
 
 BUILT BY THE BIRKENHEAD DOCK COMPANY. 
 
 A Living Room. 
 B Bed Room. 
 
 C Bed Room. 
 
 D Cupboard 
 
 10 5 0 
 
 E Scullery. 
 F W. Closet. 
 G Pipes. 
 
 I Sink. 
 
 10 20 
 
 L Lobby. 
 
 M Staircase 
 Landing. 
 N Entrance. 
 
 30 40 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 . 
 
 
Ill 
 
 PLAN OF TWO OF THE TENEMENTS IN THE FAMILY HOUSES FOR 
 WORKMEN, ST. PA NORAS. 
 
 BUILT BY THE METROPOLITAN ASSOCIATION. 
 
 A Living Room. D Cupboard. I Staircase. 
 
 B Bed Boom. E W. Closet. K Dust Shaft. 
 
 C Bed Room. F Scullery. L Sink. 
 
 PLAN OF TWO OF THE TENEMENTS IN THE FAMILY HOUSES FOR 
 WORKMEN, SPICER-STREET, SPITALFIELDS. 
 
 BUILT BY THE METROPOLITAN ASSOCIATION. 
 
 A Living Boom. 
 B Bed Boom. 
 
 C Bed Boom. 
 
 D Lobby. 
 
 E W. C. and Dust. 
 F Scullery. 
 
 G Pantry. 
 
 H Cupboard. 
 
 I Sink. 
 
 J Landing of 
 Staircase. 
 K Entrance. 
 
 10 
 
 0 
 
 10 
 
 20 
 
 30 feet. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
113 
 
 DOUBLE HOUSES FOR FAMILIES, ADAPTED TO TOWNS, WITH THREE 
 
 BED ROOMS EACH. 
 
 ELEVATION. 
 
 PLAN OF UPPER FLOOR. 
 
 PLAN OF GROUND FLOOR. 
 
 I 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
115 
 
 DOUBLE nOUSES ADAPTED TO TOWNS, WITH FOUR DISTINCT TENEMENTS 
 ON TWO FLOORS, EACH HAVING TWO BED ROOMS. 
 
 ELEVATION. 
 
 PLAN OF GROUND FLOOR. 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
117 
 
 FOR WORKMEN’S DWELLINGS IN TOWNS, 
 
 TO BE BUILT IN PAIRS, OR IN A ROW. 
 
 PLANS OF A DOUBLE HOUSE FOR ONE FAMILY IN EACH. 
 
 FIRST-FLOOR PLAN. 
 
 A Living Room. 
 B Scullery. 
 
 C Pantry. 
 
 I) Fuel Storo. 
 E Staircase. 
 
 F Porch. 
 
 PLANS OF A HOUSE, WITH FOUR DISTINCT TENEMENTS ON TWO FLOORS. 
 BEINO THAT ADOPTED FOR THE EXHIBITION MODEL HOUSES, 1851, p. 121. 
 
 THE UPPER FLOOR 13 APPROACHED BY AN OPEN STAIRCASE. 
 

 
 
 
 
 . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
120 
 
 H.R.H. PRINCE ALBERT’S MODEL HOUSES FOR FOUR FAMILIES. 
 
 Amongst tlie vast collection of objects presented in the Great Exhibition of 1851, the visitor 
 who estimated their real value and importance, not by the cost or labour of production, not by 
 the artistic merit or gorgeous effect, but by their adaptation to advance the physical, the social, 
 and the moral condition of the great masses of the people — of those who form the basis of the 
 social edifice, would justly and gratefully appreciate the unpretendiug contribution made by His 
 Royal Highness the Prince Albert, of Model Houses for Families, of the class of manufacturing 
 and mechanical operatives. 
 
 His Royal Highness had this building raised on his own account, with a desire of conveying 
 practical information calculated to promote the much needed improvement of the dwellings of 
 the Working Classes, and also of stimulating Visitors to the Exhibition, whose position and 
 circumstances enable them to carry out similar undertakings, and thus, without pecuniary 
 sacrifice, permanently to benefit those who are greatly dependent on others for their home and 
 family comforts. 
 
