Lanarkshire Housing

Mossbank, Darngavil

These rows consist of fourteen one-roomed houses, and were reported upon last year. The tenants had no proper water supply, and had to carry water from a stand-pipe well at Brick Row, about 150 yards away. The condition of the property was the subject of much negotiation. It was finally found necessary to resort to Court proceedings, and an Order was granted for the removal of the insanitary conditions, notices of which were served under Section 16, and referred to the foul water channels; dilapidated privies and ashpits; dampness of the internal walls; ceilings, &c., dilapidated; and absence of a proper water supply. Remedial measures have been carried out to remove the nuisance in each instance, except that rhones and rain-water conductors have not yet been provided to carry off rain water from the roof. [1905 Annual Report of the County & District Medical Officer]

Castlehill, Carluke

This property is owned by the Shotts Iron Company, and consists of 7 single- and 16 two-roomed houses. The houses are strapped with wood inside, and lighted by very small windows. There are two washhouses having boilers, but no water is laid in. The sanitary accommodation is very unsatisfactory. The water supply consists of two stand-pipes for the whole property. The entire place is in a very indifferent condition. Rent, 2s. weekly for a single-, and 3s. weekly for a two-roomed house. [Evidence presented to Royal Commission, 25th March 1914]

Ponfeigh

These houses are owned by the Coltness Iron Company, and are of one, two, and three rooms, with scullery containing a boiler. Rent for two rooms is 2s. 6d. per week, and for three rooms 3s. 9d. per week, and includes electric lighting supplied by the Company from their pit at the village. There are coal-houses and washhouses ; but water has to be carried from stand-pipes in the street. There are no greens, but clothes-poles have been fixed up, and the ground about them covered with ashes. The sanitary accommodation is not satisfactory. [Evidence presented to Royal Commission, 25th March 1914]

Ponfeigh - The Coltness Iron Company is presently erecting a street of 16 workmen's houses, each of three apartments. [1907 Annual Report of the County & District Medical Officer]

Driverholm Rows, Glespin Colliery

Driverholm Rows, at Glespin Colliery, in the parish of Douglas, inspected in 1904, were again visited. The conditions complained of related mainly to the conveniences (privy ashpits and surface channels). The conditions found were very much the same as previously reported; there being insufficient privy accommodation, and what there was was not in a cleanly state. The surface channels required repairing, and were not in a cleanly state. The water supply seemed abundant and was running to waste, but the pipe required to be extended and brought nearer the dwelling-houses. Some improvements have been carried out. [1906 Annual Report of the County & District Medical Officer]

Newton Colliery Rows

Those rows are situated near to Newton Colliery, and consist of upwards of 500 single- and double-apartment houses. They are just the ordinary type of brick building common to miners' rows in other parts of the country. The rows are fairly closely built, and are of quite a drab appearance, the streets being very bad. Quite recently sculleries and water-closets were erected. There is a boiler in the scullery, which serves as a wash-house. The water-closet is entered from the outside, and is used by two tenants. [Evidence presented to Royal Commission, 25th March 1914]

Old Rows, Newton

In consequence of the insanitary condition of these rows, a representation under the Housing of the Working Classes Act was made in 1904. The proprietors, Messrs. James Dunlop & Co., Clyde Iron Works, Tollcross, were communicated with, and they made certain alterations, which did not remove all cause of complaint. There are two rows, each of six two-apartment houses. They lie on the eastern slope of a bank, so that surface water is liable to gravitate towards the houses. In order to obviate dampness from this cause, a trench was made along the back of each row, and the wall surface of the back of the houses faced with cement for a distance of 3 feet or so from the ground. Internally the walls, where the surface was broken, were replastered, and the surface whitewashed or repapered where it was found necessary. After this the Medical Officer met the Works Manager, who expressed, on behalf of the Company, a willingness to carry out any remedial measures that might be suggested. The remedial measures suggested were, the clear area, with the retaining wall to the rear of the dwellings, to be widened and deepened, then covered with a concrete surface channel, so constructed as to convey all surface water to the passage between the rows, and that the channel should form a continuous impervious layer with the concrete on the wall; rhones and rain-water conductors to carry off roof water; inside, the walls and ceilings to have plaster work renewed and holes filled up; that attention would require to be given to the brick floors to prevent dampness reaching the interior of the room. A further report was submitted in December, when it was found that neither rhones nor rain-water conductors had been provided as required, and the reason given by the proprietors was that previous experience deterred them from putting on rhones, as they were within easy reach, and would be torn down by the tenants. [1905 Annual Report of the County & District Medical Officer]

