Dr. F.W. Barry's report to the Local Government Board on the general sanitary condition of the South Blyth and Newsham urban district / [Fred. W. Barry].

  • Barry, Frederick W. (Frederick William), 1850-1897.
Date:
[1883]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Dr. F.W. Barry's report to the Local Government Board on the general sanitary condition of the South Blyth and Newsham urban district / [Fred. W. Barry]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Dr. F. W. Barry’s Report to the Local Government Board on the General Sanitary Condition of the South Blyth and Urban District. i imUhRY General Collections George Buchanan, Medical Department, August 22, 1883. Area, 1,442 acres; rateable value (Blyth), 5,932/. Population : Blyth (1871), 1,918 ; (1881), 1,983. Newsham (1871), 994 ; (1881), 848. Inhabited houses (1881), Blyth, 357; Newsham, 176. Persons per house: Blyth, 5*5 ; Newsham, 4*9. Persons per acre, 2*0. I. —Description.—The Urban Sanitary District of South Blyth and Newsham is co¬ terminous with the township of the same name. It is situated in the Blyth Begistra- tion Sub-district, and occupies the extreme north-east of the Tynemouth Registration District. To the north it is bounded by the Blyth estuary, to the east by the sea, to the north-west by the Urban Sanitary District of Cowpen, and to the south-west and south by the Horton and Seaton Delaval townships in the Tynemouth Rural District. Prior to the 31st March of the present year the whole of the district, with the exception of the town of Blyth and a small portion around it, was included in the Rural Sanitary District. I shall, however, describe the sanitary circumstances of the district as at present constituted. The chief centre of population is at Blyth, a small port, situated at the extreme north of the district, on the estuary of the Blyth. Blyth proper is really the eastern and smaller part of a considerable town of the same name, the bulk of which is situated to the west of a tidal creek called the Slake, and is under the jurisdiction of the Cowpen Local Board. The other inhabited parts of the district are two small colliery villages, named North and South Newsham, which are situated considerably to the south-west of Blyth. The inhabitants of Blyth are employed chiefly in shipbuilding and sea-faring occupations. North and South Newsham are inhabited by miners. The population in Newsham has decreased since 1871. II. —Bevelling Accommodation.—The houses in Blyth are, as a rule, well built, with ample space around them. There are, however, in Tait Street several hach-to-bach houses, in which there are no means of through ventilation. Some houses in Ridley Street were noticed, in which the backyards were very confined. The streets have all a well-cared-for aspect, and many of them have raised cemented footways. North Newsham consists of three rows of single colliery cottages, and South New¬ sham of two long rows of houses of the same class. III. — Water Supply.—Blyth has been supplied with water by the lord of the manor (Sir M. White Ridley). The water is obtained from a freestone quarry situated about two miles from the town, and near the village of South Newsham. There are said to be certain springs in this quarry which supply a considerable amount of water, and this is supplemented by the surface water obtained from the agricultural land in the immediate neighbourhood. The water is pumped from the quarry into a service reservoir having a capacity of 3,000,000 gallons, and is supplied to the town by gravitation through a 6-inch main. The water is not filtered, and there are no means for letting fresh air into the pipes during temporary stoppages for repairs, &c. At South Newsham the water is derived from a well 36 yards deep, sunk near the pit, and is pumped into a tank by the same engine which brings the coal to bank. North Newsham is supplied with water from the colliery, the water being distributed to “ pants ” or stand-pipes at the ends of the rows. Both these supplies possess the objections applying to other colliery supplies,—that they are temporary in character and dependent on the pits being in work. Being at the ends of the rows, the stand- R 8091, 150,-9/83. Wt. 6607. E. & S. ^