li?l 



THE CIVIL KXGIN!;! R AND ARCHITECTS JOUllNAL. 



[ArniL, 



li.iIfTors oci-uiiy tlie same ;ipartiiKTit uith the f.nnily, regardless of 

 jige and sex. 



The practical view of the improvement of the (Iwellin'jrs of the 

 Inhniirinir classes which it is desired to brine nnder consideration, 

 will he inost conveniently taken liy first pointing (mt the jreneral 

 jirinciplcs ajiplicalde as well in towns as in tlie country, and after- 

 wards by considering these two descrii>tioiis of dwellings sepa- 

 rately. 



'I'lie most hnmble abodes, whether In a town or in the country, in 

 oriler to he healthy, must he dry and well ventilated; to sei-iire the 

 former, it is essential tliat due attention he triven to the situation 

 <n- locality, to tlie fonndati(ni, and to the drainage, as well as to 

 tlie material of wliich the external walls and roof are constr\icted. 

 To secure vent'lation, there must he a free circulation of air; a 

 sufllcient inimher and size of openings, and adequate height of the 

 rooms, which I should fix at not less than 7 ft. 6 in. to 8 feet. ; in 

 toH n buildings I have allowed 9 feet from floor to floor. The area 

 of the apartments should he in ])roportion to tlie probable number 

 of occupants; where intended for families, the living room ought 

 not to contain less than 1K> feet to 150 feet superficial, and the 

 jiarents' bed-room should measure at least about 100 feet super- 

 <:<-ial; in the latter it is of imiuirtance, as a jirovision for sickness, 

 that there should be a fireplace. In every roimi an opening for the 

 pscane of vitiated air ought to he maile near tlie ceiling, especially 

 ill tlie smaller lied-rooms for children, where tliere is no fiieplace. 

 An entirely satisfactory system of ventilation, apjilicalile to small 

 [■partments — bv means of'which the vitiated air shall he removed, 

 and an adecpiate supply of fresh air he introduced, without causing 

 any perceptilile current, — appears to be still a desideratum. My 

 exi'erience is certainly unfavourable to the inrlisorinnnnte use of 

 chimney valves fixed in the ordinary manner. In some cases, they 

 answer 'perfectly; in others, it is almost imiiracticable to prevent 

 the ingress of 'smoke through the aperture; on this account I 

 )irefer, where practicable, carrying up for some height an inde- 

 jiendent ventilating flue, which 'may be 9 inches liy A. inches or even 

 smaller, and ultimately open into the chimney flue, or into the 

 external air if there he no chimney flue from the ajiartment. The 

 most sim]de and economical ventilator for the admission of externa! 

 air which I have tried is fixing in an aperture behind an air brick 

 ;in iron frame fitted with a sheet of jierforated zinc, and liavingan 

 iron plate hung to close it with a rack. Perforated ventilating 

 glass and Bailie's slidins ventilators are both valuable inventions. 

 For tlie comfort and health of the inmates of every tenement, 

 the protection 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 dransht. A\niere case- 

 ment windows are used, the irreat difficulty which is found in the 

 lower class of buildinL'-s of rendering them weather-tight, renders it 

 desiral le that thev should invariably he made to open outwards, 

 and he jiroperlv secured by stay-bar fastenings. Zinc I have found 

 the most satisfactory material for casements, and if the quarries 

 are well pro])ortione'd and not too large, tlieir effect differs very 

 little from that of lead. 



In illustrating the general principles to he advocated as aji- 

 )dicable, particularly to town buildings, it will be convenient to 

 re^'er to the dwellings erected by the Society for Improving the 

 Condition of the Lahourin<r Classes. This Society was established 

 in 1S41, under the patronage of her Majesty the 'Queen, with the 

 I'rince Consort as its illustrious rresiden't. Influenced by the 

 jihihmtropbic- principles so powerfully advocated by their noble 

 chairman. Lord .Xsliley, and stimulated by his exani]de, the com- 

 mittee of this Society undertook, as one most important branch o( 

 their labours, "to arrange and execute Plans as Models for the 

 Im])rovement of the Dwellings of the Labouring Classes, both in 

 the Metropolis and in the .Manufacturing and Agricultural Dis- 

 tricts." I'"or 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. 



With these views, the Society proceeded to liuild between Gray's- 

 inn-road and the Lower-road, I'entonville, near IJagnigge-wells, 

 tlicir first set of model dwellings on the only eligible site of ground 

 then ofl'ered. 



