Housing Conditions of Miners

Extracted from "The Housing Condition of Miners" Report by the Medical Officer of Health, Dr John T. Wilson, 1910

Hamilton Parish

Coal mining has been carried on in this parish from the very early times, chiefly at Quarter, where at one time blast furnaces also existed for the smelting of iron. Many mines have been opened up in the vicinity of the Town of Hamilton since the sixties and seventies. The census population of the whole parish, including the Burgh of Hamilton is:-

1851 11740
1861 14047
1871 16803
1881 26231
1891 31023
1901 40372

Table 1 shows that the parish now contains 14 collieries, in which 8899 persons are employed. The total number of houses in the parish, exclusive of the Burgh of Hamilton, is 1363, while the number occupied by miners is 1,067 - that is 78.28%. Of these houses, 901 have been provided by mine owners, 158 are rented by miners, and 8 are owned by miners.

Allanshaw Coal Co

Allanshaw Mine - Situated in the Burgh of Hamilton
Persons employed underground 200, above ground 54 , total 254

Trustees of Thomas Barr

Ross Mine - Situated near Ferniegair, Hamilton
Persons employed underground 316, above ground 77, total 393
The employees reside in the following localities:-
In mine owners' houses, situated at Ferniegair
In rented houses, situated at Ferniegair, Larkhall and Hamilton

The mine owners' houses are described as follows:-

Ross Street, Ferniegair:-
42 Two-apartment houses Rental £6 12s

Very old - One storey brick buildings, consisting of two continuous rows, having front and back doors - Each house has a small scullery or washhouse - no damp-proof course - Walls hollow built - wood Floors, ventilated originally but openings mostly closed up - internal surface of walls and ceilings unsatisfactory
No overcrowding - apartments fair size
Garden ground available and about 2/3 of this ground is now cultivated. A few years ago a local flower show was started and since that time some additional interest has been taken in gardening
Sculleries used as wash-houses and coal cellars
12 open privies in 6 blocks, adjoining ashpits at rear of houses
No sinks - drainage by surface channels along front and back of rows
Gravitation water from 2 pillar wells
Scavenged regularly at owners' expense

The houses are in a state of disrepair. A representative of the company was met on the ground some time ago, and stated that the owners were not prepared to do much to the houses, as the minerals were being worked under the site, and would probably damage the property

Notes on Ross Street, Ferniegair - 33 of the houses have been demolished - only 8 now occupied

William Barr & Sons Ltd

Allanton Mine - situated at Ferniegair, near Hamilton
Persons employed underground 710, above ground 103, total 813
The employees reside in the following localities:-
In mine owners' houses, situated at Allanton 121
In rented houses, situated at Larkhall and vicinity 477, Hamilton and vicinity 215

The mine owners' houses number 84 and are described in 3 groups as follows:

Allanton Terrace:-
10 two-apartment houses and sculleries Rental £10 8s
10 Four-apartment houses and sculleries Rental £13 13s
Rent includes electric light

Three-storey, stone front, back and gable brick, rough cast - Erected under Building Bye-laws - Damp-proof course - Walls hollow built - Wood floors, ventilated - Internal surface of walls and ceilings in good condition
No overcrowding - apartments good size
No gardens - wash houses and coal cellars provided
WC inside each house
Sinks in sculleries with gravitation water
Scavenging - contents of moveable ashbins removed at owners' expense

Allanton Rows - Double Row:
10 One-apartment houses Rental £5 4s
10 Two-apartment houses Rental £6 10s

One storey and half, brick built, back to back houses with garret rooms - no damp-proof course - Walls appear to be hollow built - Plastered on brick - Floors, some brick, some wood, unventilated - Internal surfaces of walls and ceilings in fair repair

Top Row:
16 Two-apartment houses Rental £5 4s

Boiler Row:
20 One-apartment houses Rental £3 18s

Deputy Row:
4 Two-apartment houses Rental £6 10s
4 Three-apartment houses Rental £6 10s