Old Rows, Newton - These rows, which have been referred to in former annual reports and in the Special Report on Housing, page 129, were a group of 56 one-apartment back-to-back houses, and 24 two-apartment houses, situated in the Parish of Cambuslang. They were the subject of a representation under the Housing of the Working Classes Acts in 1904 (see Annual Report for that year, page 133, also Annual Report for 1905, page 176), but the work carried out by the owners at that time did not remove all cause of complaint. The matter was again taken up in November last, with the view of having the houses closed. This was satisfactorily arranged, and the houses have now been demolished. [1910 Annual Report of the County & District Medical Officer]

Stone Row, Law, Carluke (Wilsons & Clyde Coal Company)

This property consists of 25 single- and 25 double-apartment houses ; rental, per week, 1s. 10d. and 2s. 7d., including rates. There is a dry privy attached to each house. These privies are a most objectionable feature, and at the date of our visit (6th May 1913) the conditions were quite revolting. [Evidence presented to Royal Commission, 25th March 1914]

Thornton Row, Law, Carluke (Wilsons & Clyde Coal Company)

This row consists of 8 double- and 12 single-apartment houses; rental, 2s. 1d. and 1s. 4d. per week, including rates. There is no convenience at this place, and the sanitation is in a very backward condition. There are only three open privy middens for the whole twenty families. [Evidence presented to Royal Commission, 25th March 1914]

Brownlie Rows, Law, Carluke (Owned by Archd. Russell & Company)

This property consists of single- and double-apartment houses. They are old and somewhat out of repair, being affected by the mineral workings. The sanitation is very bad - open dry privy and midden combined. These places were unapproachable at the date of our visit (6th May 1913). [Evidence presented to Royal Commission, 25th March 1914]

Woodland Square, Law, Carluke (Owned by Wilsons & Clyde Coal Company)

This property is locally known as Woodland Square, and consists of 8 single- and 18 double-apartment houses ; rental, 1s. 9d. and 2s. 4d. per week, including rates. The houses are of the ordinary miners' row type, with no regard for sanitation or other convenience. [Evidence presented to Royal Commission, 25th March 1914]

Watsonville, Motherwell (John Watson, Limited)

These rows are known as Watsonville, and are situated in the centre of Motherwell Burgh. They are a very poor type of house, and were built over forty years ago. Water is supplied by means of stand-pipes in the street, with an open channel to carry off the dirty water. There is a meagre supply of washhouse accommodation, and grave complaints were made on this score. The streets and back courts are in a very bad condition. [Evidence presented to Royal Commission, 25th March 1914]

Old Logans Rows, Motherwell (Merry & Cunninghame, Limited)

This property is on the side of the Glasgow Road, Motherwell, and consists of a long row of single- and double-apartment houses; rent, 3s. 8d. for single, and 5s. 8d. for double houses per fortnight. Water-closets and washhouses have been erected within the last few years; no coal-houses - coal put under the bed. The single houses are built back-to-back, and are in a very poor condition. [Evidence presented to Royal Commission, 25th March 1914]

New Logans Rows, Motherwell (Merry & Cunninghame, Limited)

These rows are situated near to Logans Colliery, Motherwell, and consist of 150 single- and double-apartment houses. They are the ordinary brick type of miners' houses, and are rented at 4s. 4d. for single, and 5s. 5d. for double houses per fortnight. These rows are inside a scavenging district, and have been fitted up with water-closets outside the houses. They are also supplied with coal-houses, but the washhouse accommodation is very meagre. There is a daily collection of refuse. [Evidence presented to Royal Commission, 25th March 1914]

North Motherwell, or New Logan's Rows

This group of dwelling-houses is referred to in the Special Report on Housing, page 158, and arrangements were made with the mine owners during the year for the provision of a water-closet for each house, and sinks with gravitation water supply. The work is being carried out. [1910 Annual Report of the County & District Medical Officer]

Thorniewood Rows

This property consists of sixty-nine very bad houses, owned by the Glasgow Coal Company. The washhouses seem to be used as privies, which may be accounted for by the fact that the privies themselves are in a deplorable condition. Dirty water is carried off by an open gutter. [Evidence presented to Royal Commission, 25th March 1914]

Thorniewood Row Nackerty

This property consists of two rows of houses.

