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The term 'public control', as used in the Council's organisation, embraced various services of a regulative character, mostly exercised by some form of licensing control. Largely unobtrusive in their operation, and producing no spectacular effects, they were all carried out in the public interest and, in some respects, for the protection of the public or certain sections of it.

Their administration was conditioned by trends in the legislative provisions under which they were operated, by shifts and changes in social usages, and by the development of the Council's policies towards the matters to which they related.

Although the animal population of the county dwindled to a very small figure as the urbanisation and growth of London continued, it continued to be necessary for the Council to employ two lay inspectors of animal diseases, who were principally concerned with the very large number of animals coming into London by road and rail, mostly for slaughter. Circuses and other entertainments in London were regularly visited when performing animals were exhibited. This inspection was to ensure that the exhibition and training of the animals was not accompanied by cruelty. The Council arranged for veterinary surgeons to visit riding stables in London annually to report on the conditions of the horses kept. In 1963 there were nineteen riding establishments in London and a total of about 140 horses let out on hire.

The term 'public control', as used in the Council's organisation, embraced various services of a regulative character, mostly exercised by some form of licensing control. Largely unobtrusive in their operation, and producing no spectacular effects, they were all carried out in the public interest and, in some respects, for the protection of the public or certain sections of it.

Their administration was conditioned by trends in the legislative provisions under which they were operated, by shifts and changes in social usages, and by the development of the Council's policies towards the matters to which they related.

War charities and charities for the blind were not allowed to make any appeal to the public for donations or subscriptions in money or in kind unless they were registered by a local authority. The requirement to register was extended in 1948 to all charities for disabled persons. Registered charities had to comply with certain statutory provisions designed to promote good management.

In 1963 there were registered with the Council 87 war charities and 103 charities for the disabled. Some were small charities operating in a particular district of London, others were large national organisations whose administrative offices happened to be in London.

The term 'public control', as used in the Council's organisation, embraced various services of a regulative character, mostly exercised by some form of licensing control. Largely unobtrusive in their operation, and producing no spectacular effects, they were all carried out in the public interest and, in some respects, for the protection of the public or certain sections of it.

Their administration was conditioned by trends in the legislative provisions under which they were operated, by shifts and changes in social usages, and by the development of the Council's policies towards the matters to which they related.

The Coroners (Amendment) Act, 1926, enabled a coroner in certain cases to dispense with the formality of an inquest. This provision greatly reduced the number of inquests. It became possible, as coronerships fell vacant, to reduce the number of coroners' districts. In 1932 the number of coroners in London was seven. In 1956 the number of coroners and coroner's districts in London was reduced to three. At one time there were thirty places in London at which inquests were held. The reorganisation of districts made it possible to reduce the number of coroners' courts in London to seven. London coroners held 2,010 inquests in 1963. More than 12,000 deaths, or 30% of all deaths occurring in London that year, were reported to them, but, after inquiries and post-mortem examinations, the coroners were able to deal with more than 10,000 cases without needing to hold an inquest.

The term 'public control', as used in the Council's organisation, embraced various services of a regulative character, mostly exercised by some form of licensing control. Largely unobtrusive in their operation, and producing no spectacular effects, they were all carried out in the public interest and, in some respects, for the protection of the public or certain sections of it.

Their administration was conditioned by trends in the legislative provisions under which they were operated, by shifts and changes in social usages, and by the development of the Council's policies towards the matters to which they related.

The Council obtained powers in 1905 for registering agencies for domestic servants and agenices for theatrical performers. Since then the Council's powers were extended and applied to every kind of employment agency and related to fees and charges, the character of the applicant, and the conduct of the agency. With changing social conditions there was a change in the pattern of employment agency business, for example, the number of domestic staff agencies declined. By 1963 there were about 1,200 employment agencies in London. About 400 were theatrical, variety, concert, television, or film actor agencies; about 250 were clerical or secretarial agencies, and there were about 40 nurses agencies. About 200 applications were made each year for licences to start new employment agencies. Most of the applicants had no previous experience and few of the new businesses remained open for more than a year or two.

The term 'public control', as used in the Council's organisation, embraced various services of a regulative character, mostly exercised by some form of licensing control. Largely unobtrusive in their operation, and producing no spectacular effects, they were all carried out in the public interest and, in some respects, for the protection of the public or certain sections of it.

Their administration was conditioned by trends in the legislative provisions under which they were operated, by shifts and changes in social usages, and by the development of the Council's policies towards the matters to which they related.

Places used in London for stage plays, music, dancing, film shows, boxing, or wrestling had to be licensed if they were open to the public. The purpose of licensing was to ensure the safety and suitability of the premises and the entertainment. In general, the Council was the entertainment licensing authority for London, but most West End theatres were licensed for stage plays by the Lord Chamberlain.

Fan dancing, nude posing and strip-tease became increasingly popular during the Second World War. In 1940 the Lord Chamberlain convened a conference to consider the tendency towards impropriety on the stage. At first there was an improvement, but it was not maintained. In 1952 the Council decided to prohibit strip-tease in premises in London licensed for music and dancing. Strip-tease shows continued to be given at bogus clubs in the Soho area. In such clubs there was really no effective restriction on public admission, nor was there any intended. Legal proceedings and fines were not an adequate deterrent and more severe penalties were introduced in the London Government Act, 1963.

The cinema remained the most popular form of entertainment licensed by the Council. There were in 1963 over 150 cinemas in London. Safety arrangements were prescribed in detail and updated as new technology was introduced. The Council also had responsibility for the censorship of films, generally accepting the decisions of the British Board of Film Censors.

The term 'public control', as used in the Council's organisation, embraced various services of a regulative character, mostly exercised by some form of licensing control. Largely unobtrusive in their operation, and producing no spectacular effects, they were all carried out in the public interest and, in some respects, for the protection of the public or certain sections of it.

Their administration was conditioned by trends in the legislative provisions under which they were operated, by shifts and changes in social usages, and by the development of the Council's policies towards the matters to which they related.

The term 'public control', as used in the Council's organisation, embraced various services of a regulative character, mostly exercised by some form of licensing control. Largely unobtrusive in their operation, and producing no spectacular effects, they were all carried out in the public interest and, in some respects, for the protection of the public or certain sections of it.

Their administration was conditioned by trends in the legislative provisions under which they were operated, by shifts and changes in social usages, and by the development of the Council's policies towards the matters to which they related.

The original purpose of the Council's powers, obtained in 1915 and 1920, to deal with places where massage, manicure, chiropody, vapour and other baths, and electrical treatment were given, was to ensure that such places were not used for immoral practices. Control was subsequently directed mainly towards ensuring that treatments were given only by people who were suitably qualified.

The term 'public control', as used in the Council's organisation, embraced various services of a regulative character, mostly exercised by some form of licensing control. Largely unobtrusive in their operation, and producing no spectacular effects, they were all carried out in the public interest and, in some respects, for the protection of the public or certain sections of it.

Their administration was conditioned by trends in the legislative provisions under which they were operated, by shifts and changes in social usages, and by the development of the Council's policies towards the matters to which they related.

The Council was the authority responsible for the grant of licences to cover the safe keeping of petroleum spirit, petroleum mixture, and carbide of calcium, which is used to produce acetylene. Leaking petrol tanks were located and the leakage stopped before accident could occur. Disused tanks were rendered safe from danger of fire and explosion, and the Council kept records of all disused tanks remaining in the ground.