 In its general arrangement, the building is adapted for the occupation of four families of the 
 class of manufacturing and mechanical operatives, who usually reside in towns, or in their 
 immediate vicinity ; and as the value of land, which leads to the economizing of space, by the 
 placing of more than one family under tho same roof, in some cases, renders the addition of a 
 third story desirable, tlip plan has been suited to such an arrangement, without any other 
 alteration than the requisite increase in the strength of the walls. 
 
 The most prominent peculiarity of the design is that of the receding and protected central 
 open staircase, with the connecting gallery on the first floor, formed of slate, and sheltered from 
 the weather by the continuation of the main roof, which also screens the entrances to the dwellings. 
 
 The four tenements are arranged on precisely the same plan, two on each floor. 
 
 The entrance is through a small lobby, lighted from the upper part of the door. 
 
 The living-room has a superficial area of about 150 feet, with a closet on one side of the fire- 
 place, to which warm air may be introduced from the back of the range ; over the fire-place is 
 an iron rod for hanging pictures ; and on the opposite side of the room a shelf is carried above 
 the doors, with a rail fixed between them. 
 
 The scullery is fitted up with a sink, beneath which is a coal-bin of slate ; a plate-rack at one 
 end, drained by a slate slab into the sink, covers the entrance to the dust-shaft, which is enclosed 
 by a balanced self-acting iron door. The dust-shaft leads into a closed depository under the stairs, 
 aud has a ventilating flue, carried up above the roof. The meat-safe is ventilated through the 
 hollow brickwork, and shelves are fixed over the doors. A dresser-flap may be fixed against 
 the partition. 
 
 The sleeping apartments, being three in number, provide for that separation which, with a 
 family, is so essential to morality and decency. Each has its distinct access, and a window 
 into the open air ; two have fire-places. 
 
 The children’s bed-rooms contain 50 feet superficial each, and, opening out of the living-room, 
 an opportunity is afforded for the exercise of parental watchfulness, without the unwholesome 
 crowding of the living-room, by its use as a sleeping apartment. 
 
 The parents’ bed-room, with a superficial area of about 100 feet, is entered through the 
 scullery — an arrangement in many respects preferable to a direct approach from the living-room, 
 particularly in case of sickness. The recess in this room provides a closet for linen. In each of 
 the bed-rooms a shelf is carried over the door, with a rail fixed beneath it. 
 
 The water-closet is fitted up with a Staffordshire glazed basiu v 'whicli is complete without any 
 wood fittings, aud supplied with water from a slate cistern in common of 100 gallons, placed on 
 the roof over the party aud staircase walls. Tho same pipes wliich carry away the rain water 
 from the roof serve for the use of the closets. 
 
 Constructive Arrangement. — The peculiarities of the building in this respect are, the exclusive 
 use of hollow bricks for the walls and partitions (excepting the foundations, which are of ordinary 
 brickwork), and the entire absence of timber in the floors and roof, wliich are formed with flat 
 arches of hollow brickwork, risiug from 8 to 9 inches, set in cement, and tied in by wrought-iron 
 rods connected with cast-iron springers, which rest on tho external walls, and bind the whole 
 structure together ; the building is thus rendered fire-proof, and much less liable to decay than 
 those of ordinary construction. The roof arching, which is levelled with concrete, and covered 
 with patent metallic lava, secures the upper rooms from the liability to changes of temperature 
 to which apartments next the roof are generally subject, and the transmission of sound, as well 
 as the percolation of moisture, so common through ordinary floors, is effectually impeded by the 
 hollow-brick arched floors. The external and main internal walls are of longitudinal bonded 
 brickwork. 
 
 The advantages afforded by the use of hollow bricks, in securing an effective system of insen- 
 sible ventilation, deserves particular notice. Fresh air is admitted from a suitable point of the 
 exterior of the building to a chamber at the back of the living-room fire-place, where, being 
 warmed, it may be conducted to any convenient place of exit above the level at which the fresh 
 air is admitted. Vitiated air may be conveyed either into the chimney flue or to any other 
 suitable place of exit through the upper wall courses. 
 
 The glazed surface of the bricks used in the two upper-floor living-rooms, and at the foot of 
 the staircase, shows a very superior mode of superseding all plastering and colouring. 
 