No. 1 Row, having a frontage of 365 feet and 30 feet 6 inches wide, and contains twenty-one room and kitchen and 2 two-room and kitchen houses.
Rental - room and kitchen, 2s. 6d., and two rooms and kitchen, 3s. 6d. per week, including taxes.
This row is one storey in height, built of brick, having a slated roof. There are washhouses, but the only other conveniences are dry-closets, with ash-pits, which are situated in front of the houses.

No. 2 Row, having a frontage of 303 feet and 33 feet wide, containing forty single apartment houses with sculleries, built in the back-to-back principle.
Rental - 1s. 6d. per week, including taxes.
This row is one storey in height, built of brick, having a slated roof. There are washhouses, but the only other conveniences are dry-closets, with ash-pits, which are situated in front of the houses.

There is no water in any of the houses in either row.
The ceilings of all the foregoing houses are 9 feet 4 inches high.
This gives a total rental of £6, 6s. 2d., per week, which includes taxes
This property was built about forty years ago.

In our opinion the cost of erection of this property would be £3920.[Supplementary report on cost of rebuilding old houses, presented to Royal Commission on 25th March 1914]

New Rows, Nackerty

This is the property of Moore & Company, and consists of houses of the worst possible type. The floors of the kitchens are of brick or stone. The houses are very damp, yet new sculleries, in which boilers have been fitted, have been erected, and open off the room - a deplorable arrangement. There are no rhones on the houses, which may to some extent explain why the whole place is like a marsh. Two families use the same water-closet, and, in some cases, two families occupy the same house. [Evidence presented to Royal Commission, 25th March 1914]

New Rows, Nackerty - This property consists of five rows of houses; four of the rows contain each 8 room and kitchen houses, and have a frontage of 123 feet and 32 feet 3 inches wide; and one row contains 7 room and kitchen houses, and has a frontage of 123 feet and 32 feet 3 inches wide

Rental - room and kitchen houses formerly 2s. 6d. per week including taxes (now 3s. 6d. per week)

The ceilings of all the foregoing is 9 feet 4 inches high

This property is one storey in height, built of brick, having a slated roof, and kitchen floors of paving tiles; formerly had no water in the houses, and dry-closets, with ash -pits, as conveniences, but there has recently been added sculleries (5 feet 8 inches by 5 feet 8 inches), with coal-cellar, and having one water-closet to every two tenants. Water has been introduced into the kitchens, which are situated at the front of the building, and the tenants require to pass through their room to get to the sculleries. This property appears to have been built for a considerable time.

In our opinion the cost of the erection of this property would be about £2800.[Supplementary report on cost of rebuilding old houses, presented to Royal Commission on 25th March 1914]

Aitkenhead Old Rows

This property is on a par with New Rows, Nackerty. [Evidence presented to Royal Commission, 25th March 1914]

Newlands Rows, Bargeddie

These are owned by the United Collieries Company, and are rented at 1s. 7d. per week for a single house, and 2s. per week for a room and kitchen. The sanitary conveniences here consist of open closets and ash-pits. In No. 3 house a sewage drain has been led through below the beds, and throws off a horrible smell. The houses are infested with rats. [Evidence presented to Royal Commission, 25th March 1914]

Newlands, Bargeddie

This row consists of several rows of houses, brick built and slated roofs, and contains twenty-six single-apartment houses (rental 1s. 7d. per week), twenty-three room and kitchen houses (rental 2s. per week), one large room and kitchen house (rental 2s. 6d. per week), and one three-room and kitchen house (rental 3s. 9d. per week) ; these rents include taxes.

The ceilings of all the foregoing houses are 8 feet 6 inches high.

There is no water in any of the houses, and no wash-houses; the only conveniences for the tenants are dry-closets, with ash-pits, of which there is a very inadequate number.

