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McAdam , John Loudon , 1756-1836 , builder and administrator of roads

McArthur , Colin , b 1934 , lecturer and writer on visual media

MCC , Middlesex County Council x Middlesex County Council

The Children's Department of the Middlesex County Council was set up under the Children Act 1948 which embodied the findings of the Curtis Report of 1945-1946. The Act took effect on 5 July 1948; the first meeting of the newly formed Children's Committee took place on the next day, taking over from the Interim Children's Committee, formed of the members of the thereafter defunct Children's Care Sub-Committee of the Education Committee. The first Children's Officer, Mr Ainscow, had in fact been appointed in anticipation, with effect from 1 May 1948. The duties of the Department had previously been distributed across several County Council departments (the Public Assistance, Public Health and Education Departments), as well as bodies (education authorities outside the MCC and the County Maternity and Child Welfare authorities) not part of the County Council at all.

The activities of the Children's Department may be summarised as follows:
i) Care and welfare: this comprised of the provision of care for a) children under the age of 17 if they had no parents or guardians; if they were abandoned or lost; of if their parents were unable to provide for their proper upbringing, provided that such care was in the child's best interests: and b) children committed by a court to the care of the County Council under a Fit Person order. This involved inter alia the running of homes and nurseries, the maintenance of the boarding out system for foster homes, and in some cases the assumption of full parental rights until the child should attain majority. The Department also undertook the care of children as delegated by the Welfare Department when dealing with problem or evicted families.

ii) Child Life Protection: this was a long standing local authority responsibility. After the passing of the Children Act 1948 its effect was to render it an offence for any person other than the parent, legal guardian or a relative to undertake for reward (whether or not for profit) the care of a child below school leaving age (15 in 1948) without notifying the County Council as a welfare authority. The Children's Department publicised the legal obligations upon such persons, supervised placements, inspected and regulated foster homes and so on. After the Adoption Act 1950, a similar duty to notify the Council rested upon anyone placing a child in another's care (with the same exceptions as above).

iii) Approved schools and remand homes: a child could be committed by the courts into the care of the Council either by a Fit Person Order, the effect of which was to put the child into the care of the Children's Department or by an Approved School Order, which placed the child under the care of managers at an Approved School. It should be noted that placements were made under the aegis of the Home Office nationwide, and that although the Council, through sub-committees of the Children's Committees, ran two approved schools, by no means all Middlesex children would be allocated places there. The Committee also ran two remand homes. The Children's Department were involved in briefing judges on cases: sometimes in bringing themselves in order to gain the powers by which to afford children under threat the care and protection they needed; and as the executive arm of the County Council on receipt of Fit Person Orders. Staff were also responsible for the supervision and after-care of "licensed" Middlesex children.

iv) Under the Adoption Act 1926, the County Council had since 1943 to oversee the compulsory registration of adoption societies in the county (not an onerous duty: two were registered in of which only one, the Homeless Children's Aid and Adoption Society, continued for any length of time). Compulsory notification to the County Council of all adoptions in the county was not introduced until the Adoption Act 1950. Also, from that point of view the Council had to supervise every prospective third party adoption in its area, whether or not involved in any other capacity. After the 1958 Act the Council had the power to place children for adoption even if those children were not in its care. Its powers of supervision were widened to include all adoptions in the county.

Health areas of the County of Middlesex, also used as administrative areas by the MCC Children's Department: Area 1 Enfield and Edmonton; Area 2 Southgate, Potters Bar, Wood Green and Friern Barnet; Area 3 Hornsey and Tottenham; Area 4 Finchley and Hendon; Area 5 Harrow; Area 6 Wembley and Willesden; Area 7 Ealing and Acton; Area 8 Ruislip-Northwood, Uxbridge, Hayes and Harlington, Yiewsley and West Drayton; Area 9 Heston and Isleworth, Southall and Area 10 Feltham, Staines, Twickenham, Sunbury.

Adoption:

Until the Adoption Act 1926 legal adoption did not exist in English law. The 1926 Act gave no specific powers to local authorities, but the County Council was frequently, in its capacity as a local education authority, asked to act as a Guardian Ad Litem (that is to protect the child's rights before the law). When so requested, the County Council delegated this function to the officers of the Education Department. Other local education authorities could be approached instead in cases within their areas, or the Court's own probation officer might be appointed.

The Adoption of Children Regulation Act 1939 was designed to rectify some of the abuses of the 1926 Act and specifically, required adoption services to be approved and registered with local authorities. There were in fact only three such services in Middlesex in 1943 when the Act was finally implemented and only one, the Homeless Children's Aid and Adoption Society, remained in operation for any length of time thereafter. Also from 1943 certain duties of supervision of private adoptions were placed upon the welfare authorities, of which the MCC was one.

The duties of the Education Department relating to adoptions passed to the newly created Children's Department in 1948. In the next year was passed the Adoption of Children Act 1949, which was immediately consolidated with the previous legislation as the Adoption Act 1950. This Act made significant changes to adoption procedures: that which most particularly affected the County Council was the requirement that no adoption order could be made unless at least three months notice of intention to adopt had been given to the welfare authority, i.e. the County Council. Therefore from 1950 the County Council was notified of every intended adoption within the County, regardless of who the guardian ad litem was. Further, on receipt of a notice of an intended third party adoption (that is to say an adoption placement made by a third party, not a registered adoption society or local authority; adoptions by parents of their own children - very commonly done by women with illegitimate children and subsequently married) an officer of the Children's Department would commence supervision of the child or children either until the granting of the Court Order, or, if the supervision revealed the prospective adopters as unsuitable, until the end of the statutory period. The Adoption Act 1958 extended the powers of supervision to all adoptions and from this date the County Council had, in theory, some record of every adoption that took place in the County. The Act also enabled local authorities to act as adoption agencies in their own right.

