Yours truly,
James Vetch.
Edwin Chadwick, Esq.,
&c. &c. &c.
London, 1st March, 1842.
6.—Evidence of George Gutch, Esq., District Surveyor, on Shifting and Building of Inferior Tenements in the Suburbs to avoid the Provisions of the Metropolis Building Act.
Is there any distinction in the character of the buildings built out of the limits of the Metropolitan Building Act, or out of the limits of your own district as surveyor?—Yes; there is a less expensive description of buildings built out of these limits. In the adjoining parish of Kensington, there are tenements run up four stories in height with only a nine-inch wall from the top to the bottom, whereas in any parish under the Building Act the walls of the same description of houses would be required to be 18 inches thick in the basement and 14 inches upwards: this, however, is not a sized house for the occupation of the poorer classes. At the Potteries, Notting Dale, Kensington, however, there is a nest of houses huddled together without party-walls and without drainage; many of them are built of wood and four-inch work, and of such materials as would not be permitted where the Building Act is in force. This is with reference to houses which are contiguous to each other.
Have you not seen instances where sewers are made and drains in action where the state of the premises is nevertheless dangerous?—Yes; only recently the parochial officers of Paddington inspected the workhouses and buildings belonging to the Kensington union, when we found the drains formed but not trapped, and the inmates exposed to the foul air from the drains themselves. I have read Mr. Oldfield’s statement, and I think it very true and very important.
7.—Estimate by Mr. Howell, of the Cost of Structural Arrangements of Sewerage, Drainage, Water-tank, and means of House Cleansing for Labourers’ Tenements in the Metropolis.
| FEET | £ | s. | d. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55. | Drain and digging, with pantile bottom, three courses high, arched over and cemented | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| 10. | Small drain from water pipe | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| 46. | Sup. slate slab cistern, 4 ft. by 3 ft. 9, and 2 ft. deep, holding 150 gallons | 4 | 12 | 0 |
| 62. | Three-quarter pipe to serve cistern, including joints and fixing | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 12. | Three-quarter pipe to serve yard, including joints and fixing | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Two three-quarter cocks—10s.; one cock-ball and boss—8s. | 0 | 18 | 0 | |
| 7. | Inch standing and under waste | 0 | 10 | 6 |
| 1¾ washer and waste | 0 | 2 | 6 | |
| Pan closet, with basin, &c., complete | 3 | 10 | 0 | |
| Strong D. trap—20s., service box—10s. 6d. | 1 | 10 | 6 | |
| Cover to cistern | 0 | 15 | 0 | |
| 20 | 5 | 0 | ||
| Deduct 7½ per cent. if done at contract prices. | 1 | 10 | 0 | |
| 18 | 15 | 0 |