The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-10-20 00:00:00

merely of a seat screened off from the yard by a door, but
open at the top. The accommodation of the houses
slightly varies; those in the centre block consist, for the
most part, of a living room, about 12 feet square, with
two bedrooms over, and a yard and privy in common ;
the yard is fitted up with two sinks, which are under
cover, and will be convenient for washing. The houses
on the sides of the court contain parlour, kitchen, a sepa-
rate yard, and a convenience to each, and a lobby to the
entrance door. Each house has a thorough draft, and is
kept extremely neat and clean, This property was built
by Messrs. Hughes and Jones, of Elizaberh-street, from
designs by Mr. Ellis, Clayton-square, and, I am informed,
pays 9 per cent. upon the cost. Idris-terrace, in Queen
Anne-street, the property of Messrs. Evan, and Price,
contains many of the advantages possessed by Kent-
terrace, but each house has a separate yard and conve-
nience.

A plan for cottages was laid before the Sanatory Com-
missioners by Mr. Austin, of London, in which it was
proposed to arrange the cottages in blocks of four, built
back to back, each block separated by an open yard from
its neighbour; in the yard the water-closets and other
conveniences were proposed to be fixed.
Some houses upon this plan have been built at Pad-
dington, in this town, by Messrs. Hughes and Jones, the
enterprising builders of the Kent-terrace ; but, as might
have been predicated of the design, the increased quan-
tity of external walling added materially to the expense,
whilst the substitution of privies for water-closets brings
the cesspool into such proximity to the dwellings, that it
is almost impossible to keep them dry and sweet. I be-
lieve that a wall of clay puddle is the only barrier impe-
netrable to moisture ;•but this would be an expensive
item, and when the conveniences are to be placed so near
to the houses, it will be found that water-closets are more
convenient as well as more healthy.

The dwellings erected by the Birkenhead Dock Com-
pany for their workpeople, are situated on a triangular
plot of ground, bounded by Ilchester-road, Steward-
street, and Stanley-road, and not very far from the west
end of Birkenhead-park. This is an attempt upon a large
scale to provide the working classes with every conve-
nience that can be desired for them ; and in many respects
the attempt is very successful, though I do not think it
by any means perfect. The general idea is an approxi-
mation to the custom that prevails in Scotland and the
Continent of building in flats—that is, each residence has
all its apartments on the same floor, and is self-cantained,
the entrance doors of, in this case, eight dwellings com-
municating with a common stair. Each house has a
living room, two bed-rooms, a scullery, yard, water-
closet, pantry, closet, and coal-bin for half a ton. Gas
and water are laid on into each house, and a dust-shaft is
built common to the eight dwellings, communicating with
each house at the floor levels. The roof of the houses is
flat, so as to form a yard for drying clothes, and a shaft is
erected for the purpose of ventilation, as well as air bri ks,
with sliding shutters, fixed in each room. A strong de-
sire is evinced to do every thing to promote the health and
comfort of the inmates, by facilities for flushing the water
closets and drains, and for purifying the air of the rooms.
There cannot be a doubt but that this is a very great ad-
vance on the old court houses of Liverpool, but it is not
free from objections ; and that the evils may not be per-
petuated in future erections, it is desirable that all that
are pointed out should be fairly canvassed. The first ob-
jection is the common stair; taking on an average to
each house a man, his wife, and three children—that is,
five persons—we have forty persons who will be making
daily use of a very small thoroughfare, in which they
must be necessarily brought into close contact, which we
can readily conceive will be often very annoying, as the
occupants cannot choose their neighbours, who will
doubtless be selected by the Company for qualities very
often conjoined with those that render a man a very un-
desirable neighbour. The cleansing of the staircase may
often be rendered a prolific subject of contention ;
although, in this particular case, the D -ick Company can
make arrangements for this purpose, impracticable to a
private speculator. Again, the great height of the build-
ings is a serious evil; it requires no small efforts to carry
oneself up twice a-day, to say nothing of half a ton of
coals. And in the case of small children, it is to be ap-
prehended that numerous bruises and falls will happen to
them, although it is usual to say that there is a provision
for them as well as for another class of incapables.
The construction of the windows is bad. The mate-
rial, cast iron, is bad for domestic purposes, as in cold
weather it rapidly tran-mits heat to the external air ; and
in damp weather it condenses the vapour, causing by its
running' down the sashes a countinual nuisance. The
construction I conceive to be very defective. The sash is
a fixture, a panel in the middle being hung to open on
centres. This, though a good plan in workshops, of mo-
derate height, is, I think, here quite out of place, it being
impossible to clear the upper part of the windows on the
outside. The best form of window for houses of this
kind, is the wooden sash, hinged on two halves, affording
a facility for taking furniture in and out, and ensuring,
when opened, something like a certainty of ventilation.