One storey, brick built - Erected about 40 years ago - no damp-proof course - Walls appear to be hollow built - Plastered on brick - Floors, some brick, some wood, unventilated - Internal surfaces of walls and ceilings in fair repair
No overcrowding - apartments fair size, with the exception of the apartments in Top Row, which are somewhat small
Gardens at Deputy Row only - the Deputy and Boiler Row are provided with wash houses, the others have none
Coal cellars at Deputy Row only
Three large privy middens
There are 4 WC provided at Deputy Row, giving one to every two tenants
Outside sinks provided at Top Row and one side of Double Row - drainage from others by surface channels - gravitation water at 3 pillar wells
Scavenged fairly regularly, at owners' expense - Deputy Row has portable bins
Meetings have been held with this firm relative to the unsatisfactory nature of sanitary conveniences, and promise has been made that sculleries with boilers, WC, and coal cellars will be provided
Recently the Railway company proposed to widen their railway, which will encroach upon these dwellings and this has caused delay

Notes on Top Row - sculleries with sinks and water supply, and a WC for each house have been erected. Two wash houses also erected

Notes on Boiler Row - 20 houses of one-apartment have been converted into two-apartment dwellings with scullery, sink, water supply, coal cellar and WC for each house

Bent Coal Co Ltd

Bent Mine - Situated in the Burgh of Hamilton
Persons employed underground 438, above ground 118, total 556

Cadzow Coal Co Ltd

Cadzow Mine - Situated at Cadzow, Hamilton
Persons employed underground 407, above ground 136, total 543

The employees reside in the following localities:-
In mine owners' houses, situated at Cadzow
In rented houses, situated at Burgh of Hamilton
The mine owners' houses are described as follows:

Cadzow Rows:-
82 One-apartment houses Rental £4 11s
101 Two-apartment houses Rental £5 4s to £5 17s

Erected 30 to 40 years ago

Wilson Terrace - Two storey, stone built
Moore, Austin and M'Creath Streets - Two storey, brick built
Aitken, Landale, Bishop, and Simpson Streets - contain 72 back-to-back, single apartment, one storey, brick built houses

No damp-proof course - Walls mostly hollow - Wood floors, some ventilated - 72 houses have wood lined ceilings, remainder plaster - Surfaces of walls and ceilings in fair condition
No overcrowding - apartments good size
No gardens - common wash houses - coal cellars
Trough water closets - one to every 3 or 4 homes
Sinks originally provided at head of stair, but majority are broken, and owners refuse to replace them - surface channels for houses on ground floor
Drainage from closets &c is led to a tank near the pithead, and the sewage, after settling, is used to feed the engine boilers
Gravitation water from pillar wells
Scavenged regularly at owners' expense, but a number of the inhabitants are of dirty habits and the village presents a disreputable appearance a short time after the scavenger has gone his rounds
Meetings have been held with representatives of the company relative to the introduction of inside sinks to each house. Excuse has been made that the workings of an adjoining pit were so affecting the houses that it would be injudicious to carry out any repairs for a time, although the company were agreeable to the suggested improvements

Notes on Cadzow Rows - Legal proceedings taken against the company under Section 15 of the Housing &c Act, 1909 were unsuccessful. The Company afterwards lodged plans for the provision of scullery with boiler and water supply, also WC for each house in Wilson Terrace. These were completed and similar improvements have since been carried out at 36 two-apartment houses in Moore Street, 36 two-apartment houses in Austin Street and 12 two-apartment houses in McCreath Street

Hamilton M'Culloch & Company

Home Farm Mine - Situated between Larkhall and Hamilton
Persons employed underground 230, above ground 70, total 300
The employees reside in the following localities:-
In mine owners' houses, situated at Merryton Rows 22, Home Farm Rows 17
Other employees reside at Larkhall, Ferniegair, and a few in Hamilton

The mine owners' houses number 37 and are described in 2 groups as follows:

1. Merryton Rows
7 One-apartment houses Rental £4 11s
14 Two-apartment houses Rental £6 10s
1 Three-apartment house Rental £8

Single storey, brick built - Erected about 45 years ago - no damp-proof course - Walls appear to be hollow built - Floors, some brick, some wood, unventilated - internal surface of walls and ceilings dilapidated
No overcrowding - kitchens fair size, rooms small
No gardens - no washhouses - no coal cellars
Two open privy middens, about 20 yards behind houses
Two slop sinks outside with gravitation water - drainage underground
Gravitation water from pillar wells
Scavenged irregular, at owners' expense
Meetings held with owners regarding defective condition of houses. Some improvement made 3 years ago, but houses and conveniences still far from satisfactory.