 The fire-proof construction, and the general arrangement of the fittings, are such as have been 
 used in the Model Houses built by the Society for Improving the Condition of the Labouring 
 Classes, under the direction of the Author, who designed and acted for Ui9 .Royal .Highness as 
 honorary architect to this building. 
 
121 
 
 MODEL HOUSES FOR FOUR FAMILIES, 
 
 ERECTED BY COMMAND OK 
 
 HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCE ALBERT, K.G., 
 
 AT THE EXPOSITION OF THE WORKS OF INDUSTRY OF ALL NATIONS, 1851, 
 
 And subsequently rebuilt in Kenninyton New Park, Surrey. 
 
 Living Hoorn, 
 I Ur. Jin. by 
 10ft. 4in.‘ 
 
 Parents 
 15e<J Room, 
 
 1 Ifl.ftin.by'jft. 
 
 Scullerv. 
 
 Lobby. 
 
 Parents’ 
 Red Room, 
 
 1 Iit.6in.by9ft. 
 
 Scullery. 
 
 ! • a 
 
 * •*- £ ^ 
 
 E'S 
 
 E Si jS 
 
 8s 
 
 <= -~ I ■ 
 
 C-o 
 
 CC *0 gj 
 
 *2-^* 
 
 2-' in 
 
 £ - 
 
 CC .w Jflj 
 
 
 
 ! LiviiiK Room, | 
 
 14ft. Jin. by R 
 
 tort 
 
 4in. gjn 
 
 
 A Sink, with Coal Box under. 
 
 B Plate Rack over entrance to Dust Shaft, D. 
 C Meat Safe, ventilated through hollow bricks. 
 
 10 5/ 0 10 
 
 E Staircase of Slate, with Dust Place under. 
 
 F Cupboard warmed from back of Fireplace. 
 G Linen Closet in this recess if required. 
 
 oo 30 40 feet. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
12 \i 
 
 C/2 
 
 b 
 
 O 
 
 H 
 
 S5 
 
 C/2 
 
 o 
 
 a 
 
 I — I 
 
 3 
 
 a 
 
 a 
 
 a 
 
 i/2 
 
 a 
 
 kpH 
 
 a 
 
 Ph 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 a 
 
 C/2 
 
 a 
 
 < 
 
 a 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
125 
 
 THE WINDSOR ROYAL SOCIETY. 
 
 UNDER THE PATRON AO E OF HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN AND OF H.R.II. TUF, PRINCE CONSORT. 
 
 This Society, formed in 1852 to promote and carry out the improvement of the dwellings 
 of the working chisses in Windsor, is constituted on the principle of a joint-stock company, 
 with a capital of 0000/. , to bo raised in 10/. shares, and is empowered to increase the same, 
 which has been subsequently done to 10,000/. The amount of dividend payable to the share- 
 holders is limited to 5 per cent., leaving any surplus return available for the extension of the 
 Society’s operations. Donations are also received from those who prefer thus aiding the 
 objects of the Society, but they are to be strictly applied to office expenses, or to such other 
 outlay its may fairly be considered to be peculiar to the working of a company in distinction 
 from the operations of a private builder. 
 
 Freehold ground, between the Long Walk and the Cavalry Barracks, containing nearly H 
 acre, has been purchased for 288/., and laid out for the erection of two rows of houses, opposite 
 one another, together accommodating about forty families, each having a small garden. 
 
 The contract for building one half of these houses amounts to 2240/. They are arranged in 
 five blocks, the centre block, and the two corner blocks, each combining two plans, and the 
 remaining blocks being alike in plan. There are four tenements on each of theso live plans — 
 twelve of them have three, and eight have two bed-rooms. 
 
 The centre building, 90 feet in length, contains eight tenements — four on the ground-floor, 
 and four on the upper-floor. The middle compartment, which is on the plan of H.R.H. 
 Prince Albert’s Exhibition Model Houses, somewhat increased in scale, consists of four tene- 
 ments, each having three bed-rooms. On cither side is a house arranged for two families, one 
 above the other, with distinct entrance access — these tenements have two bed-rooms. The floor 
 between the two stories is of hollow brick, fire-proof. 
 
