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Below is an image from the Booth Collection relating to Victoria Home No 2 (77 Whitechapel Road) in 1898. Mr Wilkie was the manger of both Victoria Homes and the rules for each establishment was the same.
At the time of the Whitechapel Murders lodging houses were supervise by the police (Common Lodging House Act of 1851) but in 1894 supervision switched to the London County Council.
The manager (actually a deputy) was interviewed on February 18th 1898. The interview was handwritten and difficult to decipher but here are a few interesting passages.
Sally is quite right in saying that for the Victoria Home the free night was Sunday:
‘They are not so well equipped as the Rowton Houses or the L.C.C Common Lodging Houses. But both of these charge 6d a night, the Victoria Home 4d with a free bed on Sunday for those that have been at the house all the week.’
On late night entry and sleeping in the day (questions which have arisen before):
‘The doors closed at 12 midnight and although men are not hurried, the kitchen is cleared and expected to be cleared by about 12.30. There have 2 night porters but do not profess to take men who want to sleep in the day. This makes management simpler and helps to keep them free from doubtful customers.’
On regular users:
‘The vast majority of men live there and on any given night except perhaps for a little time in the summer they have only about 12 beds vacant for strangers. They have about 500 beds and last week for instance they gave more than 400 free room for the Sunday. Some of their men have been there for years.'
Those who attended a recent Whitechapel Society meeting might be interested to know that there is an interview within this interview, with an inmate known as ‘Walter’, who seems to have been a rough character – ‘a good natured rather stout fellow about 45, with a good strong arm, a cast in his eye...’
Included in the papers is an interview with Mr Pateman (thankfully typed) , the Superintendent of the Spitalfields Lodging House Band, and he says:
‘The best houses in the district are the Victoria Homes, and in these the management is strictest... The worst street is Dorset St., but of the houses in it Crossingham’s is the best. It is for men only. McCathy’s with “doubles” and “singles” is about as bad as any’.
There is also a six page typed interview with Mr Wilkie.
On the subject of long tern inmates he says that of the 1,120 beds in the two homes, he ‘does not think that there are 300 in the homes who were there 12 months ago.... But on any given night the no. Of beds free for the chance comer is very small indeed. All names are registered but nothing else.’
This is another interesting passage:
‘The 4d beds were arranged in little compartments of 4, with corrugated iron partitions, and Mr. W. said they were often occupied by those who chummed together and that there was a great deal of partnering in work, by which the slack times are tided over.’
At the time of the Whitechapel Murders lodging houses were supervise by the police (Common Lodging House Act of 1851) but in 1894 supervision switched to the London County Council.
The manager (actually a deputy) was interviewed on February 18th 1898. The interview was handwritten and difficult to decipher but here are a few interesting passages.
Sally is quite right in saying that for the Victoria Home the free night was Sunday:
‘They are not so well equipped as the Rowton Houses or the L.C.C Common Lodging Houses. But both of these charge 6d a night, the Victoria Home 4d with a free bed on Sunday for those that have been at the house all the week.’
On late night entry and sleeping in the day (questions which have arisen before):
‘The doors closed at 12 midnight and although men are not hurried, the kitchen is cleared and expected to be cleared by about 12.30. There have 2 night porters but do not profess to take men who want to sleep in the day. This makes management simpler and helps to keep them free from doubtful customers.’
On regular users:
‘The vast majority of men live there and on any given night except perhaps for a little time in the summer they have only about 12 beds vacant for strangers. They have about 500 beds and last week for instance they gave more than 400 free room for the Sunday. Some of their men have been there for years.'
Those who attended a recent Whitechapel Society meeting might be interested to know that there is an interview within this interview, with an inmate known as ‘Walter’, who seems to have been a rough character – ‘a good natured rather stout fellow about 45, with a good strong arm, a cast in his eye...’
Included in the papers is an interview with Mr Pateman (thankfully typed) , the Superintendent of the Spitalfields Lodging House Band, and he says:
‘The best houses in the district are the Victoria Homes, and in these the management is strictest... The worst street is Dorset St., but of the houses in it Crossingham’s is the best. It is for men only. McCathy’s with “doubles” and “singles” is about as bad as any’.
There is also a six page typed interview with Mr Wilkie.
On the subject of long tern inmates he says that of the 1,120 beds in the two homes, he ‘does not think that there are 300 in the homes who were there 12 months ago.... But on any given night the no. Of beds free for the chance comer is very small indeed. All names are registered but nothing else.’
This is another interesting passage:
‘The 4d beds were arranged in little compartments of 4, with corrugated iron partitions, and Mr. W. said they were often occupied by those who chummed together and that there was a great deal of partnering in work, by which the slack times are tided over.’
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