In addition the Council exercised powers over the storage of inflammable liquids and dangerous businesses such as varnish making, oil boiling and wax polish manufacture. The Council was an authority under the Explosives Acts, but the statutory requirements relating to safety distances made large stores of explosives impractical in London. The Council was principally concerned with the registration and inspection of shops where fireworks were stored.

Duties of control and registration of highly flammable celluloid stores were given to the Council in 1915. Between the two world wars very large stocks of cinematograph film were stored in London, mostly in the Wardour Street area, where film renters' premises were situated. The Council's celluloid inspector had to ensure that the safety precautions laid down in the Act were properly observed. The quantity of celluloid and nitro-cellulose cinematograph film in the county became greatly reduced, and by 1963 there were only about 60 stores registered. The films stored were mostly of historic interest or were used to print safer stock from the original nitro-cellulose films.

The term 'public control', as used in the Council's organisation, embraced various services of a regulative character, mostly exercised by some form of licensing control. Largely unobtrusive in their operation, and producing no spectacular effects, they were all carried out in the public interest and, in some respects, for the protection of the public or certain sections of it.

Their administration was conditioned by trends in the legislative provisions under which they were operated, by shifts and changes in social usages, and by the development of the Council's policies towards the matters to which they related.

The purpose of the Shops Acts, replaced by the Shops Act in 1950, was not only to protect shop assistants but also, by regularising closing hours, to protect shopkeepers against each other. It was the Council's task to make the Acts known to shopkeepers, and to secure the observance of the provisions relating to closing hours, Sunday trading, shop assistants' meal times and holidays, and the hours of employment of young persons.

The term 'public control', as used in the Council's organisation, embraced various services of a regulative character, mostly exercised by some form of licensing control. Largely unobtrusive in their operation, and producing no spectacular effects, they were all carried out in the public interest and, in some respects, for the protection of the public or certain sections of it.

Their administration was conditioned by trends in the legislative provisions under which they were operated, by shifts and changes in social usages, and by the development of the Council's policies towards the matters to which they related.

In 1938 the number of vehicle licences issued by the Council was 601,300. In 1962 the number was 999,750, and the license duty had risen from £5 million to £13 million. The introduction of the test of road-worthiness for private cars and motor cycles made it necessary for the Council to be satisfied, before issuing licences, that the legal requirements had been complied with. Tightening of traffic control and regulation of car parking increased requests from traffic authorities for information about registered vehicles and their owners.

About 365,000 driving licences were in force in London in 1938. In 1963 there were over 1,000,000. In 1935 a new compulsory test for all new drivers was introduced, and only a provisional licence was issued before the test was passed. The Council could refuse a licence or revoke an existing licence in cases of disability likely to cause a driver to be dangerous. Additionally the Road Traffic Act, 1962, increased the number of offences for which disqualification was obligatory.

The term 'public control', as used in the Council's organisation, embraced various services of a regulative character, mostly exercised by some form of licensing control. Largely unobtrusive in their operation, and producing no spectacular effects, they were all carried out in the public interest and, in some respects, for the protection of the public or certain sections of it.

Their administration was conditioned by trends in the legislative provisions under which they were operated, by shifts and changes in social usages, and by the development of the Council's policies towards the matters to which they related.

The Council was the weights and measures authority for the County of London (excluding the City) and employed twenty-three duly qualified inspectors and five authorised coal officers. Four area offices were maintained at which a large quantity of very accurate equipment was kept, including standard measures, fine balances, public weighbridges, a weighbridge testing vehicle, and machines for testing and stamping glass measures.

Increases in the sale of prepacked goods had an effect on legislation. Statutory regulations in 1957 made it an offence to sell any prepackaged food, with certain exceptions, unless the wrapper was legibly marked with a true statement of the contents. During the year 1962-1963 the Council's inspectors examined 537,000 articles of food at 14,000 premises.

The first registers of voters were lists of those owing land tax, since the right to vote depended on the amount of property a man owned.

It was not until the 1832 Reform Act that the creation of electoral registers became a requirement. At first these were the responsibility of the Quarter Sessions, although from 1888 they were compiled by County Councils and from 1974 by District Councils. The registers mainly list those eligible to vote for parliamentary elections although they often double as lists for local government elections.

The London County Council assumed responsibility for the general hospitals formerly maintained by the Boards of Guardians and the Special hospitals formerly maintained by the Metropolitan Asylums Board with effect from 1 April 1930. These hospitals needed much work to modernise, equip and staff them adequately. The Council made great improvements in hospital accommodation and staffing standards. The nursing service had been improved, medical schools established, and a laboratory service built up. These functions were transferred to the Regional Hospitals Boards and Hospital Management Committees under the National Health Service Acts with effect from 5 July 1948. The Council assisted by providing services of supply, engineering and finance for several months after the transfer, until Council officers could be absorbed into the new organisation.

There was also a transfer from the City and the boroughs to the London County Council of health services including maternity and child welfare, health visiting, home help, vaccination and immunisation, and the care of those with tuberculosis. The Council took over 4,843 lay and professional staff, 70 freehold premises, and 252 tenancy arrangements, as well as adding new services such as home nursing, the provision of health centres and the expansion of the ambulance service. The County was divided into nine divisions, each with a divisional health committee, a divisional medical officer, a nursing officer and an administrative officer.

The London County Council assumed responsibility for the general hospitals formerly maintained by the Boards of Guardians and the Special hospitals formerly maintained by the Metropolitan Asylums Board with effect from 1 April 1930. These hospitals needed much work to modernise, equip and staff them adequately. The Council made great improvements in hospital accommodation and staffing standards. The nursing service had been improved, medical schools established, and a laboratory service built up. These functions were transferred to the Regional Hospitals Boards and Hospital Management Committees under the National Health Service Acts with effect from 5 July 1948. The Council assisted by providing services of supply, engineering and finance for several months after the transfer, until Council officers could be absorbed into the new organisation.

The question of an ambulance service for street accident cases was first debated by the Council in 1901 but it was not until 1905 that application was made to Parliament for powers to provide such a service. The Bill was rejected by a Committee of the House of Lords but a Metropolitan Ambulances Act was passed in 1909. This Act was permissive only and a long period of debate ensued as to whether the existing services provided by the Metropolitan Asylums Board, the Boards of Guardians and the Metropolitan Police were adequate. Finally, in March 1914, the Council decided to provide a street accident Ambulance Service which was placed under the command of the Chief Officer of the London Fire Brigade. The first station was opened in February 1915 and, by October of that year, the service was in operation in all parts of the County.

On 1 April 1930, when the Council took over the functions of the Metropolitan Asylums Board and the Boards of Guardians it also took over their ambulance services. A unified London Ambulance Service under the supervision of the Medical Officer of Health was then formed from the combination of these services with the Accident Section previously administered by the Chief Officer of the London Fire Brigade.

The London County Council assumed responsibility for the general hospitals formerly maintained by the Boards of Guardians and the Special hospitals and institutions formerly maintained by the Metropolitan Asylums Board with effect from 1 April 1930. These hospitals needed much work to modernise, equip and staff them adequately. The Council made great improvements in hospital accommodation and staffing standards. The nursing service had been improved, medical schools established, and a laboratory service built up. These functions were transferred to the Regional Hospitals Boards and Hospital Management Committees under the National Health Service Acts with effect from 5 July 1948. The Council assisted by providing services of supply, engineering and finance for several months after the transfer, until Council officers could be absorbed into the new organisation.