MCC , Middlesex County Council x Middlesex County Council

The Children's Department of the Middlesex County Council was set up under the Children Act 1948 which embodied the findings of the Curtis Report of 1945-1946. The Act took effect on 5 July 1948; the first meeting of the newly formed Children's Committee took place on the next day, taking over from the Interim Children's Committee, formed of the members of the thereafter defunct Children's Care Sub-Committee of the Education Committee. The first Children's Officer, Mr Ainscow, had in fact been appointed in anticipation, with effect from 1 May 1948. The duties of the Department had previously been distributed across several County Council departments (the Public Assistance, Public Health and Education Departments), as well as bodies (education authorities outside the MCC and the County Maternity and Child Welfare authorities) not part of the County Council at all.

The activities of the Children's Department may be summarised as follows:
i) Care and welfare: this comprised of the provision of care for a) children under the age of 17 if they had no parents or guardians; if they were abandoned or lost; of if their parents were unable to provide for their proper upbringing, provided that such care was in the child's best interests: and b) children committed by a court to the care of the County Council under a Fit Person order. This involved inter alia the running of homes and nurseries, the maintenance of the boarding out system for foster homes, and in some cases the assumption of full parental rights until the child should attain majority. The Department also undertook the care of children as delegated by the Welfare Department when dealing with problem or evicted families.

ii) Child Life Protection: this was a long standing local authority responsibility. After the passing of the Children Act 1948 its effect was to render it an offence for any person other than the parent, legal guardian or a relative to undertake for reward (whether or not for profit) the care of a child below school leaving age (15 in 1948) without notifying the County Council as a welfare authority. The Children's Department publicised the legal obligations upon such persons, supervised placements, inspected and regulated foster homes and so on. After the Adoption Act 1950, a similar duty to notify the Council rested upon anyone placing a child in another's care (with the same exceptions as above).

iii) Approved schools and remand homes: a child could be committed by the courts into the care of the Council either by a Fit Person Order, the effect of which was to put the child into the care of the Children's Department or by an Approved School Order, which placed the child under the care of managers at an Approved School. It should be noted that placements were made under the aegis of the Home Office nationwide, and that although the Council, through sub-committees of the Children's Committees, ran two approved schools, by no means all Middlesex children would be allocated places there. The Committee also ran two remand homes. The Children's Department were involved in briefing judges on cases: sometimes in bringing themselves in order to gain the powers by which to afford children under threat the care and protection they needed; and as the executive arm of the County Council on receipt of Fit Person Orders. Staff were also responsible for the supervision and after-care of "licensed" Middlesex children.

iv) Under the Adoption Act 1926, the County Council had since 1943 to oversee the compulsory registration of adoption societies in the county (not an onerous duty: two were registered in of which only one, the Homeless Children's Aid and Adoption Society, continued for any length of time). Compulsory notification to the County Council of all adoptions in the county was not introduced until the Adoption Act 1950. Also, from that point of view the Council had to supervise every prospective third party adoption in its area, whether or not involved in any other capacity. After the 1958 Act the Council had the power to place children for adoption even if those children were not in its care. Its powers of supervision were widened to include all adoptions in the county.

Health areas of the County of Middlesex, also used as administrative areas by the MCC Children's Department: Area 1 Enfield and Edmonton; Area 2 Southgate, Potters Bar, Wood Green and Friern Barnet; Area 3 Hornsey and Tottenham; Area 4 Finchley and Hendon; Area 5 Harrow; Area 6 Wembley and Willesden; Area 7 Ealing and Acton; Area 8 Ruislip-Northwood, Uxbridge, Hayes and Harlington, Yiewsley and West Drayton; Area 9 Heston and Isleworth, Southall and Area 10 Feltham, Staines, Twickenham, Sunbury

Children's Officer:

The Children's Act 1948 required the appointment of a Children's Officer to be the head of the Children's Department under the County Council. On 25th April 1948 the Council appointed Mr. E. Ainscow, then Assistant Education Officer in charge of the Children's Care Section of the Education Department, to be Children's Officer with effect from 1 May 1948. The Act itself took effect on 5 July 1948, and the appointment was in due course ratified by the Home Secretary.

However Mr Ainscow left the MCC in 1949 to take up the post of Children's Officer to the London County Council. His successor was Jane Rowell, previously Children's Officer to Durham County Council, who took over the post on 1 June 1949 and remained until the abolition of the MCC in 1965.

MCC , Middlesex County Council x Middlesex County Council

The Children's Department of the Middlesex County Council was set up under the Children Act 1948 which embodied the findings of the Curtis Report of 1945-1946. The Act took effect on 5 July 1948; the first meeting of the newly formed Children's Committee took place on the next day, taking over from the Interim Children's Committee, formed of the members of the thereafter defunct Children's Care Sub-Committee of the Education Committee. The first Children's Officer, Mr Ainscow, had in fact been appointed in anticipation, with effect from 1 May 1948. The duties of the Department had previously been distributed across several County Council departments (the Public Assistance, Public Health and Education Departments), as well as bodies (education authorities outside the MCC and the County Maternity and Child Welfare authorities) not part of the County Council at all.