2. Home Farm Rows
3 One-apartment houses Rental £4 11s
13 Two-apartment houses Rental £6 18s

One storey, brick built - Erected about 25 years ago - no damp-proof course - Walls appear to be hollow built - Plastered on brick - Wood floors, ventilated - Internal surfaces of walls and ceilings in fair repair
No overcrowding - apartments good size
No gardens - no washhouses - no coal cellars
Three privies, with doors to lock
Outside sinks for 11 houses, others have surface channels
Gravitation water - one pillar well for all the houses. The occupiers of the houses on the north side of the railway have a considerable distance to carry their water
Scavenging regular, at owners expense
Complaint was made as to dampness of back walls of houses, due to ground abutting thereon. This has now been remedied to some extent.

Archibald Russell Ltd

Ferniegair Mine - situated at Ferniegair, near Hamilton
Persons employed underground 349, above ground 59, total 408

The employees reside in the following localities:-
In mine owners' houses, situated at Ferniegair 89, Hamilton 14
In rented houses, situated at Ferniegair 13 , Larkhall 81, Ross 8, Blantyre 6, Hamilton 192
In houses owned by employees at Ferniegair 5

Greenfield Mine - Situated in the Burgh of Hamilton
Persons employed underground 929, above ground 144, total 1073

The mine owners' houses situated at Ferniegair are described as follows:
13 One-apartment houses Rental £5 1s 10d
31 Two-apartment houses Rental £6 18s 8d
7 Three-apartment houses Rental £8 6s 10d

One storey, brick built - Erected about 20 years ago - no damp-proof course - Walls appear to be hollow built - Wood floors, ventilated - Internal surface of walls and ceilings in good condition.
No overcrowding although the rooms in the two-apartment houses are somewhat small
No gardens but a number of tenants rent small plots in the vicinity. There is sufficient ground to rear of houses for gardens, but this is unfenced - common wash houses - coal cellar to each house.
One privy to every 4 or 5 houses, situated to rear of houses.
Inside sinks with gravitation water in three-apartment houses - 5 outside slop sinks for 12 houses at single rows - surface channels for remainder of houses.
Gravitation water from pillar wells
Scavenged regularly at owners' expense
Privy accommodation has recently been improved, at instance of Public Health Department, by structural repair, numbering of doors, and fitting these with locks. The owners have also met with regard to the providing of slop sinks for houses fronting the main highway.

Udston Coal Co Ltd

Udston Mine - Situated near Burnbank, Hamilton
Persons employed underground 360, above ground 46, total 406

The employees reside in the following localities:-
In mine owners' houses, situated at Udston 100
In rented houses, situated at Dykehead and Udston 25
The remainder of the employees reside in Auchentibber, Blantyre and Hamilton

The mine owners' houses situated at Udston are described as follows:
36 One-apartment houses Rental £3 18s
7 Two-apartment houses Rental £6 10s

Two storey, front concrete blocks, back and gables brick - Erected 30 to 40 years ago - no damp-proof course - Poor class of tenement property -general appearance of houses bad - Little attempt made by owners to improve matters - Walls appear solid - No lathing or strapping - Floors wood, ventilation originally provided, but majority have openings closed up - Internal surfaces of walls and ceilings in fair repair - Part of the outside walls damp, particularly the gables with western exposure
No overcrowding - apartments fair size
No gardens - no washhouses - coal cellars provided under the stairs, but a number in such bad repair that they cannot be used
Two open privy middens, near gables of houses
Outside sinks, without water supply, one to every 4 houses
Drainage underground to farm lands
Owners employ a scavenger, who keeps place fairly clean
Action has been taken on different occasions regarding damp walls. Defective privies, slop sinks &c, but any repairs done have been of a trivial nature