There was also a transfer from the City and the boroughs to the London County Council of health services including maternity and child welfare, health visiting, home help, vaccination and immunisation, and the care of those with tuberculosis. The Council took over 4,843 lay and professional staff, 70 freehold premises, and 252 tenancy arrangements, as well as adding new services such as home nursing, the provision of health centres and the expansion of the ambulance service. The County was divided into nine divisions, each with a divisional health committee, a divisional medical officer, a nursing officer and an administrative officer.

Until the Mental Health Act, 1959, the Council's mental health services were administered centrally from hte County Hall. From October 1960 responsibility for the day-to-day operation of mental health services was delegated to the nine divisional health committees, while other aspects of the work remained under direct central control, for example the provision of hostels and day centres, the medical examination of mentally subnormal persons, the obtaining of hospital beds for them, and the giving of medical evidence to courts and tribunals. Administration of training centres passed to the divisional medical officers; but planning, the formulation of policy, general control over admissions, the allocation of industrial work to centres, and the arranging of transport and home teaching were retained as central responsibilities.

Health services were transferred from the City and the boroughs to the London County Council, including maternity and child welfare, health visiting, home help, vaccination and immunisation, and the care of those with tuberculosis. The Council took over 4,843 lay and professional staff, 70 freehold premises, and 252 tenancy arrangements, as well as adding new services such as home nursing, the provision of health centres and the expansion of the ambulance service. The County was divided into nine divisions, each with a divisional health committee, a divisional medical officer, a nursing officer and an administrative officer.

The Council's maternity and child welfare centres provided ante-natal, post-natal and child welfare clinics, motherhood classes, nutrients, medicines and National Welfare Foods. Domiciliary midwives used the ante-natal clinics to examine their patients and book visits. Day nursery services were also provided. The child welfare service provided a diagnostic service for detecting mental and physical handicaps and offered psychiatric care.

In 1948 the Council became responsible for services for the prevention of tuberculosis and the care and after-care of tuberculous persons. Diagnostic and treatment services were transferred to the hospital authorities, but the Council paid parts of the salaries of chest physicians, and hired tuberculosis visitors and handicraft instructors. A BCG vaccination scheme was initiated for school children. Hostels were established for homeless men with tuberculosis who might be an infection risk for others. Diversional therapy classes were held at many chest clinics for patients able to travel. A service for homebound patients was also established. Tuberculosis health visitors saw patients in their homes, advised on diet and hygiene, ascertained home conditions and needs, provide extra nourishment and ensure patients attended clinic.

Before 1948 home helps were provided by boroughs for maternity cases and the sick and infirm. Under the National Health Service Act the Council took over this service and was empowered to provide help to any person who was ill, lying-in, an expectant mother, mentally defective, aged, or a child not over compulsory school age.

The Common Lodging Houses Act 1851 required common lodging houses in London to be registered with the Metropolitan Police and contained many provisions for their regulation. In 1894, the registration powers of the police were transferred to the London County Council by a provisional order of the Local Government Board. The registers maintained by the Metropolitan Police between 1851 and 1894 were subsequently transferred to the Council. The Merchant Shipping Act 1894 gave permissive powers to local authorities to regulate seamen's lodging houses and by-laws made by the Council in 1901 prescribed general standards in this regard and certain additional requirements for houses for which a licence was granted. Licensing was, however, optional and few keepers sought a licence. In 1909 the Council obtained powers requiring the compulsory licensing of seamen's lodging houses which came into effect the following year. In 1933 the Council's functions in relation to both common lodging houses and seamen's lodging houses were transferred to the metropolitan borough councils.

In 1889, the London County Council took over from the Justices the function of licensing slaughterhouses, knackers yards and cowhouses under Section 93 of the Metropolis Management Amendment Act, 1862. In 1933, these powers were transferred to the Metropolitan Borough Councils.

The Infant Life Protection Act 1872 was an early attempt to make some provisions for the provision of neglected or 'deprived' children outside the ambit of the Poor Law or the Judiciary. It required foster-parents receiving more than one infant for maintenance in return for money payments to register their houses with the local authority (in London, the Metropolitan Board of Works). The duty of keeping a register passed to the London County Council in 1889 and the Infant Life Protection Act 1897 made it the duty of the authority to enforce the Act. Relatives and guardians of children, hospitals, convalescent homes or institutions 'established for the protection and care of infants and conducted in good faith' were exempted from the provisions of both Acts as well as persons maintaining children under any Act for the relief of the poor. So far as the Council was concerned, the Public Control Committee was responsible for the administration of the Acts and the register was kept by, and the inspectors, served in the Public Control Department. This remained the case after the passing of the Children Act 1908, which extended control to one-child foster houses but, from 1 April 1917, the work was transferred to the Public Health Committee and Department. In the early nineteen-twenties, as an experiment, the work was undertaken by the Lewisham and Greenwich Borough Councils in their areas but, after consultation with the Metropolitan Boroughs Standing Joint Committee, it was decided not to extend or continue the delegation. By the order of the Secretary of State, however, the metropolitan boroughs were later charged with these functions as from 1 April 1933 and the transfer of responsibility was confirmed by the Public Health (London) Act, 1936.

Part IV of the London County Council (General Powers) Act 1915 required lying-in homes to be registered with the Council and gave the Council powers of inspection and regulation which were extended by Part IV of the London County Council (General Powers) Act 1921. The Nursing Homes Registration Act 1927 extended control to nursing homes, as well as lying-in homes. These functions were transferred to the London Boroughs on 1st April 1965.

The School Health Service developed from 1905. All schoolchildren were inspected by a medical officer at least four times during their school life. Medical and dental treatment was given at school treatment centres managed either directly or by voluntary committees financed by the Council. In addition many special clinics for children were held at London hospitals.

Following the coming into force of Section 13(1)(b) of the Education (Administrative Provisions) Act 1907, the Council in 1909 circularised all suitable London hospitals, clinics and so on, asking for co-operation in the treatment of elementary school children for ringworm, defects of vision, teeth, ears, and so on. In areas where the existing provision was obviously insufficient the Council set up its own centres.

The management of the Council's parks and open spaces was originally the responsibility of the Superintending Architect. In 1892, a separate "Parks and Open Spaces Sub-Department" under a chief officer was created and, in 1895, its title was changed to "Parks and Open Spaces Department". The Parks Department was responsible for the administration, design, improvement and maintenance of all the Council's parks, open spaces and gardens, including those attached to certain Council buildings and housing estates. Facilities for games and athletics were provided in many parks, encouraged by the Physical Training and Recreation Act. The deep water ponds at Highgate and Hampstead and various open air swimming pools and lidos encouraged bathing. Entertainment was also common in some parks, particularly performances by bands, dancing and entertainments for children. Some parks included wildlife such as water fowl, aviaries, deer and wallabies as well as horticultural features, floral displays and tropical gardens.

In 1931 the Council was instrumental in obtaining the passing of the London Squares Preservation Act, as a result of which over 460 garden enclosures in London squares are preserved as open spaces. The Council was also instrumental in the formation of the Green Belt, an area of woodlands surrounding the built-up urban environment. In 1935 a scheme was launched to begin purchase of land which would form the belt, with £2,000,000 set aside by the Council for this purpose. By 1937, 43,000 acres had been preserved.