 The next building, on either side, 36 feet in length, is a pair of double cottages, with living- 
 room, scullery, pantry, and three bed-rooms above. 
 
 Each of the two extreme buildings, 70 feet in length, comprises four cottages, with living- 
 room, scullery, and pantry ; the ceutro cottages have two bed-rooms above, the two outer 
 cottages have three bed-rooms above. 
 
 The centre building on the opposite side, which cost about 320/. , combines a superintendent’s 
 residence, a bake-house, wash-house, bath, fuel store, and a 3000 gal. slate cistern, for the 
 general supply of the houses. 
 
 The arrangement of the several buildings is shown on the annexed plans. They are con- 
 structed in hollow bricks, similar to those used in the Exhibition Model Houses. 
 
 With a view to facilitate the adoption, in other places, of the plans of these buildings, de- 
 signed by the Author, who has acted as honorary architect to the Windsor Royal Society, 
 working drawings have been lithographed, and are published by the Society for Improving the 
 Condition of the Working Classes, 21, Exeter Hall. 
 
 A spacious house has been taken by the same Society, and fitted up aa a lodging-house for 
 50 single men : its arrangement being, in many respects, applicable to other places, plans of the 
 several floors are given. See page 135. 
 
 A statement having been published of the cost of the above-described houses, which is baseu 
 exclusively on the amounts given for each set or block of cottages in the lowest Tender, in 
 order to prevent an erroneous conclusion being drawn therefrom as to the relative cost of tht 
 several blocks of building, the following abstract is given of the two lowest Tenders, and the 
 average amounts of the five Tenders made the 31st of May, 1852, in answer to public advertise- 
 ment. 
 
 Lowest Tender. Next Lowest Tender. 
 
 Per Tenement Per Tenement. 
 
 Tile centre block of houses for 8 families . . £868 0 0 or 108 10 0 .. £775 13 9 or 96 19 3 
 
 Two pair of double cottages for 4 families . . 42U 0 0,, 105 0 0.. 476 3 2,, 119 0 9 
 
 Two blocks of houses for 8 families 834 0 0,, 104 5 0.. 863 17 6 ,, 107 19 8 
 
 Extra concrete to foundations, soft water and 1 , „ 12" 10 0 
 
 manure tanks, cesspools, and drains . . / 11 & ( 
 
 £ 2240 5 0 £2243 4 5 
 
 Average amounts of the Jive tenders. 
 
 The centre block of houses for 8 families . . .£916 10 9 or 119 6 4 per tenement. 
 
 Two pair of double cottagesfor 4 families. . . . 560 U 7 ,, 110 0 2 ditto. 
 
 Two blocks of houses for 8 families 1077 11 6 ,, 134 14 0 ditto. 
 
 Extra concrete to foundations, soft water and j if « 
 manure tanks, cesspools and drains. . . . f 0 
 
 £ 2709 19 6 
 
 It ought, further, to bo observed, that for the tenements in the centre block (which are 
 arranged in flats on two stories), the extent of frontage occupied, the relative cost of drainage, 
 of water supply, of fencing, and of road-making, is less in proportion per tenement than to tlr 
 self-contained houses. 
 
 The highest weekly rents, including rates and taxes, which under ord inary circumstances ought 
 to be expected for such tenements, are 3s. 6 d. for those with two bed-rooms, and 4s. 6 d. for loose 
 with three bed-rooins, in the centre block ; 4s. for the two-bed -roomed, and 5s. for the three- 
 bed-roomed tenements in the self-contained cottages. Higher charges than these might lead, 
 iu the three-bed-roomed houses, to the very objectionable practice of taking in lodgers. 
 
 In many places, where building is less expensive than at Windsor, the rents would be 
 remunerative at a lower rate. 
 
THE WINDSOR ROYAL SOCIETY’S COTTAGES FOR THE WORKING CLASSES. 
 

 ♦ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ELEVATION OF THE CENTRE BUILDING. 
 