United Collieries Ltd

Quarter Mines - Situated at Quarter, Parish of Hamilton
Persons employed underground 872, above ground 210, total 1082

The employees reside in the following localities:-
In mine owners' houses, situated at Quarter 379
In rented houses, situated at Larkhall 205, Strathaven 114, Limekilnburn 35, Quarter 23, Hamilton 307
In houses owned by employees at Larkhall 14, Strathaven 1, Hamilton 4

The mine owners' houses number 224, and are described in 2 groups as follows:

1. Carscallan Rows, Darngaber, Store, Furnace and New Rows
107 One-apartment houses Rental £1 12s 6d to £5 4s
75 Two-apartment houses Rental £5 4s to £9 2s
5 Three-apartment houses Rental £7 3s to £10 8s

Houses are one storey, some brick, some stone, with the exception of 32, which form 2 two-storey tenements - Most of the streets have good surfaces and surface water channels and footpath kept in good repair - Houses probably erected 40 years ago - no damp-proof course - External walls appear hollow built - About 2/3 houses have wood floors, which were originally provided with ventilation openings, now in many instances closed up - Other houses have brick or concrete floors - No strapping or lathing - Much of the wall plaster loose and crumbling, due to age or dampness - Number of ceilings much patched
No overcrowding, although garret apartments at New Row are small and have very low ceilings, and rooms at Store Row are also small
Garden ground available for all houses, and since inauguration of village flower show, three years ago, this has been largely taken advantage of
Wash houses are provided for 40 houses at new buildings and tenement
Number of tenants of rows have erected wooden wash houses at rear of their dwellings but the majority have to wash inside dwellings or in open. Coal cellars at new buildings and tenements - all others store their coal under beds or in wooden erections of their own outside
Privies, with doors and locks, at new buildings and tenement, one privy for every 4 houses - all others have open privies at a rate of one privy for every 5 or 6 houses, situated to rear of buildings at foot of gardens, and adjoining ashpits
Outside sinks, without water, at stairhead of new buildings and tenements - all other houses have outside slop sinks, without water supply, in front of houses - one sink to every 4 houses
Gravitation water from pillar wells - supplied from private source belonging to company, which has frequently been complained of as insufficient in quantity
Scavenger constantly employed at owners' expense
The new drainage system was laid down at request of Public Health Department. The defective water supply and damp conditions and floors of a number of houses is presently being dealt with.
A workmen's institute with bathing arrangements has recently been erected.

Notes on Garscallan Row - 22 houses have been provided with scullery (without sink and water supply), coal cellar and wooden pail privy. 4 wash houses also provided

Notes on Darngaber Row - 30 one-apartment and 6 two-apartment houses have been provided with sculleries, coal cellars and 9 wash houses, also a pail closet for each house

Notes on Store Row - 18 two-apartment houses have been provided with sculleries, coal cellars and 5 wash houses

Notes on Furnace Row - 20 one-apartment houses and 40 two-apartment houses have been provided with sculleries and coal cellars. 12 houses at east side provided with two wash houses, while 12 at west side have each a washing boiler in scullery, and pail closet in each

Notes on New Buildings - 24 two-apartment dwellings, 12 of these have been provided with a pail closet for each dwelling and the foundations have been put in for the other 12

Notes on Castle Buildings - 8 two-apartment dwellings. 2 houses have been provided with a pail closet each