During the Second World War much damage was done to London parks, yet they were very important as places of entertainment and relaxation. Post war priorities included repairs, but also expansion under the County of London Plan, 1948. This called for the creation of more open spaces, and specified an ideal of seven acres for each thousand of population. During the 1950s several new parks were laid out, including Hammersmith Park, Haggerston Park in Shoreditch and Brickfield Gardens in Limehouse. In 1952 work began on the riverside promenade along the South Bank, formerly part of the Festival of Britain site. The policy of providing entertainment in parks was continued, with theatre, opera and ballet, open air cinemas, symphony concerts, brass bands, dancing, gymkhanas and funfairs. Open air sculpture exhibitions were first held in 1948, followed by open air painting exhibitions. Parks were also made available to organisations arranging displays, parades, rallies, dog shows and so on. The provision of sports facilities was improved and specialist horticultural officers were hired to ensure that the wildlife and flora were well cared for.

These plans were presented to the Council and its Committees, but were too large to be included in the bound volumes of presented papers. Instead they were kept separately in rolls which were placed in drums labelled with the name of the Committee to which they were presented. Index cards were prepared listing the outsize plans presented to each Committee with a reference to the drum in which they were stored. In the present list reference numbers have been assigned to each roll of plans. Otherwise this list, with the exception of the plans presented to the Bridges Committee, is in most cases merely a copy of the index cards which have been checked against the original rolls of plans. These plans must always be related to the minutes with which they are associated. They are not necessarily the finished approved drawings of any project, but are rather the drawings before the Committee at a specific meeting.

Following the heavy enemy air raids of September 1940, the Council set up the Londoners' Meals Service as a separate Department with its own Chief Officer to control emergency feeding centres and to provide school meals for non-evacuated children in need of them. As the scale of air raid attacks diminished, the service developed into a network of restaurants and the Civic Restaurants Act, 1947 empowered local authorities to continue the provision of this service under normal peace-time conditions provided it was not run at a loss. In 1948, the Department was renamed Restaurants and Catering Deptartment.

From 1941, it had assumed the additional responsibility for canteens at ambulance and civil defence establishments and it also later undertook the catering arrangements at County Hall and other large offices of the Council.

On 1 June 1954, the Council decided to transfer to the Chief Officer of Supplies the responsibility for civic restaurants and the Restaurants and Catering Department was re-designated the School Meals and Catering Department, with responsibility solely for school meals and catering at staff restaurants in Council offices, etc. On 19 October 1954 the Council was informed that, as its civic restaurant service was not paying its way, the Minister of Food had decided upon its discontinuance and all such restaurants were closed by the end of February 1955.

From the end of 1959, the Department took over additionally the work and assets of the Invalid Meals for London organisation (formerly Invalid Kitchens of London), the company being finally dissolved in November 1964.

A central stores was established in 1898 under the direction of the Clerk of the Council, who also became responsible, after 1904, for the central stores organisation taken over from the School Board for London. Before 1898, each department was responsible for its own supplies and, after that date, it continued to be responsible for those items not centrally supplied.

The Council decided, on 29 June 1909, to create a separate Stores Department under its own Chief Officer. The name was changed to Supplies Department on 11 May 1926.

The Council inherited from the Metropolitan Board of Works the power under the Tramways Act, 1870 (which the Board had not in fact exercised) to construct tramways and lease them to operating companies and also to purchase at prescribed future dates the undertakings of the existing tramway companies (of which there were fourteen in 1889). Until the passing of the London County Tramways Act, 1896, the Council's powers did not extend to operating a tramway undertaking itself. The London Street Tramways Company's undertaking was the first to be purchased and released on a short-term basis in 1892 and the arbitration proceedings which ensued set the pattern for subsequent purchases.

When the undertaking of another of the companies, the London Tramways Company, which operated wholly South of the Thames, was purchased with effect from 1 January 1899, the Council decided to operate the system itself, appointing a General Manager of Tramways as the head of a new Department for this purpose and the direct management of other systems followed, as they were purchased or leases expired. Electrification powers were conferred by the London County Tramways (Electrical Power) Act 1900 and the first section of electrified line (running between Westminster Bridge and Tooting) was opened by the Prince of Wales of 15 May 1903. Electrification was completed by 1912, the large generating station at Greenwich being opened in two stages in 1906 and 1910.

The attempt of the Council to continue to operate the horse omnibus service between the south side of Westminster Bridge and Charing Cross which had been maintained by the London Tramways Company was frustrated by litigation and it was not until 1906 after much controversy that Parliament sanctioned the carrying of tramways over Westminster and other Thames bridges and along the Victoria Embankment. The Kingsway subway, designed to link the northern and southern systems was opened between Holborn and Aldwych in 1906 and extended to the Victoria Embankment in 1908.

The question of the financing of the undertaking and the form of accounts was the subject of considerable controversy at the 1907 L.C.C. elections which resulted in a change of party in the majority in the Council Chamber.

Under the London Passenger Transport Act 1933, the Council's tramway undertaking, the undertakings of the omnibus companies and the underground railways were transferred to the newly-created London Passenger Transport Board with effect from 1 July 1933.

The London County Council's housing work was administered by the Housing and Public Health Committee. The Valuer, with the Valuation Department, was responsible for the acquisition of property and maintenance and management of the Council's dwellings.

The London County Council's housing work was administered by the Housing and Public Health Committee. The Valuer, with the Valuation Department, was responsible for the acquisition of property and maintenance and management of the Council's dwellings.

Charles Goad began his career in 1869 by working as a surveyor for Canadian Railway Companies. He saw the potential of drawing up plans of towns and villages that showed the construction of buildings in order to assist fire insurance companies. On returning to England he began publishing a similar series and also began similar series for parts of Europe, South Africa, the Middle East and the West Indies. His first London plan seems to have been published in 1885 and the last revisions were made in 1970 when the company ceased to produce fire insurance plans.

The London County Council's housing work was administered by the Housing and Public Health Committee. The Valuer, with the Valuation Department, was responsible for the acquisition of property and maintenance and management of the Council's dwellings.

The principles underlying the rating and valuation system of London were the same as those for the rest of England and Wales, but minor differences did exist. A notable feature of rating and valuation leglislation had been the attempt to secure greater uniformity between the capital and the rest of the country. Thus the system of quinquennial valuation lists, which operated in London under the Valuation (Metropolis) Act 1869, was applied to the rest of England and Wales by the Rating and Valuation Act of 1925.

Since 1870 valuation lists were compiled every five years. The first step in their formation was for the rating authority - after 1899 the rating authorities within the London County Council area comprised the 28 metropolitan boroughs, the City of London and the Inner and Middle Temples, 31 in all - to obtain a return from occupiers of the particulars of hereditaments they occupied. The gross and rateable values of these properties were then forwarded to the local assessment committees who heard objections to the valuations and revised the lists as they saw fit. Appeals against the findings of the committees were heard at quarter sessions and special assessment sessions. A strict procedural timetable was laid down by the Valuation (Metropolis) Act, 1869, as the valuation list came into force on the 6 April of the following year.