 130 
 
 m 
 
 i-H 
 
 O 
 
 <5 
 
 CL- 
 
 c 
 
 cc 
 
 z 
 
 8 VS 5 vst 
 
 uiooy pay 
 
 8 IJ9 f q fi V6 
 uiooy pay 
 
 E B 
 
 ^ : •. ijdipws 
 
 -J 
 
 V19 Aq 8 ’J6 
 uiooy pay 
 
 U9 Aq 8Wf, 
 *inooy pay 
 
 9 «6 Aq W21 
 cuooy pay 
 
 V6 Aq w?i 
 
 uiooy pay 
 
 U9 Aq 8 *J6 
 uiooy pay 
 
 W Aq 8 V6 
 uiooy pay 
 
 Z V8 Aq Z Vol 
 uiooy paa 
 
 Ajoiiuoc 
 
 « * 
 
 
 8 1J9 Aq R U6 
 uiooy paa 
 
 I 
 
 8 , 
 
 8- 
 
 C.1 
 
 
 
 
 GROUND-FLOOR PLAN. 
 
131 
 
 WINDSOR ROYAL SOCIETY’S COTTAGES. 
 
 WOH’MW / 
 
 tYYiTn/7 
 
 PLANS OF THE COTTAGES FOR FOUR FAMILIES. 
 
 Scullery 
 lOfl 2 by 6ft 8 
 
 Living Room 
 13ft 6 by 12ft 6 
 
 
 • 
 
 
 'lisj 
 
 |o« c 
 
 
 
 w col 
 
 iwco 
 
 
 
 C"’c| 
 
 ■Tools 
 
 
 
 F Tools! 
 
 Ton try 
 
 Lobby i 
 
 Scullery 
 9ft 4 by 7 ft 5 I 
 
 Living Room 
 13ft 6 by 12ft 6 
 
 Pantry 
 
 Scullery 
 10ft 2 by Oft 8 
 
 Living Room 
 14ft 10 by 12ft 6 
 
 Lobby ; 
 
 Living Room 
 14ft 10 by 12ft 6 
 
 I; Pantry 
 
 ij Lobby 
 
 Scullery 
 9ft 4 by 7ft 5 
 
 Tantry 
 
 | ; Lobby 
 
 SO 10 20 30 feet 
 
 l . . « . I I » — — — * 
 
 GROUND-FLOOR PLAlN. 
 
 K 2 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 . 
 
 
 
 
 
WINDSOR ROYAL SOCIETY’S COTTAGES. 
 
 134 
 
135 
 
 WINDSOR ROYAL SOCIETY’S MODEL LODGING HOUSE 
 FOR 50 SINGLE MEN. 
 
 A. Ventilating Shafts. 
 GROUND-FLOOR PLAN. 
 
 >. L ~ 
 
 FIRST-FLOOR PLAN. 
 
 A Yard. C Superintendent’s W. C. E Lodgers’ W. C. G Sink. 
 
 B Urinals. D Ditto Sink. F Dust-bin. H Plate-rack. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ' 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
13 - 
 
 COTTAGES BUILT BY THE METROPOLITAN ASSOCIATION. 
 
 ALBERT COTTAGES, ALBERT STREET, SPITALFI ELDS. 
 
 ALEXANDRA COTTAGES, PENGE, SURREY. 
 
 10 SOFT 
 
 L 
 
 / 
 

 
 . 
 
 . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 * 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
139 
 
 COTTAGES Bl ILT BY THE METROPOLITAN SOCIETY AT PENCE, SURREY 
 
 elevation. 
 
 - ' 
 
 ' . 
 
 
 
 ~E 
 
 ED ROOM. 
 
 n'.sxis.o’ L fj 
 
 h 1 
 
 bed room 
 
 3 J 
 
 
 
 TWO-PAIR PLAN IN ROOF. 
 
 10 0 
 ! M i I 1 ■ 1 I 
 
 to 2 O JO 4C Fcct. 
 
 J 1 1 1 
 
 Cottages on this plan, built by C. H. Bracebridge, Esq , were described in his paper read at the Meeting 
 for Social Science, Birmingham, 1857 . 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
N? 4. 
 
 
 jr° 4. 
 
 n° <5. 
 
 M? 4. 
 
 N° 2 or 5 . 
 
 2f° 3 l. 3 or 8 may be substz&Uect / "or J\7°8. anal- J7° 7 fbrA' B 4-. 
 