The sheet I lay before you was presented to the sub-
scribers of the Journal, a paper, which, with the Mercury
and Standard, is distinguished by a desire to promote the
sanitory improvement and convenience of the town, a
sphere of usefulness of which it seems they are to have
the monopoly. No 6is the plan of the ground and upper
floor of the model buildings erected between the Lower-
road, Pentonville, and Gray's Inn, London, by the " So-
ciety for improving the condition of the labouring
classes," which was very obligingly communicated to me
by Mr. Gatliff, the honorary secretary of the " Metropo-
litan Association for improving the dwellings of the in-
dustrial classes." Two houses are intended for twelve
families occupying a floor of two rooms; a living-room,
bed-room, water closets, and scullery, are provided to
each. Eight houses are intended to eight families. each
having on the ground floor a living-room with a lobby,
enclosed recess for a bed, closets, and a scullery under
the stairs, with a email yard. The upper floor is divided
into two rooms. The centre compartment on the east
side of the court is laid out for thirty widows, or aged
females, each haying one room approached'by a corridor,to
be lighted and ventilated in the centre and ends. A sunk
washhouse is provided for their use, and one adjoining
for the occasional use of the other tenants. Mr. Gatliff
informed me, a few weeks since, that the association are
about to erect houses on the plan of the Dock Company's
barracks, but I hope the inconveniences I have pointed
out will be rev:sed.

The Metropolitan Association for improving the
dwellings of the industrial classes, was projected between
two and three years since, and is now incorporated by
royal charter. The objects and mode of acton of the
society are fully explained in the prospectus. As its name
imports its principal object is the improvement of cot-
tages, and it was calculated that a profit might be ob-
tained from 5/ to 91 per cent., but the amount to be di-
vided amongst the shareholders was limited to 5 per cent.,
the balance to be applied in extension of the scheme.
Thus in process of time, a small capital of £lOO,OOO may
be expended into a valuable property, whilst an excellent
security is provided for trust money. It is intended to
meet the private speculator on his own ground, so that
he need not be apprehensive of " underselling." I think,
however, that as the high rents charged upon small pro-
perty are occasioned by the bad character and uncertainty
of the tenantry, that if due precautions be taken to secure
honest and certain occupiers, a smaller rent may then
Ire reasonably charged, although the sinking fund may
be thus diminished. No. 7 is a plan for dwellings
that I have prepared in conjunction with Mr. Swinton
Boult, who was induced two or three years since to give
a good deal of attention to this subject. It occurred to
him that it would he advantageous if the houses, were
built in blocks, having a court on each side, one house
occupying the ground floor the height of one story, and
entered from one court, and over this house two others
built each two stories high, and entered by separate stairs
from the court upon the other side. Three houses might
thus be built upon the space usually occupied by two, a
thorough draft and light upon both sides ensured, and
each residence be perfectly distinct and independent of its
neighbour. Not being an architect, he suggested that I
should turn my attention to the subject; and the plans
upon this sheet and No. 8 are modifications of this ge-
neral idea. In No. 7,. both the upper and lower houses
contain a living-room, scullery, and three bed-rooms.
The upper houses have the same accommodation. Both
have separate water-closet, coal-place, pantry, and other
closets. No. 8 shows a modification of this arrangement,
where the ground floor houses are intended for single
women, or for couples without children, each containing
living-room, scullery, and bed-room. The upper houses
contain each a living-room, scullery, the same size as
below, and four bed-rooms. Each house has the conve-
niences before enumerated. It was calculated that these
houses on the first plan might. be built upon land at a
guinea a yard, and be supplied with gas and water in
every room, and let for a rental of ss. 6d. per week, and
pay to the proprie'or nearly 9 per cent. A general plan
was exhibited, showing the best manner of arranging
these houses, so as to secure perfect ventilation of the
streets, &e.

Having given the subject of cottage houses much care-

ful attention during the last two or three years, not only

examining all that-I
could find published on the subject,
but, as opportunity offered, visiting new buildings to ob-
tain further information, I am extremely anxious that
more attention should be given to this important subject,
and that efforts should be made for organising an associa-
tion for improving the dwellings of the working classes,
as in London. I have directed your attention to improve-
ments that have been effected by individual enterprise,
and highly do I value the liberal spirit that effected those
improvements; but the evils are too vast for individuals
to overcome, for what are 100 houses to the thousands
that are annually erected ?—and 100 houses is a large
speculation for one man to engage in, who has only the
capital that speculators in this kind of property generally
have. If, conjoined with this, we consider the moral
advantages to be derived from an extensive erection of
improved dwellings, by the owners of whom the advan-
tages of good character in the tenants will be appreciated
at a pecuniary value, I think you will agree with me that
this is a field for associative labour, rather than for indi-
vidual enterprise.
From the peculiar position of the business part of Li-
verpool, viz , their congregation to the banks of the river,
the land in that neighbourhood is raised to a most extra-
vagant value for cottages, whilst there is an imperious
necessity that the men who are daily employed in business
connected with the docks should be within easy access of
their work, the laborious nature of which naturally in-
disposes them to long walks. Now experience and esti-
mates prove that it does not pay to build small houses
upon land which costs much above forty shillings per
yard, land near the docks being often of considerably
greater value. In order to realise a profit, it is necessary,
therefore, to crowd these dwellings in the dense manner
we see them, and the high rents oblige the tenants to take
in lodgers, which leads to overcrowding with all its phy-
sical and moral evils. The consideration of similar evils
in London has led to the suggestion that colonies should
be formed on the different lines of railways, to and from
which trains should run night and day, to bring the in-
habitants to their daily work and back again. Where the
railway companies are sufficiently liberal to agree to con.