Alterations in the value of hereditaments during the quinquennial period were entered into one of two other lists:-

(1) A supplemental list compiled annually by each rating authority, containing all changes during the preceeding twelve months.

(2) A provisional list made at any time the value of hereditaments increased or decreased.

The Local Government Act, 1948, transferred the task of preparing the valuation lists to the Commissioners of Inland Revenue.

In 1948 the poor law, after an existence of almost 350 years, was abolished. Those among the poor whose financial needs were not met by national insurance were given material help by the National Assistance Board. Local authorities were delegated some responsibilities by the Board, for example the provision of reception centres for the temporary accommodation of vagrants and persons without a settled way of life. In addition the National Assistance Act, 1948, required local authorities to make residential provision for the blind, disabled, elderly and infirm. However, under the Act these services were not to be provided free as a kind of official charity. Persons receiving help were to pay according to their means, even if their means were no more than a retirement pension. The Council's responsibilities in all this related therefore to the provision of establishments of various kinds. At the end of the Second World War there were public assistance institutions (formerly the old workhouses), casual wards (where tramps were put up for the night), three lodging houses, and, left over from wartime activities, the rest centres and rest homes. The Welfare Department was responsible for the organisation and management of the various residential homes, temporary homes and institutions for the assistance of the poor.

In 1948 the poor law, after an existence of almost 350 years, was abolished. Those among the poor whose financial needs were not met by national insurance were given material help by the National Assistance Board. Local authorities were delegated some responsibilities by the Board, for example the provision of reception centres for the temporary accommodation of vagrants and persons without a settled way of life. In addition the National Assistance Act, 1948, required local authorities to make residential provision for the blind, disabled, elderly and infirm. However, under the Act these services were not to be provided free as a kind of official charity. Persons receiving help were to pay according to their means, even if their means were no more than a retirement pension. The Council's responsibilities in all this related therefore to the provision of establishments of various kinds. At the end of the Second World War there were public assistance institutions (formerly the old workhouses), casual wards (where tramps were put up for the night), three lodging houses, and, left over from wartime activities, the rest centres and rest homes. The Welfare Department was responsible for the organisation and management of the various residential homes, temporary homes and institutions for the assistance of the poor.

The Council's welfare service for the blind included the keeping of a register of all blind persons, home-visiting, social and handicraft clubs, the teaching of handicrafts and the sale of the finished products. In 1942 a placement service was introduced finding employment for blind persons. In 1950 a non-residential rehabilitation course for the newly blind was started to help them to re-establish themselves and overcome their disability. This proved so successful that in 1959 it was extended into a full-time three month course.

In 1948 the poor law, after an existence of almost 350 years, was abolished. Those among the poor whose financial needs were not met by national insurance were given material help by the National Assistance Board. Local authorities were delegated some responsibilities by the Board, for example the provision of reception centres for the temporary accommodation of vagrants and persons without a settled way of life. In addition the National Assistance Act, 1948, required local authorities to make residential provision for the blind, disabled, elderly and infirm. However, under the Act these services were not to be provided free as a kind of official charity. Persons receiving help were to pay according to their means, even if their means were no more than a retirement pension. The Council's responsibilities in all this related therefore to the provision of establishments of various kinds. At the end of the Second World War there were public assistance institutions (formerly the old workhouses), three lodging houses, and, left over from wartime activities, the rest centres and rest homes. The Welfare Department was responsible for the organisation and management of the various residential homes, temporary homes and institutions for the assistance of the poor.

Casual wards provided temporary board and lodging for vagrants. After the war they were replaced by reception centres.

In 1948 the poor law, after an existence of almost 350 years, was abolished. Those among the poor whose financial needs were not met by national insurance were given material help by the National Assistance Board. Local authorities were delegated some responsibilities by the Board, for example the provision of reception centres for the temporary accommodation of vagrants and persons without a settled way of life. In addition the National Assistance Act, 1948, required local authorities to make residential provision for the blind, disabled, elderly and infirm. However, under the Act these services were not to be provided free as a kind of official charity. Persons receiving help were to pay according to their means, even if their means were no more than a retirement pension. The Council's responsibilities in all this related therefore to the provision of establishments of various kinds. At the end of the Second World War there were public assistance institutions (formerly the old workhouses), casual wards (where tramps were put up for the night), three lodging houses, and, left over from wartime activities, the rest centres and rest homes. The Welfare Department was responsible for the organisation and management of the various residential homes, temporary homes and institutions for the assistance of the poor.

The National Assistance Act, 1948, required local authorities to provide 'residential accommodation for persons who by reason of age, infirmity or any other circumstances are in need of care and attention which is not otherwise available to them'. The Council's policy was to provide establishments smaller in size and with a less spartan atmosphere than the old poor law institutions. However, the severe shortage of accommodation after the Second World War made this difficult and certain larger institutions were adapted for use, such as Luxborough Lodge, whichheld 1,200 residents. These larger homes were gradually phased out of use.

In addition to old people's homes, the Council provided mother and baby homes for assisting unmarried expectant and nursing mothers. With the postwar rise in unmarried mothers, the Council found it necessary to provide one home for mothers and babies where girls could stay for several weeks before and after confinement, an ante-natal unit and two mother-and-baby units, as well as a working mothers hostel.

Casual wards provided temporary board and lodging for vagrants. After the war they were replaced by reception centres. The Camberwell Reception Centre had accommodation for nearly 700 men. They were provided with food, a bed and washing facilities, and they were expected to help with domestic duties before leaving. Welfare officers of the Council and the National Assistance Board helped them to rehabilitate themselves and to find employment.

In 1948 the poor law, after an existence of almost 350 years, was abolished. Those among the poor whose financial needs were not met by national insurance were given material help by the National Assistance Board. Local authorities were delegated some responsibilities by the Board, for example the provision of reception centres for the temporary accommodation of vagrants and persons without a settled way of life. In addition the National Assistance Act, 1948, required local authorities to make residential provision for the blind, disabled, elderly and infirm. However, under the Act these services were not to be provided free as a kind of official charity. Persons receiving help were to pay according to their means, even if their means were no more than a retirement pension. The Council's responsibilities in all this related therefore to the provision of establishments of various kinds. At the end of the Second World War there were public assistance institutions (formerly the old workhouses), casual wards (where tramps were put up for the night), three lodging houses, and, left over from wartime activities, the rest centres and rest homes. The Welfare Department was responsible for the organisation and management of the various residential homes, temporary homes and institutions for the assistance of the poor.

Rest centres were established during the Second World War to accommodate people made homeless by enemy bombing action until permanent accommodation could be found for them. After the war many families were in desperate need of shelter but accommodation was scarce. By March 1947 twelve rest centres were in operation to shelter families, including converted furniture stores, offices and staff quarters. By 1949 demand was such that it became necessary to restrict entry to mothers with children under sixteen; fathers, older children and childless couples were left to fend for themselves. In 1952 a night receiving unit was opened for families arriving in London at night from out of county who had made no arrangements for accommodation. In the morning they were urged to make other arrangements. In August 1953 the rest centres were discontinued. During their eight years of postwar operation they had taken in 5,700 families comprising 26,000 persons. The centres were replaced by half-way houses or short stay accommodation.

The question whether some of the Council's projects should be executed by direct labour rather than by contractors was, in the early years of the Council's existence, the subject of considerable political controversy.

