Doss Houses

[Barrister]

Does anyone know the approximate size of the doss houses? I understand that more than 200 people could be sleeping under one roof. That makes me wonder how many rooms, how many floors, how many square feet were available. I will appreciate being pointed to any sources that provide this information. Thanks in advance, fellow sleuths.

[Tom_Wescott]

Does anyone know the approximate size of the doss houses? I understand that more than 200 people could be sleeping under one roof. That makes me wonder how many rooms, how many floors, how many square feet were available. I will appreciate being pointed to any sources that provide this information. Thanks in advance, fellow sleuths.

Hi Barrister. Do you have a particular doss house in mind? Because they were all sorts and sizes. Most were two or three floors. In 1888, some were old silk weavers houses that had been modified. Others were rather new for the time and larger. 35 Dorset Street, for instance, was larger than a lot of the older houses.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Penhalion]

Some information you might be interested in:

http://spitalfieldslife.com/2011/01/29/the-dosshouses-of-spitalfields/