The activities of the Children's Department may be summarised as follows:
i) Care and welfare: this comprised of the provision of care for a) children under the age of 17 if they had no parents or guardians; if they were abandoned or lost; of if their parents were unable to provide for their proper upbringing, provided that such care was in the child's best interests: and b) children committed by a court to the care of the County Council under a Fit Person order. This involved inter alia the running of homes and nurseries, the maintenance of the boarding out system for foster homes, and in some cases the assumption of full parental rights until the child should attain majority. The Department also undertook the care of children as delegated by the Welfare Department when dealing with problem or evicted families.

ii) Child Life Protection: this was a long standing local authority responsibility. After the passing of the Children Act 1948 its effect was to render it an offence for any person other than the parent, legal guardian or a relative to undertake for reward (whether or not for profit) the care of a child below school leaving age (15 in 1948) without notifying the County Council as a welfare authority. The Children's Department publicised the legal obligations upon such persons, supervised placements, inspected and regulated foster homes and so on. After the Adoption Act 1950, a similar duty to notify the Council rested upon anyone placing a child in another's care (with the same exceptions as above).

iii) Approved schools and remand homes: a child could be committed by the courts into the care of the Council either by a Fit Person Order, the effect of which was to put the child into the care of the Children's Department or by an Approved School Order, which placed the child under the care of managers at an Approved School. It should be noted that placements were made under the aegis of the Home Office nationwide, and that although the Council, through sub-committees of the Children's Committees, ran two approved schools, by no means all Middlesex children would be allocated places there. The Committee also ran two remand homes. The Children's Department were involved in briefing judges on cases: sometimes in bringing themselves in order to gain the powers by which to afford children under threat the care and protection they needed; and as the executive arm of the County Council on receipt of Fit Person Orders. Staff were also responsible for the supervision and after-care of "licensed" Middlesex children.

iv) Under the Adoption Act 1926, the County Council had since 1943 to oversee the compulsory registration of adoption societies in the county (not an onerous duty: two were registered in of which only one, the Homeless Children's Aid and Adoption Society, continued for any length of time). Compulsory notification to the County Council of all adoptions in the county was not introduced until the Adoption Act 1950. Also, from that point of view the Council had to supervise every prospective third party adoption in its area, whether or not involved in any other capacity. After the 1958 Act the Council had the power to place children for adoption even if those children were not in its care. Its powers of supervision were widened to include all adoptions in the county.

Health areas of the County of Middlesex, also used as administrative areas by the MCC Children's Department: Area 1 Enfield and Edmonton; Area 2 Southgate, Potters Bar, Wood Green and Friern Barnet; Area 3 Hornsey and Tottenham; Area 4 Finchley and Hendon; Area 5 Harrow; Area 6 Wembley and Willesden; Area 7 Ealing and Acton; Area 8 Ruislip-Northwood, Uxbridge, Hayes and Harlington, Yiewsley and West Drayton; Area 9 Heston and Isleworth, Southall and Area 10 Feltham, Staines, Twickenham, Sunbury

Adoption:

Until the Adoption Act 1926 legal adoption did not exist in English law. The 1926 Act gave no specific powers to local authorities, but the County Council was frequently, in its capacity as a local education authority, asked to act as a Guardian Ad Litem (that is to protect the child's rights before the law). When so requested, the County Council delegated this function to the officers of the Education Department. Other local education authorities could be approached instead in cases within their areas, or the Court's own probation officer might be appointed.

The Adoption of Children Regulation Act 1939 was designed to rectify some of the abuses of the 1926 Act and specifically, required adoption services to be approved and registered with local authorities. There were in fact only three such services in Middlesex in 1943 when the Act was finally implemented and only one, the Homeless Children's Aid and Adoption Society, remained in operation for any length of time thereafter. Also from 1943 certain duties of supervision of private adoptions were placed upon the welfare authorities, of which the MCC was one.

The duties of the Education Department relating to adoptions passed to the newly created Children's Department in 1948. In the next year was passed the Adoption of Children Act 1949, which was immediately consolidated with the previous legislation as the Adoption Act 1950. This Act made significant changes to adoption procedures: that which most particularly affected the County Council was the requirement that no adoption order could be made unless at least three months notice of intention to adopt had been given to the welfare authority, i.e. the County Council. Therefore from 1950 the County Council was notified of every intended adoption within the County, regardless of who the guardian ad litem was. Further, on receipt of a notice of an intended third party adoption (that is to say an adoption placement made by a third party, not a registered adoption society or local authority; adoptions by parents of their own children - very commonly done by women with illegitimate children and subsequently married) an officer of the Children's Department would commence supervision of the child or children either until the granting of the Court Order, or, if the supervision revealed the prospective adopters as unsuitable, until the end of the statutory period. The Adoption Act 1958 extended the powers of supervision to all adoptions and from this date the County Council had, in theory, some record of every adoption that took place in the County. The Act also enabled local authorities to act as adoption agencies in their own right.

MCC , Middlesex County Council x Middlesex County Council

With the formation of the County Council in 1889, responsibility for repair and maintenance of main roads, county bridges and their approaches, passed into its jurisdiction. All other roads remained the responsibility of parish authorities. Middlesex County Council took over responsibility for the maintenance of 106 miles of road from 39 separate local authorities in 1889.

The MCC Highways Committee met for the first time on 14 May 1889 with the Earl of Aberdeen as the first Chairman. The first Engineer and Surveyor was F.H. Pownall, who had previously worked with the Court of Quarter Sessions. In 1890 offices were established at Middlesex Guildhall and a staff consisting of a deputy, 3 assistants, an office boy and 5 part time surveyors followed. In the twentieth century the department expanded and the county was divided into 3 parts, each under the supervision of a Divisional Surveyor. The Department had three functions: trunk and county roads; bridges and rivers and streams.

