Dr. F.W. Barry's report to the Local Government Board on the general sanitary circumstances of the Walker urban district / [Fred. W. Barry].

  • Barry, Frederick W. (Frederick William), 1850-1897
Date:
[1883]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Dr. F.W. Barry's report to the Local Government Board on the general sanitary circumstances of the Walker urban district / [Fred. W. Barry]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Dr. F. W. Barry’s Report to the Local Government Board on the General Sanitary Circumstances of the Walker Urban District. George Buchanan, Medical Department, August 22, 1883. Area, 1,200 acres ; rateable value (1«82), 29,508/. Population (1871) 8,888, (1881) 9,527 ; inhabited houses (1881), 848. Persons per house (1881), 11*2; persons per acre (1881), 7'9. I. General Description.—Walker is situated at the south-west angle of the Tynemouth Union, in the parish and registration sub-district of Long Benton. It is somewhat triangular in form, and is bounded on the west by the borough of Newcastle-on-Tyne, on the north by the rural portion of Long Benton parish and by the Wallsend Urban Sanitary District, and on the east by the Biver Tyne. The bulk of the inhabitants live in that portion of the district known as Low Walker, which is more or less parallel with the river. The chief industries are iron and ship- bulding works. Formerly a large number of the inhabitants were engaged in alkali manufacture, but these works have been discontinued. The population has increased 7 * 2 per cent, between the censuses of 1871 and 1881. II. Streets and Divelling-houses.—A considerable number of the houses in Walker are well constructed, and occupy the sides of well-formed streets. A great many are, however, built and placed in a manner which must prejudicially affect the health of the inhabitants. In many instances they are grouped round close and unpaved yards, in which the want of sufficient ventilation is aggravated by the presence of excremental and other nuisances which foul the air. Many of the streets, particularly the back streets in the district, are as yet neither properly made, paved, nor channelled. The following are particularly noticeable: Back Street, on the north side of New Road; Back Church Street, opposite the church; Pit Street; and the back streets on either side of Byker Street. At the Point are some very old houses situated at the foot of the old alkali heaps, with unpaved sloppy yards, which at the time of my visit were in a most filthy condition. A number of old pit houses still exist in this district, as, for example, those at the Hemmels, which have badly paved confined yards and uncovered privy middens 5 feet from the back door, and are without any means of drainage, the inhabitants being obliged to throw their slops either into the ashpits or on the roads. Most of the more modern houses are built in flats. Formerly there were a consider¬ able number of back-to-back houses in this district, but these have been improved by throwing two houses into one, thus securing through ventilation. III. Water Supply.—Walker is supplied with water by the Newcastle and Gateshead Water Company. In the case of the newer houses the water is laid on to a tap in the back yard of each house. In the older parts there are standpipes, common to two or more houses. The supply is said to be constant, but there are no means for the admission of fresh air into the mains during temporary stoppages. IV. .Sewerage and Drainage.—Lengths of sewers have been laid down at various times, in some instances by the Sanitary Authority and in others by private owners. The sewage is in all cases discharged at one or another point into the Tyne. The sewers themselves are of varied construction, some being of brick and others of pipes. The newer sewers are ventilated by means of surface grids placed at the manholes, but the sewers generally throughout this district are apparently very inefficiently ventilated. There are no proper arrangements for flushing, but the Surveyor states that portions are flushed once or twice a year. Certain populous parts of the district are still without any proper means of sewerage, for example, Byker Street and Church Street. In the former of these, in addition to the houses, there is an elementary school, which is stated to have an average attendance of 450 scholars. The house drainage is chiefly effected by means of sinks placed in the back yards. A few of the houses have sinks in their kitchens, which are in direct communication with the drains, 150.—9/S3. Wt. 7787. E. & S. A B 8330.