The property was built about 1873.

In our opinion the cost of the erection of this property would be about £2860 (Two thousand eight hundred and sixty pounds).[Supplementary report on cost of rebuilding old houses, presented to Royal Commission on 25th March 1914]

Kirkwood and Longmuir, Bargeddie

At Kirkwood there are eighty-three houses, and at Longmuir there are fifty-nine houses owned by a Mr Dieppe, who lets them at rents from 2s. l 1/2d. to 2s. 6d. per week. Everything about these places is simply too horrible to be described in words spoken or written. The place must be seen. [Evidence presented to Royal Commission, 25th March 1914]

Ellismuir, Baillieston

The United Collieries own property in Dyke Street, Mid Street, which is quite unsatisfactory. The floors of the houses are flag. Water supply is by the common stand-pipe. The closets are also in bad condition. Rent is 2s. a week. [Evidence presented to Royal Commission, 25th March 1914]

Blantyre Ferme, Caldervale

These houses, the property of E. G. Moore & Company, are fairly good of themselves, but the surrounding conditions are simply scandalous. [Evidence presented to Royal Commission, 25th March 1914]

Cleekhimin, Carfin

Wm. Dickson & Company own some houses here which are small and damp. Neither coal-houses nor washhouses are supplied. Three families use the same closet. [Evidence presented to Royal Commission, 25th March 1914]

West Longrigg

General - On 13th March 1905 I reported on West Longrigg village, inter alia, as follows:-
Out of 66 houses, 54, or 82 per cent, were occupied; most are of one and two apartments, a few of three apartments.

The houses are of brick, one storey in height, a considerable proportion being back-to-back, and of the cheapest type ; the floors are only a few inches above the ground, and there does not appear to be any under-floor ventilation. The country around is bleak moorland.

Most of the houses were remarkably clean, well kept, and well furnished, while the people were tidy and respectable. Only a few of the houses were decidedly untidy.

There is no paving in front of the houses or at the back ; surface water runs down the sloping ash pavements at the front and back of the houses to open tiled channels that lead to a ditch.

Population - Assuming that each family was composed of five inmates, the number of people living in West Longrigg was 270, or nearly 300, in March 1905.

Water Supply - On 9th March 1905 one stand-pipe was provided in West Longrigg, to which everyone had to go with a pail for the household supply of drinking water. The house furthest from the stand-pipe was about 130 yards from it. Some of the houses have barrels for catching roof water, which, on account of its softness, is used for washing purposes.

Wash-house Accommodation -There is no wash-house accommodation.

Coal-house Accommodation - No coal-houses are provided.

Domestic Sinks - There are no domestic sinks provided in any house.

Privy Accommodation - The "conveniences " provided for this population on 9th March 1905, the date of inspection were as follows:-
For the 34 inhabited houses (with approximately 170 people) on the north side of the public road, 2 sets of public privy ashpits, each divided into 3 privies, have been provided.

For 20 inhabited houses (with about 100 people) there are 2 sets of public privy ashpits, one with 2 privies and the other with a single privy. All the privies are of the same structure, and as described in Mr Barclay's report to the Local Government Board of 23rd April 1903, which was to the following effect: " These erections are of brick, with brick floors and wooden roofs, and wooden unlocked doors; a low brick wall with wooden cope provides a seat for the users of the privy; a large ashpit behind receives the droppings and the refuse of the houses."

It might be added that not only are there no locks on the doors, there are not even catches or hooks or any means provided to close them from the inside. The ashpits behind the privies are large, and enclosed by brick walls about 2 feet high, with earth floors and without any roof.

The floors of the privies were littered with faeces on the day of my visit. They constituted a nuisance of recurring type. [Evidence presented to Royal Commission, 12th March 1913 by Dr Fred Dittmar]

East Longrigg.

General - East Longrigg is a short distance from West Longrigg, and is composed of two miners' rows, one on each side of the road. There were 72 houses in all, of which 40, or 55.5 per cent., were occupied on 9th March 1905. They were all of one and two apartments, none being back-to-back. The empty houses were almost equally distributed among the two rows, which are of equal length; thus about 100 people (at 5 per house) lived on each side of the road. The houses are of brick, and one storey in height, as at West Longrigg. In structure and in surroundings they are similar to those at West Longrigg.