Entertainments Licensing

The Entertainments Licensing section of the Engineer and Surveyor's Department existed from 1889-1965. It reported to the Entertainments Licensing Committee.

Music and Dancing Licences

In 1751 the Disorderly Houses Act and the Public Entertainments Acts were passed in an attempt to maintain some order over places of public entertainment. They stated that public entertainments of music and dancing must be held in premises licensed by the Justices of the Peace. The Public Entertainments Act 1875 slightly amended this. Under the terms of the Local Government Act 1888 the powers of the Justices with regard to entertainments licensing passed to the newly formed County Councils. Middlesex County Council's jurisdiction was limited to the area within 20 miles of London and Westminster until 1894 when the Music and Dancing (Middlesex) Act was passed which gave the County Council control over the whole county. Licences were granted subject to inspection by a County Council surveyor who found the buildings met safety regulations. The annual fee for a licence was then five shillings. By 1914 539 premises had been licensed in the county for music and dancing. These buildings were church halls, school halls, public halls, swimming baths, and club rooms of public houses. The Middlesex County Council (General Powers) Act 1930 increased the fee to 10 shillings. The number of licences increased to 874 by the outbreak of war in 1939 and included premises such as Wembley Stadium and Haringey Arena. The most common type of premises to apply for licences however were church halls. The County Council assumed control of boxing entertainments in 1934 and wrestling in 1939. The Middlesex County Council Act 1934 consolidated the County Council's powers.

Theatre Licences

The licensing of theatres was revised by the Theatres Act 1842. For most of the county the Justices of the peace were the administering body. However for the Cities of London and Westminster and the Parliamentary boroughs of Finsbury and Marylebone, the Lord Chamberlain issued licences. Under the terms of the Act all theatres were required to have a stage separated from the rest of the building by a brick wall and to have fireproof or "safety" curtains. These had to be raised in one piece and used at every performance to demonstrate to an audience that they could work. Theatres were inspected annually to check these regulations and licences cost three pounds. As there were comparatively few theatres in Middlesex this was never onerous work. The County Council became the licensing authority for the whole of the county in 1894.

Cinema Licences

Films began to be shown in public at the end of the nineteenth century. As early as 1899 the County Council expressed concern as to the safety of the public at cinematograph showings. The Middlesex County Council prohibited the showing of public films in buildings which had been licensed for other purposes. The County Engineer had the power to issue permits to premises where the films apparatus had been inspected. The Cinematograph Act 1909 stated that all buildings showing films to the public had to be licensed, the Entertainments Licensing section of the County Council undertook this job. As the twentieth century progressed cinemas became increasingly popular and consequently many new ones were built in the county. By the outbreak of war in 1914 80 cinemas had been licensed; in 1937 this figure stood at 131. Cinemas were subject to rigorous regulations. They were required to have sufficient, unobstructed exits. The spacing of seats and gangways had to conform to regulations. The buildings themselves had to be constructed with as much non-combustible material as possible. There were strict safety rules governing the actual use and storage of the films and equipment. Finally, there were rules concerning the heating, ventilation and use of electricity in cinemas.

Cinematograph Act 1952

This Act extended and amended the provisions of the 1909 Act. Licences under the new Act were required for the showing of non-inflammable films. The Home Secretary had powers to make regulations dealing with the safety, health and welfare of children in public cinemas. The County Council could impose conditions regulating the admission of children.

Film censorship

All films for public viewing had to be passed before the British Board of Film Censors before they could be shown. Appeals against the Board's decisions however could be made to Entertainments Licensing authorities: the County Council was a member of a Joint Committee with the County Councils of Essex, London and Surrey and the County Borough of East Ham and so judged these appeals.

Sunday cinema

The Sundays Entertainments Act 1932 allowed cinemas to open in districts to which the Act had been extended by an Order approved by resolutions passed to each House of Parliament. Electors were usually given a referendum on this matter. In Middlesex all districts (except Friern Barnet and Sunbury-on-Thames which had no cinemas) opened cinemas on Sundays. There were regulations governing how long cinema staff could work. A percentage of Sunday takings (which could be set in advance) was paid to the County Council who distributed this money to local charities. In the period 1933-1957 £715,021 was paid out.

Racing Licences

The County Council was empowered to appoint an accountant and a mechanic under the Betting and Lotteries Act 1934 to supervise totalisers at greyhound racing tracks. There were six such tracks in Middlesex and each licence ran for 7 years. The Racecourses Act 1879 forbade the holding of horse races within 10 miles of Charing Cross and introduced annual licences for all other grounds. There was one such course in Middlesex at Alexandra Park.

Pool Licences

Under the Pool Betting Act 1954 anyone with a pool betting establishment had to be licensed for a fee set by the County Council. The Act controlled football pool promoters and the like. The County Council had to employ an accountant to report on pool businesses whose fees were taken out of licence fees.

Hypnotism Licences

Under the Hypnotism Act 1952 the County Council regulated hypnotism demonstrations and all premises had to be licensed. No one under the age of 21 could take place in a demonstration.

MCC , Middlesex County Council x Middlesex County Council

With the formation of the County Council in 1889, responsibility for repair and maintenance of main roads, county bridges and their approaches, passed into its jurisdiction. All other roads remained the responsibility of parish authorities. Middlesex County Council took over responsibility for the maintenance of 106 miles of road from 39 separate local authorities in 1889.