 10 5 o io 2o so 40 so eo 70 80 90 190 Teet 
 
 l iintmil— _ .1 — It Jr. - I. -1_ < ~= J 
 
 TjayiSm.Zit/i^to th* Qatoi*. 
 

 ■ 
 
 
 . 
 
 
 
N° I DOUBLE COTTACES WITH ONE BED ROOM 
 
 
 
 FRONT ELEVATION 
 
 Euy l San Ulh. r ‘U> lk»(huen. 
 
N9 2 DOUBLE COTTAGES WITH TWO BED ROOMS 
 
 UPPER FLOOR PLAN 
 
 GROUND FLOOR PLAN 
 
 
 aoFeet 
 
 J)u,y b Son, hftf'bo the Queen.. 
 
 

N?3. DOUBLE COTTACES WITH THREE BED ROOMS. 
 
 FRONT ELEVATION 
 
 Scm^Litb tfo tfrzJgK'. 
 

 
 . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
N B 4 DOUBLE COTTAGES WITH THREE BED ROOMS 
 
 CROUND FLOOR PLAN 
 
 «or«et 
 
 
 
 Bay Ji Jem. litkvtotke Queen 
 

N?5. DOUBLE COTTACES WITH THREE BED ROOMS. 
 
 . / 
 
 
 {kzetn,. 
 
. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
N?6 DOUBLE COTTAGES WITH THREE BED ROOMS 
 
 FRONT ELEVATION 
 
 UPPER FLOOR PLAN. 
 
 GROUND FLOOR PLAN 
 
 F* 
 
 -JI-- 
 
 

 
 
 
N° 7 DOUBLE COTTAGES WITH THRLE BEO ROOMS 
 ONE ON CROUND FLOOR & TWO ON UPPER FLOOR 
 
 / 
 
 Day Jc Sun liirr/U tfutf/wten 
 
 
N°8. DOUBLE COTTACES FOR TWO FAMILIES IN EACH. 
 
 FRONT ELEVATION 
 
 GROUND FLOOR PLAN 
 
 il o t e . J 1 ' or fw Feet oi ■ ‘ioceoi u 'tie oepth of tlo*** :i*.. . • ' ■ 
 
 Ism? Ls.csu,Sfiez 'rsie rructwbe Ui*.cr„ fh ■> ttw. Zaejf A-o ' Ac's . 
 
 IF BUILT IN A ROW 
 
N<? 9 SINCLE COTTACES SUITABLE FOR CATE LODCES 
 
 
 CROUND FLOOR PLAN. 
 
 CROUND FLOOR PLAN. 
 
 30 Feet 
 
 
 FRONT ELEVAT ION. 
 
 UPPER FLOOR PLAN 
 
 ■- u Oi. 
 
 Bed Room 
 10 € tiy 6.8 
 
 Bed. Roam 
 12 0ty7.6 
 
 Bed Room 
 
 116 trio. 0 
 
 
 
 UPPER FLOOR PLAN 
 
 -Dc&- f Son, Z ’■(A' Ts id tZu Qaee/i 
 

 
 
 
 
 ■ 
 
 
 

 Eh 
 
 -I 
 
 f k 4 
 
 
 : 
 
 
 L J 
 
 CROUND FLOOR PLAN . 
 
 
 
 10 20 &o *0 Peet 
 
 - 1 - 
 
 :r/ 1 ' s \ Qu.44n 
 

 
 ■ 
 
 
 
 
 
 391 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 N? II. DOUBLE COTTACES WITH FLiNT FAC INC, BRICK QUOINS & COPIN C 
 
 THE CHARACTER OF THIS ELEVATION IS APPLICABLE TO 
 MOST OF THE PRECEDINC DESICNS. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 N° 12 . A PAIR OF LABOURER'S COTTAGES. WITH THREE BED ROOMS 
 
 
 ELEVATION OF THE LEAST EXPENSIVE CHARACTER 
 
 10 5 c 10 20 30 Fee*. 
 
 - r -i -i . T . "t - ■ ■ ^ 
 
 DaydSon {LtnJodJ Llk London. VC- 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
I 
 
 
GETTY RESEARCH INSTITUTE 
 
 3 3125 01049 7127 
 
 
 y' Jmt 
 
 JBF l mi \