Environmental Health Records

These records include environmental health inspection cards for shops, offices, factories and food premises in the city. The covering dates are 1948-1970s. Details include: location; occupier and address; type of business; owners name; the number of employees; ventilation; sanitary conveniences; temperature and method of heating; washing facilities; lighting; facilities for meals etc. These have been sub-numbered by letters, which indicate the road or street where the premises are situated, e.g. shops in West Street will be numbered BB72/W.

Also featured are preliminary returns for an overcrowding survey (1936-1936), which give the following details: address; name of occupier; a description of the property (e.g. two storey house); and the number of the property in the rating valuation book. The survey information also includes name of the tenant; the number of habitable rooms; the number of persons normally sleeping there (either aged 10 years or more, or under 10 years); the equivalent number of persons sleeping in the dwelling; and the permitted number (actual and reduced). There is also information on WC facilities (i.e. inside or out, or if shared with other properties). The one surviving detailed survey card indicates that more information concerning the ages of those living in a particular property was included, and that there were more notes on the description and size of rooms.