The MCC Highways Committee met for the first time on 14 May 1889 with the Earl of Aberdeen as the first Chairman. The first Engineer and Surveyor was F.H. Pownall, who had previously worked with the Court of Quarter Sessions. In 1890 offices were established at Middlesex Guildhall and a staff consisting of a deputy, 3 assistants, an office boy and 5 part time surveyors followed. In the twentieth century the department expanded and the county was divided into 3 parts, each under the supervision of a Divisional Surveyor. The Department had three functions: trunk and county roads; bridges and rivers and streams.

Trunk and county roads

A series of acts of parliament passed after 1889 affected the duties of the Surveyor. These included the County Council of Middlesex (General Powers) Act 1906 which act enabled the County Council to prescribe frontage lines. These were lines in advance of which buildings might not be erected on the more important roads. The County Council was empowered to acquire the land in advance of the frontage line in order to effect any future road widening. These powers were used extensively as highways were constructed and reconstructed. Also the Development and Road Improvement Act 1909 which established a Road Board which was empowered to construct new roads and to make financial advances to County Councils for the construction of new roads and the improvement of existing roads. The powers of the Road Board were transferred to the newly formed Ministry of Transport in 1919.

The rapid growth of road transport in the early twentieth century highlighted the fact that roads into central London from Middlesex were unable to deal with this increased demand. In 1912 the Local Government appointed a departmental committee to look into this problem. As a result the construction of new arterial roads was recommended. In consequence of this Act that the County Council was given financial assistance necessary to build the vast network of arterial roads in the county - for example the Great West Road. In 1911 the Surrey and Middlesex County Councils were empowered to take over Kingston Bridge from the Trustees of the Kingston Municipal Charities and to carry out works of widening and improvement. The Middlesex County Council (Great West Road and Finance) Act 1914 authorized the construction of the Great West Road, the first of a series of arterial roads built in Middlesex in the twentieth century.

In 1919 the Ministry of Transport was formed. First and second class roads were created, a percentage of the cost and maintenance of which, was to be borne by the Ministry of Transport. The Unemployment (Relief Works) Act 1920 was passed with a view to providing work for the relief of unemployment. It enabled County Councils to acquire land for road construction and improvement by compulsory purchase.

The arterial roads built by the Middlesex County Council were:

Barnet Bye-Pass (Archway Road to South Mimms)

Cambridge Road (Tottenham to Wormley in Hertfordshire via Edmonton and Enfield)

Chertsey Road (Chiswick High Road to Laleham via Twickenham)

Great West Road (Cromwell Road to Staines via Chiswick, Brentford and Hounslow)

North Circular Road (Great West Road at Chiswick to Chingford via Acton, Ealing Wembley, Willesden, Hendon, Finchley, Hornsey and Southgate)

Watford Bye-Pass (Finchley Road to Aldenham Reservoir)
Western Avenue (west of the Edgware Road to Denham in Buckinghamshire via Acton, Park royal, Perivale, Greenford, Northolt and Harefield)

The Roads Improvement Act 1925 enabled the County Council to plant trees and lay out grass margins on highways and to prevent obstruction of view at street corners. It also contained a general power for the prescription of building lines - the line to which the main walls of houses and other buildings may be erected. The Middlesex County Council Act 1925 enabled the Council to prescribe frontage lines and building lines on the more important roads, with a view to facilitating future widening. The Council was also empowered to purchase the land lying between the frontage or building line and the road, in order to carry out improvements. The Local Government Act 1929 made the County Council financially responsible for the maintenance and repair of all classified roads in the county. Some of these had not been previously considered by the Council as main roads, therefore increasing its activities in this respect. A number of the roads which had been controlled by the County as main roads had not been classified by the Ministry of transport and the Council still maintained its authority over these. In practice while the cost subject to grant was borne by the County Council, the work on a considerable number of its roads was executed by the local authorities under the supervision of the County Engineer.

The Bridges Act 1929 enabled highway authorities to enter into agreements with private owners of bridges, for example canal and railway companies, with a view to taking over the responsibility for maintenance, improvement and reconstruction. Under the Middlesex County Council (Sewerage) Act 1931, the County Council was constituted the authority for main drainage of the western portion of the County. The responsibility for the eastern side was assumed under the Middlesex County Council (Sewerage Act 1938. The Restriction of Ribbon Development Act 1935 enabled the County Council to control the erection of houses along or adjacent to county roads, and new means of access to such roads.

Under the Trunk Roads Act 1935 responsibility for the most important traffic arteries was transferred from the County Council to the Ministry of Transport. The County Council still acted as agent of the Minister in regard to the maintenance of the roads. The London and Middlesex (Improvements) Act 1936 authorised the construction of an extension to the Great West Road from Chiswick into London. The Air Raid Precautions Act 1937 required the Council to prepare and submit to the Home Secretary a scheme indicating the distribution of the necessary duties for guarding against loss of life and avoidable damage by air raids in the event of war. During the Munich Crisis of 1938 trenches were dug in parks and other precautionary measures taken. The ARP services later became known as the Civil Defence services and after the Second World War plans were made for outlining the most efficient methods of dealing with the damage arising from hostile air attacks, such as the clearance of debris from highways, streets and public places, dealing with damaged and unsafe buildings and the decontamination of highways, streets, buildings and public places.

