Bartek has gone to Poland for New Year, and won’t be back till 8th – the same day that Boss Builder returns from his jaunt to the Polish mountains. Sebastian is…actually, I have no idea where he is. Meanwhile, Karol and Rafal are here, although in theory they shouldn’t be as this Saturday was supposed to be a free day for them. Karol explains that they need to get the old floor joists out and the new ones in, fixed at least in the front raised ground floor room, so that chipboard can be laid on top all in time for next weekend. And why the rush? Because the young couple, who are really meant to be living in this flat, are arriving tomorrow from their Christmas break to pack up all their stuff and move everything out. That means that the entrance hall, currently only allowing one person at a time to sidle past the piled up water tank, washing machine, and sundry large items, has to be cleared to allow the removals to proceed.
Here’s a picture of the raised ground floor living room at the moment, with its floating fire place.

I have come across the following in an extremely long article by a Dr Druitt in the February 25^th edition of The Builder of 1860.

 “…there are four questions, which should be asked concerning every house. Is it protected from malaria, or emanations from the soil? Is it adequate as a protection against cold, and does it supply such ab amount of fresh air and sunlight as shall be a protection against scrofula and other diseases of decay? Is it so drained that the inmates shall not suffer from diarrhoea and other sewer diseases? And lastly, is it so arranged that it shall not be a breeding-place for pestilence, nor yet a lurking-place, if it happens to enter from without?’

Some thousands of words later Dr Druitt wraps up:

‘Lastly, let me say that looking to the number of conveniences of life which society intervenes to procure for its poorer members such as churches, clergy, schools, libraries, baths, washhouses, saving-banks, clubs, hospitals and dispensaries; relief in destitution, over and above the legal pittance; work for the unemployed, reformation for the fallen, and even protection of the brute from cruelty, it were reasonable to extend the present machinery for the providing homes for the poor, and controlling them. At present we have associations which erect or repair model dwelling here and there; and all honour be to them. But we really want bodies whose functions shall be conterminous with every parish, which shall take poor dwellings whenever vacant; compete with the present sordid owners of house property; take, cleanse, improve, and let poor apartments at such a rate as shall just avoid loss; and find their profit in an improved public health.’

Almost 100 years later The Metropolitan Borough of St Pancras (Labour), later to become Camden Council (Labour) did just that. Those were the days.