1880s: Housing in Whitechapel | Crime & Punishment | GCSE History Revision

One factor which massively contributed to the high crime rates in 1880s Whitechapel and set up circumstances for the 1888, Jack the Ripper murders, was housing. Despite measures being put in place, such as the, 1875, Artisans' Dwellings Act, Whitechapel still experienced huge problems, such as overcrowding and sanitation.

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Revision notes:
- Whitechapel was overcrowded
- Roughly 1/30 people living there were homeless
- Lodging houses were places which provided the poor with a bed, sleeping there would often be done in 3 eight hour shifts so they could be used by the largest possible number of people
- Terrible pollution, at times you couldn’t even see your own hand in front of your face (pollution was blown over from the east end of London by the prevailing wind)
- Poor sanitation, there was little healthy drinking water and open sewers ran into the street
- Slum-type housing was known as ‘rookeries’
- Houses were divided into apartments and up to 30 people could share one apartment
- In 1881 Whitechapel had a recorded population of 30 709 but only 4069 occupied houses
- 1875 Artisans Dwelling Act made the house owners responsible for keeping their properties in good order and gave local authorities the right to buy and demolish slums if they were not improved.
- Pollution caused illness
- There was a housing shortage