The Middlesex County Council Act 1938 gave the County Council further powers in regard to the control of highways and of the development of lands adjoining important roads. The Town and Country Planning Act 1947 repealed many of the restraints placed upon local authorities by the 1935 Restriction of ribbon Development Act. The County Council was responsible for ensuring that any new building developments (for example shops or cinemas) on county roads had adequate accommodation to provide parking for any service vehicles. They also had to ensure that existing traffic on county roads was not inconvenienced and prevent building work on land marked down for future road widening projects. The Trunk Roads Act 1946 increased the number of trunk roads for which the Ministry of Transport has been made responsible, while the Special Roads Act 1947 provided for the construction by local authorities of roads reserved for special types of traffic, subject to the approval of the Ministry of Transport.

Under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1953 local authorities were able to provide bus shelters. The County Councils were also able to submit plans for improving unclassified roads to the Ministry of Transport, which in turn could finance these projects with government grants. The London Traffic and Highways (Transitional Provisions) Order 1965 transferred responsibility for metropolitan roads to the newly formed Greater London Council and for minor roads to London Boroughs. Middlesex County Council had 640 miles of highway in its control at this date.

The Engineer and Surveyors Department was also responsible for the planning of roads. Roads had to be designed to bear the weight and volume of traffic using them. In the period 1900-1965 the most popular materials used for surfacing roads were bituminous compounds, asphalt and concrete reinforced with steel. As well as constructing new roads it was necessary to widen and improve most of the old roads and bridges in Middlesex to make them equal to the ever increasing volume of traffic they were required to carry. The safety measures introduced included the provision of dual carriageways, separated by central islands or a grass verge; the provision of service roads parallel with the main carriageways to accommodate local traffic and the construction of roundabouts at important road junctions. The County Engineer was responsible for the installation of systems of automatic traffic signals, also road markings and street furniture. It was the Department's task to ensure the road system was in good order and functioning efficiently.

Bridges

Common law (immemorial custom of the country) in the Middle Ages held that the repair of bridges forming a highway was generally the liability of the county. The 1530 Statute of Bridges embodied this common law and also stated that the repair of a bridge included approach roads for a short distance on either side. The 1555 Act of Parliament gave the parish the responsibility of building and maintaining minor bridges. Money to do this was raised by minor rates. County rates were raised to build major bridges. As Middlesex on one side bordered the Thames it had responsibility for Thames bridges with the County of Surrey. The 1740 Bridges Act gave Quarter Sessions the power to buy land to build and repair bridges. The 1803 Bridges Act codified the county liability to repair bridges by excepting new bridges built by private individuals from county responsibility if the County Surveyor was dissatisfied with the work. These powers held by Quarter Sessions were transferred to the County Council in 1889.

Bridges controlled by Middlesex County Council with Surrey County Council:

Chiswick Bridge: the two County Councils obtained powers by the Middlesex and Surrey (Thames Bridges) Act to construct two new bridges of which Chiswick was one. The new bridge was opened in 1933.
Hampton Court Bridge: opened in 1753. In 1876 it was bought by the Joint Committee of the Hampton and Mosley Local Boards and the Corporation of London for £48,048. A new bridge was built under the terms of the Middlesex and Surrey (Thames Bridges) Act and opened in 1933.
Kew Bridge: this bridge was opened in 1759 and replaced in 1789. It remained in private hands until 1873 when it was sold to the Metropolitan Board of Works. The Board transferred the bridge to Middlesex and Surrey County Councils in 1889 and another new bridge was built and opened in 1903 by Edward VII (and renamed Edward VII Bridge although this proved unpopular and was dropped).
Kingston Bridge: the first bridge at Kingston was built in the early 1200s to serve the important trading centre at Kingston. It was rebuilt in 1828. It was administered by the Trustees of the Kingston Municipal Charities until 1911 when direct responsibility was assumed by the Middlesex and Surrey County Councils. By that time road traffic on the bridge had increased to such an extent road widening was necessary. The bridge was closed for this work and reopened in 1914.
Richmond Bridge: this bridge was opened in 1777 and run thereafter by commissioners. It was transferred to joint Middlesex and Surrey County Council control by the terms of the Middlesex and Surrey (Thames Bridges) Act when the commissioners discovered that they were unable to meet running costs. Road widening began in 1937 and lasted 2 years.
Twickenham Bridge: in 1909 the Board of Trade proposed that a new bridge be constructed in Twickenham. The outbreak of war in 1914 held up plans to begin building. Middlesex and Surrey County Councils obtained powers by the Middlesex and Surrey (Thames Bridges) Act 1928 to construct two new bridges of which Twickenham was one. The new bridge opened in 1933.

Under the Bridges Act 1929 County Councils were able to enter into agreements with private owners of bridges with a view to taking over responsibility for maintenance, improvement and reconstruction. Notable construction work was done by the Middlesex County Council in this area, including the 1934 aqueduct to carry the Grand Union Canal over the North Circular Road, and the Western Avenue Viaduct. By 1965 the County Council had responsibility for 200 bridges; the Greater London Council took control of Thames Bridges and major road bridges, and the London boroughs took control of minor road bridges.

Rivers, streams and waterways

Rapid urbanization in Middlesex in the late nineteenth century made it necessary to improve the existing provisions for keeping rivers and streams clean and free flowing. Middlesex County Council was the first authority to take control of its watercourses when it obtained the necessary powers in 1898. Under the County Council of Middlesex (General Powers) Act 1906 the County Council was given extensive powers with regard to the cleansing and improvement of rivers and streams. The Council also began acquiring land adjacent to rivers to provide riverside walks and open spaces to counteract the effects of urbanization.