Following dissatisfaction at the manner in which contractors tendered for contracts, the Council on 22 November 1892 approved the creation of its own Works Department, which continued in being until the end of 1909.

Throughout its existence, there were repeated controversies as to its necessity, as to its administration, as to its relationships with other Departments (some of whom employed their own staffs on minor works) and as to the manner in which its accounts were presented.

During the First World War the wives of serving personnel received a financial allowance from public or army funds in their husbands' absence.

Unknown

The League for Democracy in Greece was a political pressure group founded in 1945 whose aims included the provision of relief to Greeks who suffered for their left-wing beliefs and activities, to their dependants, and to the dependants of Greeks who died fighting for democracy. These relief functions were initially exercised by a sub-committee of the League, but when it was realised that charitable status would encourage broader support of the Fund's humanitarian objectives the committee was succeeded in 1968 by the Greek Relief Fund, which assisted political prisoners and their families, and former prisoners. The charity had premises at Goodge Street, London. The Fund was wound up in 1984.

The League for the Prohibition of Cruel Sports (LPCS) was founded by Henry B Amos and his friend Ernest Bell. During 1923 Henry B Amos had in successfully campaigned for the banning of Sunday rabbit-coursing in the district of Morden, by means of letters to the press, distribution of leaflets and gathering support amongst civic and religious leaders. At the same time, he was campaigning for a Protection of Animals Bill, designed to stop both rabbit-coursing and hunting of carted (transported) stag. In 1924, Amos decided to devote his whole time to this humane work thought the formation of a society, and Ernest Bell agreed to become the Honorary Treasurer. They had both been members of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) and former members of the Humanitarian League (ceased in 1919) buy felt that RSPCA was insufficiently active on the hunting issue.

The League's stated principle was That it is iniquitous to inflict suffering, either directly or indirectly, upon sentient animals for the purpose of sport.' It initially focused on the prohibition of recognised blood-sports including fox-hunting, stag-hunting, otter-hunting, hare-hunting, rabbit and hare-coursing. It also campaigned against the Rodeo, which was staged at the British Empire Exhibition, Wembley, and was attempting to establish an English headquarters at Leeds. Campaign methods ofpractical propaganda' included the printing and issuing of leaflets, monthly articles in Animals Friend, lobbying community and religious leaders, letters to the press. Membership of new society grew steadily by 1927, had 1000 members.

Internal conflict was a continual feature of the League's existence. In 1931, Bell resigned, along with the President, the Hon S Coleridge, as did his successor, Lady Cory, the same year. The disputes mainly involved policy disagreements, particularly over the hunting activities of Royalty. The League sought to achieve respectability, by acquiring as patrons or vice presidents -those with titles, churchmen, and military rank.

In 1932, the dissidents formed the National Society for the Abolition of Cruel Sports (NSACS) split from the League, however publicity generated by the spilt attracted sufficient membership for both the LACS and the NSACS to survive. The League's tactics were mainly designed to general publicity by pamphlets and leaflets especially, as well as letter writing and articles in local and national newspapers.

Local semi-autonomous branches of the League were also established in the South-West, Oxford and Bristol started in 1927-1928. By 1939, 8 active local branches. During World War 2, membership dipped and achievements were few. The Secretary, Mr J Sharp, largely managed the Leagues affairs. He attacked hunting as an unpatriotic activity, and gained supported from several newspapers. He encouraged people to write letters to the press, which was one of the few ways of beginning the debate, and in 1942, sent 556 letters to the press, of which 110 were published. After the War, promise of legislation in 1948-9, and by the Scott Henderson inquiry of 1950-1, both served to renew interesting in the League's activities.

During the 1950s, the League also attempted to raise media interest in the issue of animal cruelty, complaining about cruelty to the horses involved in the Grand National, and objecting to the BBC programme on myxomatosis. Journalist and Chairman of the League, E Hemingway, was particularly active in this area, and managed to persuade 36 newspapers to publish reports of the League's 1956 AGM. He was successful publicist, and enthusiastic for the disrupting of hunts and annoying of hunting people. However, the society was gaining a radical image and failed to gain support in the arenas where decisions about hunting were made.

Hemingway did however introduce an alternate policy, in 1957, of buying small but strategically placed pieces of land, initially on Exmoor, and denying hunting people access to it. When a hunt crossed the land in 1959, the League responded with demands for police protection, a High Court injunction against the Devon and Somerset Staghounds, and placed armed guards around the sanctuary. This policy lead to further purchases of land, and by 1976, 24 properties amounting to over 1500 acres, with another 9 properties, and 600 acres added by 1982. In some cases the League purchased sporting rights, but not the land itself, or purchased whole farms, which they then leased them to commercial non-hunting farmers. This `sanctuary policy' was successful in protecting a number of animals, providing regular and continuous publicity for League whenever there was an invasion, and gave the organisation a way of spending its increasing legacy income.
In conjunction with this, the League began to offer free legal advice to land owners who wished to sue or get injunctions against hunts that trespassed on their property, winning 6 cases in 1974. The League also developed policy of asking landlords such as the National Trust and the Crown to ban hunting on their land, as well as lobbying urban councils to do the same. In 1982, the Cooperative Wholesale Society, owner of 50000 acres of farmland was persuaded to ban hunting on all its land.

The League was initially supported by membership subscriptions, later however War legacies made up a significant proportion of the League's income and since 1960, more income has been received from legacies than subscriptions, thus giving the League financial independence from its own members. In 1970s membership reached around 13000.

However, the League had failed in successive attempts to abolish coursing failed in the late 1960s and 1970s. The Protection of Badgers Act 1973 was a positive step, but it still authorised landowners to kill badgers. Internal disputes erupted again in May 1977, as the Annual General Meeting was adjourned in chaos. At the Extraordinary General Meeting in November that year, the arguments continued and the current Chairman, R Rowley, was challenged and withdrew from the election. Eventually Lord Houghton, persuaded to stand for post of Chairman and was elected in December 1977, and the League was able to focus once more on working to change legislation in order to effectively end hunting.

In 1978, the League joined the General Election Co-ordinating Committee for Animal protection (GECCAP), which was formed as a consultative body, in order to make direct approaches to politicians and political parties, in preparation for the 1979 general election. Its main aims were to persuade political parties to develop an animal welfare policy, create a standing Royal Commission on Animal protection , and make policy commitments on areas of concern including blood sports. In Jul 1979, GECCAP was dissolved that the National Consultative Committee or Animal Protection was formed.

It was not until 1981, that the Wildlife and Countryside Act increased the protection of badgers, and was further strengthened in 1985. The passing of the Badger Sett (Protection) Act 1991 was a major success for the League. Other successes have included the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996; and the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002.

The League of Church Militant (1909-1928) was founded as the Church League for Women's in 1909, a non-party organisation open to members of the Church of England who wished to campaign 'to secure for women the vote in Church and State.' In 1917 it became the League of Church Militant with aims including the establishment of equal rights and opportunities for men and women both in Church and State and the 'settlement of all international questions on the basis of right, not of might.' After the end of the First World War it shifted its main attention to the following aim, as adopted at a Council meeting in 1919: 'To challenge definitely … what has hitherto been the custom of the Church of confining the priesthood to men.' After the Franchise Act received Royal Assent in 1928, the League felt that one of its main aims had been realised and that, whilst it still desired to see women ordained to the ministry of the Church, felt that this might be better carried on through other means. In 1928 it therefore decided to wind up its affairs. The campaign for the ordination of women was continued by the Anglican Group for the Ordination of Women (f 1930) and many of those, including E Louie Acres, who had been active in the League, were prominent within the Group.

