New Survey of London

Material created during the compilation of the New survey of London life and labour (London, 1930-1935) undertaken by the LSE in 1930-1934, including working papers of the survey such as minutes of the Steering Committee, correspondence of Sir Hubert Llewellyn Smith (Director) with Sydney Frank Markham (Secretary), correspondence with publishers, specimens of street survey cards and enquiry records, and drafts; background material, including census statistics, subject files and information on London organisations, labour and history; survey records, consisting of index cards, each containing information concerning one household and giving information on the age, occupation, place of work, travel and earnings of each wage earner. The London boroughs covered are Acton, Barking, Battersea, Bermondsey, Bethnal Green, Camberwell, Chelsea, Deptford, East Ham, Finsbury, Fulham, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith, Hampstead, Holborn, Hornsey, Islington, Kensington, Lambeth North, Lambeth South, Lewisham, Leyton, Paddington, Poplar, St Marylebone, St Pancras, Shoreditch, Southwark, Stepney, Stoke Newington, Tottenham, Wandsworth, West Ham, Westminster, Willesden, and Woolwich.

The New Survey of London was begun in 1928 and concluded in 1933 as a deliberate attempt to update Charles Booth's Survey of Life and Labour in London. It was directed by Sir Hubert Llewellyn Smith who had been one of Booth's assistants. The Survey was based at the London School of Economics and was financed by the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Trust and by donations raised by Beveridge from London organisations. Llewellyn Smith published his findings in 1930-1934 as The new survey of London life and labour (London, 1930-1935).

The index cards are arranged according to London borough.

Open

Printed catalogue available.

Sources: British Library of Political and Economic Science Archives catalogue. Compiled by Sarah Aitchison as part of the RSLP AIM25 project.

Copyright held by the LSE. Some documents may be photocopied.

The papers were probably deposited in the Library following the completion of the project in 1934. The survey cards were long thought missing but were found in 1978 during the Library's transfer to the Lionel Robbins Building.

The British Library of Political and Economic Science also holds the papers relating to Charles Booth's original survey of London (Ref: Booth).

The new survey of London life and labour (London, 1930-1935).