The County Council had responsibility for the following county rivers, streams, brooks and watercourses:

River Ash (also Ux, Ure or Exe): Uxbridge to Sunbury
River Brent: North-west to south of London Borough of Brent
River Crane: Harrow to Twickenham
River Colne: Hertfordshire to Staines along the county border
Deans Brook: Mill Hill to Silk Stream
Dollis Brook: Hendon to Welsh Harp Reservoir
Duke of Northumberland's River: an artificial river flowing into the Thames at Isleworth. It was built by Henry VII to serve the abbey at Syon with water to drive a mill at Twickenham and later another mill at Isleworth. By the 1900s the mills had closed and as having a privately run river in the county was proving a nuisance and an expense the County Council bought it in 1930 under the Middlesex County Council Act 1930.
Fray's River: Uxbridge to the River Colne along the county border.
Longford River (also King's, Queen's, New Cut, Hampton Court Cut, Wolsey's, Cardinal's): Charles I built this river to supply water to gardens at Hampton Court Palace. It was cut from the River Colne and runs via Bedfont and Feltham to the Palace.
Mutton Brook (also Moudin's): Small tributary of the River Brent in Finchley.
New River: Hugh Myddelton built this river to carry water from the wells at Amwell and Shadwell in Hertfordshire to Clerkenwell.
River Pinn: Pinner to Ruislip. It was used to carry water to the grounds of Swakeleys at Ickenham.
Pymmes Brook: Friern Barnet via Southgate and Edmonton to the River Lea.
Salmans Brook: Edmonton to the River Lea.
Silk Stream: Hendon to Welsh Harp Reservoir.
Wealdstone Brook: Wealdstone to the River Brent at Wembley
Yeading Brook: Yeading to the Grand Union Canal.
River Thames
Lee Navigation: Connected the Thames at the London Docks with Hertfordshire
Grand Union Canal: laves the Thames at Brentford and runs onto Uxbridge and then the Midlands. At Hayes it connects via Paddington and the regents Canal with the London Docks. The Canal had been built at the end of the eighteenth century and was of great economic importance.

The Land Drainage Act 1930 meant that all watercourses falling within the catchment area of the rivers Thames and Lee passed into the control of the new Thames and Lee Catchment Boards. Middlesex County Council retained control of 68 miles of watercourses in the catchment area of the rivers Brent, Crane, Duke of Northumberland, Longford, New and Pinn. The Rivers (Prevention of Pollution) Act 1951 gave the Council statutory powers equal to those of a river board to act against river pollution and to inspect river banks and adjoining structures. Middlesex County Council's powers with regard to rivers and watercourses were assumed by the Greater London Council in 1965.

MCC , Middlesex County Council x Middlesex County Council

The Middlesex Fire Brigade was established in 1948, under the terms of the Fire Services Act 1947. In the period 1948-1959 the Fire Service was incorporated with the Middlesex Ambulance Service which had been set up following the National Health Service Act 1946. In 1959 responsibility for the Ambulance Service began to be transferred within the County Council to the Health Department, a process which was completed by 1962.

In 1666 during the Great Fire of London the hand squirt was used to little effect and it was realised that better fire fighting equipment was essential, in particular with the prevalence of modern buildings. The use of apparatus such as pumps grew up together with volunteer Fire Brigades. These brigades were organised on a voluntary basis and supported by public subscription. During the early modern period the larger insurance companies set up their own private brigades to protect properties covered by their insurance.

In 1882 the London Fire Brigade Establishment was created by an amalgamation of ten of the larger insurance companies' brigades. Further companies joined the establishment and under the terms of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade Act 1865 it became the Metropolitan Fire Brigade and part of the Metropolitan Board of Works. Meanwhile local authorities, such as Middlesex, began setting up brigades of their own under the terms of the Lighting and Watching Act 1889. Twenty six local brigades were created in Middlesex (one for each of the lower tier authorities). The brigades were diverse in character; some comprised of professional fire fighters (for example at Ealing); some had semi-professionals and others had volunteers or a mixture of all three (for example Southall and Uxbridge). The local authorities found supporting these small brigades a heavy financial burden and were unable to keep pace with modern fire fighting technology. The 1930s in particular were important in promoting the ideal of modern fire stations with up to date fire fighting apparatus.

The Fire Brigades Act 1938 made the provision of adequate fire brigades and fire fighting by local authorities statutory. This legislation was followed swiftly by the formation of the Auxiliary Fire Service and then the outbreak of the Second World War. In 1939 there were 26 Fire Brigades in Middlesex with some 724 regular personnel. These brigades whilst retaining their separate identities became part of the London region under emergency wartime reorganisation. They provided invaluable assistance not only to London but also to the provinces. The scale and intensity of the air raids in 1940-1941 led to the belief that fire fighting could only be dealt with on a national basis. In 1941 the National Fire Service was formed; subsequently the 69 local authority fire services (including those of Middlesex) were amalgamated. This situation continued until the implementation of the Fire Services Act 1947 on 1 April 1948.

Ambulance Service

The Metropolitan Asylums Board set up a horse drawn ambulance service for the transportation of fever patients to hospitals. Responsibility for helping those injured in public places was that of the police. The police were aided by voluntary organisations such as the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, which gave first aid instructions and provided a service at public processions and meetings. The work of such organisations increased in the twentieth century at the same time as voluntary and teaching organisations began setting up their own ambulance services. Impetus to the movement also came from the increasing use of motor vehicles in ambulance work.

Under the terms of the Local Government Act 1929 Middlesex County Council took over the functions of the defunct Boards of Guardians in the county and was now responsible for public hospitals and their ambulance services. The Public Health Act 1936 gave local authorities a permissive power to provide ambulances, but no full obligation.