2. Low Quarter and Mid Quarter
25 One-apartment houses Rental £2 12s
12 Two-apartment houses Rental £6 10s

These houses are probably the oldest miners' dwellings in the County, having been in existence for over 100 years, and were originally thatched - Walls stone, solid built - no damp-proof course - 16 houses recently reconstructed, provided with wood floors, ventilated - the others have brick or stone floors - The reconstructed houses have internal wall surfaces and ceilings lined with wood, painted - the old houses are plastered on solid, and are in bad state of repair
No overcrowding - apartments fair size
The ceilings of old houses are very low
All houses have gardens
One wash house at Low Quarter for 7 houses - others have to wash inside dwellings or in open - no coal cellars
Privies are provided at rear of dwellings, in the proportion of one to every 4 or 5 houses. A few have doors fitted with locks
At Low and Mid Quarter, outside sinks, without water supply, in front of dwellings - one sink to every 4 houses
Drainage - part surface channel and part underground
Gravitation water supply from pillar wells, supplied from private source supplying Quarter Village
Scavenged fairly regularly at owners' expense
Action has been taken regarding damp and dilapidated condition of a large number of houses at these rows, as the result of which 18 have now been reconstructed The repairs, consisting of rebuilding portions of the walls, providing larger windows (to open), new slated roofs in place of old thatch, removal of soil abutting on back wall, draining ground along back wall, new wooden floors and wood lining on internal wall surfaces. underground drainage was also provided, and water pipes extended. 6 old thatch houses at Low Quarter are presently being dealt with, and 4 at Mid Quarter have just been rebuilt and drains provided

Notes on Low Quarter - 3 one-apartment houses and one of three-apartments have been provided with sculleries and a pail closet for each dwelling. At 5-one-apartment houses, 4 of two-apartments and 2 of three-apartments, one of these three-apartment houses has been provided with a scullery, and all have a pail closet each

John Watson Ltd

Eddlewood Mine - Situated at Eddlewood, Hamilton
Persons employed underground 247, above ground 132, total 379

The employees reside in the following localities:-
In mine owners' houses, situated at Eddlewood 130
In rented houses, situated at Hamilton Burgh and neighbourhood 245
In houses owned by employees at Meikle Earnock and neighbourhood 4

Neilsland Mine - Situated at Meikle Earnock, Hamilton
Persons employed underground 749, above ground 131, total 880

The employees reside in the following localities:-
In mine owners' houses, situated at Eddlewood 203
In rented houses, situated at Burgh of Hamilton and neighbourhood 670
In houses owned by employees at Meikle Earnock and Hamilton 7

Earnock Mine - Situated at Burnbank, Burgh of Hamilton
Persons employed underground 970, above ground 252, total 1222
The mine shafts at this mine are all situated in the County area, but the mine owners' houses are all situated in the Burgh of Hamilton

164 employees reside in rented houses in Blantyre, 6 in Cambuslang and 10 in Larkhall

The mine owners' houses situated in the County area are described as follows:-

Eddlewood Village
24 One-apartment houses Rental £5 4s
163 Two-apartment houses Rental £7 to £8 9s
12 Three-apartment houses Rental £10 8s

Erected within last 25 years - 24 houses fronting highway have stone front, all other brick built - 10 houses single story, others two storey - Newer houses have damp proof course, other have none - Walls appear to be hollow built - Wood floors, ventilated - Internal surface of walls and ceilings in good condition
No overcrowding has been discovered recently - seven years ago 2 of the houses were occupied by Poles and registered as houses let in lodgings, were found overcrowded, proceedings were taken, and accused were convicted and fined £3 and expenses
No gardens - common wash houses - coal cellars provided
Privies at rear with locked doors - one for every 4 houses
Sinks, without water, at stairhead for upper flat - 24 one-apartment houses, 30 two-apartment houses, and 6 three-apartment houses of more recent construction have each an inside sink, with gravitation water - all other houses use surface channels or gullies under wells for disposal of waste water
Drainage discharged into Hamilton Burgh sewers
Gravitation water
Pillar wells supply a portion of the village where water has not been taken inside.
Scavenged regularly at owners' expense
Action taken relative to allocation of privies and provision of locks on doors. Company have also been met regarding provision of inside sinks for houses not already provided, and as to substituting WC for present privies. The objection of the latter proposal is that the Burgh Authorities do not wish additional sewage discharged into their sewers in the meantime

Notes on Eddlewood Village - all these dwellings are now provided with sinks and water supply in the kitchen windows

Wilsons & Clyde Coal Co Ltd

Clyde Mine - Situated in the Burgh of Hamilton
Persons employed underground 490, above ground 100, total 590