Water Supply - A gravitation water supply with two stand-pipes near the centre of the village provides drinking water. Most of the houses collect the roof water in barrels for washing purposes.

Wash-house Provisions - There are no wash-houses.

Provision of Coal-houses - There are no coal-houses

Domestic Sinks - There are no domestic sinks.

Sanitary Conveniences - At the back of the north row of houses are 3 double privy middens made of old boiler sections. The privy part is roofed with sheet iron, the floor being of concrete; the ashpit composed of the old boiler section is open. The doors are of wood, and without any means for closing them from the outside.

At the back of the south row of houses there is one public privy midden for the use of 100 people. There are no doors at all, only a place of entry and of exit. The floor of the privy part is of concrete. Faeces and urine were found on the floors of all the privies visited on 9th March 1905.

On the occasion of a second visit paid to these villages by me on 14th June 1905 a second stand-pipe for drinking water was, I was informed, being put up in West Longrigg, and in both villages some attention has been paid to scavenging, and to the cleansing of the foul privy middens.

My colleague, Dr T. F. Dewar, visited the same villages on 25th October 1912, and reported to the Board on them.

The condition of the privies and ashpits found by Dr Dewar was as formerly described by me. He also drew attention to the absence of coal-house and wash-house accommodation.

Like myself, Dr Dewar was impressed with the cleanliness of the majority of the houses visited, although many of them were defective in point of structure, and the windows were fixed, with only a pane in each made to open.

Some houses had been demolished since the date of my visits, and others had been closed, as the seams of coal in the neighbourhood were being worked out.

[Evidence presented to Royal Commission, 12th March 1913 by Dr Fred Dittmar]

Garnkirk

The workmen's houses at Garnkirk were carefully inspected by the Assistant Medical Officer, and his report might be briefly summarised thus : The houses are arranged in the form of an irregular square, the sides of which are named High Row, Double Row, Low Row, and East Row. These comprise in all about 160 houses. Attention was paid not only to the sanitary defects, but to the number of inmates occupying each house, as there was reason to suspect serious overcrowding. The buildings are single storey, built of brick or stone, and slated. Almost all the houses present some sanitary defects, but in only a few were the conditions considered serious. The chief defect was dampness, due to (a) want of proper means for carrying off roof and surface water, which finds its way into the foundations of the building ; (b} embedding of the outside walls, the floors in one or two houses being from one to two feet below the level of the ground outside; (c) absence of damp-proof course above the ground level; (d) want of air space on the internal surfaces, as is provided by strapping and lathing. Proper ventilation was not provided by the windows, as many of these were dead-lights not constructed to open. The space between the doorstep and the door was often very consider-able, admitting rain and wind freely. There was neither wash-house nor coal-cellar, the coals being stored beneath the bed. The floors were paved with fireclay flags. Before submitting any representation under the Housing of the Working Classes Act, it was thought desirable to communicate with the owners. This the Sanitary Inspector did, and considerable improvements have been carried out. Rhones and conductors for carrying off roof water have been provided, as well as drains to conduct the surface water away from the dwellings. [1903 Annual Report of the County & District Medical Officer

Glespin

The houses here, owned by Kennedy & Company, are very damp ; the roofs being tarred instead of slated. Rents range from 2s. 3d. to 2s. 6d. per week. Water is supplied by stand-pipe from private supply. Such wash-houses as exist have been erected by the tenants themselves. The sanitary accommodation - or lack of it - is disgraceful. At the time of our visit there were cases of scarlet fever and diphtheria in these houses.

Old Bellfield, Terrace Tinto View, Bellfield Terrace, Coalburn Rows, and Coalburn Old Rows

Old Bellfield, Terrace Tinto View, Bellfield Terrace, Coalburn Rows, and Coalburn Old Rows are owned by Barr & Company, and are in a very bad state. At Terrace Tinto View the houses are very damp. There are sinks fitted up, but no water laid on, and a sewage drain actually passes under some of the houses; the whole place being disgraceful. At Old Rows, Coalburn, the houses themselves are very bad, and have no conveniences. [Evidence presented to Royal Commission, 25th March 1914]