The League of Jewish Women was founded in 1943 to provide help to both the Jewish and wider communities. It was established as a non-political, non-fund raising voluntary welfare organisation. League members were organised into local groups. The groups were mostly centred on London but there were some elsewhere, for example around Manchester, the first Manchester group being established in 1944.

The help that the League offered was in the form of voluntary work, ranging from hospital and home visiting to working in prisons and running day centres for older people. Through Head Office committees, provision was also made for education and training in various skills. In the early 1950s, an attempt was made to raise the League's profile through the formation of a Publicity Committee. By the time of the League's 25th anniversary in 1968 an in-house magazine, "Around the League" had been launched and in 1970 charitable status was granted.

The League became affiliated to national organisations such as the Women's National Commission. In addition, the League was the UK affiliate of the International Council of Jewish Women. In this capacity the League took part in, and occasionally helped organise, international conferences. The League's own tri-annual conference had first taken place in Bournemouth in 1975.

The League of Nations was an international organisation founded as a result of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919-1920. The League's goals included disarmament, preventing war through collective security, settling disputes between countries through negotiation, diplomacy and improving global welfare.

The League of Nations Union (LNU) was formed by the merger of the League of Free Nations Association and the League of Nations Society, two groups working for the establishment of a new world order based upon the ideals of the League of Nations. It became the largest and most influential organisation in the British peace movement, played an important role in inter-war politics, and launched education programmes that had a lasting impact on British schools. The LNU's popularity dwindled during World War Two, and when the United Nations Association (UNA) was founded in 1945 to promote the work of the United Nations, the LNU arranged for the wholesale transference of its organisational structure and its membership to the UNA. However, under the provisions of its Royal Charter, the LNU was able to continue until the mid-1970s, albeit in a limited capacity, in order to handle bequests, and administer the payment of pensions to former employees. The administrative structure of the LNU consisted of a General Council, which met twice a year and held final responsibility for LNU policy under the Royal Charter of Incorporation granted in 1925; an Executive Committee, which met every two weeks and co-ordinated campaigns, analysed branch reports and resolutions, monitored the work of the numerous specialist sub-committees, supervised the staff, and generally acted as the central policy-making body of the LNU; and regional LNU branches, which had their own independent management structures.

The League of St Bartholomew's Nurses was founded in 1899. Isla Stewart, Matron of Bart's, was President and Mrs Bedford Fenwick, former matron and campaigner for state registration, a founder member. Membership was open to nurses who passed the final certificate examination at St Bartholomew's Hospital, regardless of whether they continued their career at Bart's. In recent years, senior nurses working at Bart's have also been eligible for membership even if they qualified at another hospital. The objects of the League have varied from time to time, but have generally included mutual assistance and the maintenance of professional interests of nurses, besides the organisation of social events. The League News was printed twice yearly from 1900 to 1919, and annually from 1920.

Chartered accountant and founder and senior partner of P. D. Leake & Co; has written and lectured extensively on accountancy subjects; was retained by the Postmaster General and gave evidence in the well-known case of The National Telephone Co. Ltd v. HM Postmaster-General; funded the PD Leake Trust which financed much of the academic research programme of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales; has visited USA and Canada and studied their methods of cost accounting; Member of the Board of Trustees, Albany, Piccadilly, W1; died 1949. Publications: Balance sheet values (Gee and Co, London, 1929); Capital: Adam Smith, Karl Marx (Gee and Co, London, 1933); Commercial goodwill (Pitman and Sons, London, 1921); Depreciation and wasting assets (Henry Good and Son, London 1912); Industrial capital (Gee and Co, London, 1933); Inflated Industrial Share Capital: a plea for the use of no par value shares (Gee & Co, London, 1936); Introductory notes on Leake's Register of Industrial Plant (Henry Good & Son, London, 1910); The Corporation Profits Tax explained and illustrated (Pitman & Sons, London, 1920); Income Tax on Capital: a plea for reform in the official method of computing taxable profits (Gee & Co, London, 1909).

Lear trained as a nurse at Guy's Hospital, 1902-1905, gaining General Nursing Council registration in 1923.

William Henry Leatham was born into a Quaker family in Wakefield, Yorkshire in 1815. He was educated in London, before returning to Yorkshire to work for the family bank. His first volume of poetry was published in 1839. He and his wife formally joined the Church of England some time in the 1840s. Leatham was a prominent local figure and served as Liberal MP for Wakefield during 1859-1862 and 1865-1868, and for the Southern West Riding of Yorkshire during 1880-1885.

The Royal Blind School, Leatherhead, was requisitioned by King's College Hospital as a national emergency hospital during World War Two. It was known as Leatherhead Emergency Hospital (Royal Blind School), and only existed under this name from 1939 to 1946. Thereafter it was used to house Chelsea Pensioners until the 1950s when the school reopened.

Born [1770]; son of David Leathes of Middlesex; entered the Middle Temple, 1787; elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, 1793; worked as a clerk in the cheque office of the Bank of England, 1799-1838; subscriber to King's College London, 1832; established book prize for medical students at King's College London, 1833-1834; donation of papers to King's College on condition that he be permitted to reside in College, 1837; died, 1838.

The foundation stone for Leavesden Asylum was laid on 31st October 1868 by the Chairman of the Management Committee, William Henry Wyatt, J.P. The first patients were not admitted until 9th October 1870, the same date as the opening of Caterham Asylum. Both Asylums were built and run by the recently constituted Metropolitan Asylums Board for the care of "insane paupers" who were "such harmless persons of the chronic or imbecile class as could lawfully be detained in a workhouse". "Dangerous or curable" patients were to be sent to the county lunatic asylums.

By 15th October Leavesden had over 100 patients and within six months all the female accommodation was in use and storerooms had been converted into bedrooms to provide extra accommodation. At first children were admitted along with adults, but from 1873 the children were sent to Darenth Training Colony. However, both Caterham and Leavesden were soon full to capacity.

The need for extra accommodation was a continuing problem and in 1872 a new block was opened to provide accommodation for laundry staff and those patients who worked in the laundry. A further storey was added to this block in 1900. By November 1876 Leavesden was housing 2,118 patients, vastly more than the 1,500 it had been built for. This meant there was ever increasing pressure on beds and staff. In 1903, a further Asylum was built at Tooting Bec although this provided only temporary relief for Leavesden as it was rapidly filled with patients transferred from the workhouses. In 1909 the process of modernising and altering all the ward blocks to take the increasing numbers of elderly and infirm patients into account, was begun. This process was completed by 1931.

The First World War led to acute staff shortage as many of the nursing staff joined the armed forces. Twenty-two members of staff died on active service. Troops were billeted in the Recreation Hall for a few months and officers were quartered on the Medical Superintendent. In 1918 the staff shortage was so acute, three wards had to be closed, these were not all reopened until 1921.

Further modernisation took place between 1929 and 1931 with the installation of electricity and other changes to improve conditions for the patients at the hospital.

In 1930 the control of Leavesden was transferred to the London County Council under the Mental Hospitals Committee. Leavesden hospital was assigned the special function of caring for 'mentally subnormal persons' described as 'adult idiots and low-grade imbeciles' and also retained the continued treatment of TB cases.