1. Nine familie.s occupy each an entire house, with a living-room 

 on the ground floor, having an imdosed 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: these houses are 

 let at a rent of six shillings i>cr week. 



2. The remaining fourteen families are distributed in seven 

 liuLiscs, each lun.ily occuj'j ing a floor of two rooms, with all rciiuisite 



conveniences; and as the apartments on the upper floor are a]i- 

 proached through an outer door distinct from tliat belanging to the 

 lower floor, their respective occupants are thus kept entirely 

 separate, and each floor is virtu illy a distinct dwelling. The rent 

 [paid by each family is three shillings and six|)eni-e per week. 



A u-ti.th-liouKP, 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 an advanced age, each having a room, with 

 the use of a wash-house common to them all. The rent paid for 

 each room is one shilling and sixjience per week. Subseipiently it 

 has been thmiffht bv the Committee that this rent siiould have 

 been fixed at two shillings per week. 



Where space will admit of it, some modification in the arrange- 

 ment of houses built after this general model would be desirable. 

 The Society has published a plan in which these alterations are 

 embraced. 



Knc(Mirasred by the immediate occupation of their first set of 

 buildings, and the approval of the public manifested by liberal con- 

 tributions to their funds, the Society next proceeded to exiiibit a 

 model of an improved lodging-house for working men. 



To show the practicability of effecting a great improvement in 

 the existing lod.:ing-h(Mises,' the Society began by taking three 

 lodging-houses in one of the worst neighbourhoods in L(nidon — viz., 

 Charles-street, Drury-lane. These they completely renovated and 

 converted into one house, which has been fitted up with clean and 

 wholesome beds, and all other appurtenances requisite for the 

 health and comfort of eighty-two working men, who pay .at the 

 same rate as is charged for the wretched accommodation afforded 

 in ordinary lodging-houses — viz., fourpence per night, or two shil- 

 lings ]ier week, and cheerfully conform to the regulations of th ! 

 establishment. In a financial point of view, this experiment is 

 aniplv remunerative to the Society. 



But, however valuable as an experiment, and calculated as a 

 stimulant to proiluce highly beneScial results, the house in Charles- 

 street cannot he considered as the model of what a lodging-bouse 

 ought to he. The Committee therefore jmrchased a piece of free- 

 hold ground in George-street, St. Giles's, surrounded by other 

 lodging-houses, and have built on it a model lodging-house for 

 10+ working men. 



The Plans fully describe the arrangement of the several floors; 

 and the fitting-up' of the jiriiicipal apartments may be thus briefl / 

 stated: — The kitchen ami wash-house are furnisliod with every 

 re<|uisite and appropriate convenience; the bath is supplied with 

 hot and cold water; the pantry-hatch jn-ovides a secure and separate 

 well-ventilated safe fin- the food of each inmate. In tliepay-ofnce, 

 under care of the superintendent, is a small, well-selected library, 

 for the use of the lodgers. The coffee, or common room, 33 feet 

 long, 22 feet wide, and 10 ft. 9 in. high, is paved witli white tiles, 

 laid on brick arches, and on each side are two rows of elm tables, 

 with seats; 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, 

 eiiilit in number, 10 feet hiiib, are subdivided with moveable wo^d 

 ))artitions 6 ft. 9 in. high; each compartment, enclosed by its owa 

 door, is fitted up with a bed, chair, and clothes-box. In addition 

 to the ventilation secured liy 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 liglits the apart- 

 ment. A ventilating shaft is also carried up the staircase for the 

 sup]ily of fresh air to the dormitories, with a provision for warming 

 it if required. The wasliing closets on each floor are fitted up 

 with slate, having japanned iron basins, and water laid on. 



The Society has recently fitted up in Hatton-garden a lodging- 

 house for fifty-seven won'ien, which 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 question of lodging a large number of families in one lofty 

 pile of buildiiiff has been the subject of much discussion, and in 

 reference to it the most contradictory opinions were stated before 

 the Health-of-Towns' Commission. Some thimght it the best 

 adapted and most economical jdan to provide in one house, with a 

 conimon staircase and internal passages, suflicient rooms for lodg- 

 iu^"- 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 he attended with much evil in cases of contagious 

 disease. It must be obvious that in many localities where labour- 

 ers' dwellings are indisiiensahle, it is inipossil>le to i.ro\ ide them 

 uiUi isolated and allo^'ether independent tenements; and therefore, 



