Population of Brewery Site

In 1911 nearly 700 people lived in what is now the brewery site. The chart above shows how the population of the site changed between 1861 and 1921. It breaks down the site into five areas which are shown on the map opposite. In 1861 much of the population lived in the Thames Street and High Street area (green). But in 1867 the brewery expanded, Thames Street was stopped up and the High Street widened, demolishing most of the residences between Mortlake Green and Bulls Alley. By 1871 more residences had been built on the east side of Ship Lane (yellow) but by 1921 these too had been cleared. The growth in the population from 1901 was due entirely to the building of West Road (red) which housed 355 people in 1911.

The census is just a snapshot recording those in residence on census night. It does not include people who live in the area but were absent but does include temporary visitors. In April 1881 the nine members of the Cambridge University Boat Race crew, shown here, and their three servants were recorded as being in Fairfax House.