Describe and explain the changes which have been made to improve the health of people in Wigan during this century.

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Public Health in Wigan

1900 - Present Day

Question 3 = 10 marks

Describe and explain the changes which have been made to improve the health of people in Wigan during this century.

There have been several major changes which have contributed to the improvement in the Public Health of the people of Wigan during the 20th century. The main changes have been in the extension of mains water supplies and drainage to virtually all properties, and the replacement of the slums that resulted from the Industrial Revolution. The provision of more and better hospitals and medical services has also helped. In recent years many new private housing and commercial developments have changed the appearance of Wigan beyond recognition, compared to its appearance one hundred years ago.

The improvement in water and drainage was a continuation of the developments that had started in the 19th century with the construction of the sewage works at Newburgh in 1881. Water supplies and drainage were extended to the slum clearance areas as new houses were built. Before the 1920's there was a lack of finance and interest in improving people's living conditions. It was the end of the First World War that started the changes.

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In the King's Speech to Local Government representatives in 1919, the King stressed the need to improve "the unhealthy, ugly, overcrowded house … if drink and crime are to be successfully combated".

Extract from King's Speech, April 1919

The first areas that were cleared for new housing were Beech Hill and Ridyard Street, which were redeveloped in the 1920's with semi-detached houses with gardens. George Orwell described these houses as "…well built and are quite agreeable to look at."  He described the tenants as being "very well satisfied with their ...

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