In 1932 the Saint Pancras Industrial School, or Leavesden Residential School, closed and the site, situated opposite the hospital, was purchased for use as an annexe to the hospital. It was to be used for those patients who needed only routine medical care rather than the more structured observation of the hospital. The idea was to help patients who were ready to begin to acclimatise to greater freedom in preparation for their discharge into the community.

The Second World War saw the annexe designated as an Emergency Hospital and the patients were transferred back to the main building. Leavesden was also used to accommodate some patients from Saint Bernard's Hospital, Ealing following bombing in 1944 and children from the Fountain Hospital, Tooting. Hutted buildings were erected in the Annexe grounds and were used for the treatment of war casualties including French survivors from Dunkirk. The Emergency Hospital closed in 1943 and was taken over first by wounded Canadian soldiers and their nursing staff and later by an English Teachers' Training College. The hospital suffered no serious damage during the war but it took years to get back to pre-wartime levels of staffing and maintenance. The Annexe was occupied by the Training School until 1950, which led to overcrowded and understaffed wards on the main site.

The Hospital became part of the National Health Service in 1948 and was under the jurisdiction of the North West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board through a Hospital Management Committee. January 1948 saw the establishment of the Preliminary Training School under the control of two senior nurses. This gave probationers the opportunity to work towards certification and recognised qualifications. The 1950's and 1960's saw the development of training schemes for the young adults at Leavesden, with the aim of enabling them to find local employment.

In 1974 the hospital was transferred to the South West District of Hertfordshire Area Health Authority in the North West Thames Regional Health Authority. The 1970's saw a continuing trend in the decline of patient numbers and in 1984 the Annexe was closed and the site sold for redevelopment, all services were transferred to the main site. The hospital was also transferred to the control of the North West Hertfordshire Health Authority in a further round on NHS reorganisation at this time. There was one further administrative change for the Hospital when Horizon NHS Trust took over it management in 1990. The hospital was closed in 1995.

The Lebanon Hospital for the Insane, Asfuriyeh, was founded in 1898 by Dr Theophilus Waldmeir (1832-1915), a Swiss Quaker, to provide care for the mentally afflicted of the Lebanon, Syria and the Middle East.

On 17 April 1896, a public meeting was held at Dr Henry Jessup's house in Beirut, to announce the plan for founding 'the first Home for the insane in Bible Lands'. The campaign was launched, Waldmeier travelled to Europe and the USA to collect funds, and the Beirut Executive Committee was founded. The first meeting of the London General Committee (LGC) was held at the Bethlem Royal Asylum on 11 March 1897 and its Medical Superintendent, Dr Percy Smith, was elected as Chairman. The Asfuriyeh estate was purchased in April 1898, six miles from the centre of Beirut. The Hospital opened on 6 August 1900 with 10 patients. The Hospital's Constitution and Rules were formally drawn up in 1907. Under the Constitution, the Beirut Committee officially became the local executive committee in Beirut of the London General Committee, which retained overall authority over the Hospital.

In 1912 the property became a 'Wakf' , i.e. it was dedicated as a religious foundation under the code of law prevailing in the Lebanon, to be held by the Chairman of the London General Committee (who became the 'Trustee' or 'Mutawalli'). This set down the responsibilities of the 'Trustee' and his agents (in this case the Beirut Executive Committee) for managing the property. It was made a condition that the Hospital should be international and interdenominational.

The Lebanon Hospital for the Insane gradually expanded, and there was reportedly accommodation for 150 people by 1924; 350 by 1935; and 410 by 1936. By 1949, 14,000 patients had been treated since the opening of the Hospital. In 1938 the Hospital was renamed the Lebanon Hospital for Mental and Nervous Disorders.

In addition to clinical work, the Hospital contributed to training in the field of psychiatry. In 1922 it was affiliated with the American University of Beirut and became the Psychiatric Division of the University Hospital. In 1939 it was recognised by the Royal Medical/Psychological Association as a Training Centre for the Mental Nursing Certificate. In 1948, it opened a School of Psychiatric Nursing, the first of its kind in the Middle East, and which was subsequently used by the World Health Organisation for the training of specialised personnel. Treatment at the Hospital followed world-wide medical advances, and included Insulin Coma Therapy, Cardiazol Convulsion Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Electric Convulsion Therapy. Chemotherapy was introduced in 1952.

Between 1941 and 1946, a large part of the Hospital had to be handed over to the British Military Authorities, then in occupation of the Lebanon, to house their 43rd General Hospital. In the post-war climate, the Hospital's financial status never fully recovered, and by 1972 the Hospital was experiencing real financial difficulties. It was decided to sell the existing site and buildings and to re-build the Hospital on a more modern plan. A new site was chosen at Aramoun, near Beirut Airport. Asfuriyeh was sold in April 1973. The building programme was brought to a halt by the Lebanese Civil War (April 1975 - November 1976), and construction did not resume until summer 1977. The need for replacement materials and inflated prices meant that by the end of 1977, the Hospital was on the point of bankruptcy.

Despite appeals for funds, by early 1981 negotiations had commenced between the London General Committee and the Beirut Executive Committee to close the Hospital and to dispose of the property in accordance with the legal terms of the 'Wakf'. The Hospital at Asfuriyeh was officially closed on 10 April 1982. Aramoun continued to operate, although extensively damaged during the Civil War and occupied by the Israeli Army until 17 October 1982.

The LGC eventually resigned control of the Hospital itself to the Beirut Committee. However, in accordance with its continued responsibilities for trust funds established in the Hospital's name and held in the UK, it retained several of its members as London Trustees of the Lebanon Hospital for Nervous and Mental Disorders and established a scheme for the administration of these funds under charitable status. The Trustees continue to operate.

The Hospital's founder, Theophilus Waldmeier, was born in 1832 in Basle, Switzerland. He attended the missionary college of St Crischona, near Basle, and went to Abyssinia as a missionary in 1858. He left in 1868 and went to Syria, settling at Beirut in connection with the British Syrian Mission founded in 1860. In 1873, he started the Friends' Syrian Mission at Brummana, where he was superintendent, and founded Brummana High School. He relinquished his position in 1896 in order to promote his plan of providing a home for the insane. He travelled extensively to appeal for funds. Returning to Beirut in 1898, he purchased the site at Asfuriyeh. He became business superintendent at the Lebanon Hospital and retired in 1915, the year of his death. He published The Autobiography of Theophilus Waldmeier, Missionary, being an account of Ten Years' Life in Abyssinia and Sixteen Years in Syria (1886).

Amicie Lebaudy was the wife of Jules Lebaudy, she wrote works on the Jansénisme under the pseudonym of Guillaume Dall. Following her husband's death she devoted her income to social works including the restoration of the abbey of Port-Royal-of-Fields and the building of the Kereon lighthouse. She was a supporter of La Ligue de la patrie française and was also involved in the 'Syveton affair'.

The Sanatorium du Mont des Oiseaux was established in [1906] by Dr Petit, a physician in San Salvadour, to accommodate adults, (San Salvadour was intended for children). The architect was A. Gléna. Shortly before the 1914-1918 war, the sanatorium became the property of the Red Cross and hosted the war wounded. In the late 1960s it was converted into houses.