During the Second World War a Civil Defence Ambulance Service was established in Middlesex. This was an auxiliary force of volunteers using commercial vehicles and cars. The Hospital Car Service was also started during the war from a union of the British Red Cross Service, the Women's Voluntary Services and the St. John's Ambulance Association. This provided transportation for out-patients to hospitals. The Civil Defence Ambulance Service was disbanded after the war leaving the following somewhat piecemeal situation:

1 The County Council and some lower tier authorities provided ambulances for accidents and emergencies

2 Voluntary and teaching hospitals provided a service for their own patients

3 Voluntary societies had some ambulances

4 The Hospital Car Service (see above)

County of Middlesex Fire and Ambulance Service 1948-1959

Under the terms of the Fire Services Act 1947 County Councils became full fire authorities with effect from 1 April 1948. In the same year under the terms of the National Health Service Act 1946 they became responsible for the provision of an ambulance service. Middlesex County Council decided to run these two services jointly as the Middlesex Fire and Ambulance Service. The reason for this was the lack of both a central organisation and any accommodation within the previous local authority ambulance services. It was only possible for the Council to provide an Ambulance Service by superimposing one on the Fire Brigade and making full use of fire service facilities. The first meeting of the Fire Brigade Committee was held on 7 June 1947. The County of Middlesex Fire Service was the second largest (after London) in the country and the largest joint fire and ambulance service in the country.

Middlesex Fire Brigade inherited 38 fire stations and a manpower deficiency of 12% from the National Fire Service in 1948. Many stations were old fashioned and needed modernisation. Vehicles and equipment were also outdated. Street fire alarms were unreliable and there was only a limited radio communication service. The ambulances were few in number and in need of repair. This situation necessitated a good deal of work, both in terms of recruiting personnel and improving buildings and equipment in the first few years of the service.

Middlesex was divided into 3 districts with district headquarters at Edmonton Harrow and Ealing. The service headquarters were based at Wembley.

A Control: Edmonton (1); Southgate (2); Potters Bar (3); Enfield (4); Ponders End (5); Coombes Croft (6); Tottenham (7); Hornsey (8); Fortis Green (9); Finchley; *Wood Green
B Control: Harrow (30); Wealdstone (31); Harrow on the Hill (37) (closed 11/03/63); Kingsbury (33); Mill Hill (34); Hendon (35); Willesden (36); Kilburn (37); Stonebridge; Wembley (39); Greenford (40) (closed 11/03/63); Uxbridge; *Ruislip (42); Northwood (43); Northolt (from 11/03/63); Park Royal
C Control: Ealing (60); Western Avenue (61); Acton (62); Chiswick (63); Brentford (64); Heston (65); Twickenham (66); Sunbury (67); Staines (68); Feltham (69); Yiewsley (70); Hayes (71); *Southall (72)

Ambulances were based at stations marked with a *

In some cases the operations were the responsibility of the officer in charge. There were three ambulance only stations at Southall, Twickenham and Staines. The station at Staines was administered from the Staines Fire Station; the stations at Twickenham and Southall were in the charge of a Head Driver, who was responsible to the Divisional Office. There were also some ambulance stations at former hospitals in the charge of Head Drivers. Finally, there were infectious diseases ambulance stations run by Hospital Boards. The Voluntary Car Service continued to operate with the County Council contributing to costs. Each district headquarters had a control room to co-ordinate the movement of fire appliances (fire engines) and ambulances. County headquarters co-ordinated county movements.

The Ambulance Development Plan

The Ambulance Development Plan was submitted to the committees of the Fire Brigade and the Health Department in January 1950. In brief the plan laid down that accident and emergency ambulances should continue to be operated from fire stations but that sick removal ambulances should be taken from fire stations and operated from strategically placed depots (the county being divided into 10 catchment areas for this purpose). This would free accommodation in the fire stations for the Auxiliary Fire Service. This plan was approved by the Minister of Health. As the new depots could not all be built immediately as an interim measure the County Council reorganised the sick removal ambulances to temporary accommodation.

Accommodation

A reorganisation scheme was set up to deal with the problem of unsuitable and old fashioned fire stations. The 38 fire stations had been sited by district councils to suit their own pre-war local needs. Between 1948 and 1965 16 new stations were built and 12 stations modernised. The Brigade Headquarters at Wembley were specially adapted for this new role. A new vehicle repair depot for both fire appliances and ambulances was built at Ruislip to replace one inherited from the National Fire Service at Brentford.

Personnel and training

The Middlesex Fire Brigade began life with a personnel deficiency. This was rectified by 1952, but the problem was to occur again. Ideally, the number of operational personnel required in both the ambulance and fire services was 1,250 with an administrative staff of 50. From the beginning an emphasis was placed on the importance of thorough training. A training school for fire personnel was established at Finchley. Accommodation was available for 50 students and provision was made for recruits from Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire. In addition lectures were given at individual stations and "package" lectures (scripts, visual aids, models, tapes) were sent around the country and overseas for other brigades to use. Advanced training was given to officers. By 1965 the Middlesex Fire Brigade was well to the fore in the field of technical education and training.

Operations and calls

During its lifetime the Middlesex Fire Brigade received approximately 200,000 calls. Notable incidents included:

Aircraft crash at Ruislip in July 1948

Aircraft crash at Mill Hill in October 1950

Aircraft crash at London Airport (Heathrow) in October 1950

Hayes Timber Yard in July 1952

Harrow and Wealdstone railway crash in October 1952

Brentford Soap Works in August 1959

Wealdstone Furniture Repository in January 1961

Ponders End Furniture Factory in February 1963

Southall Timber Yard in September 1963

Alperton Rubber Factory in January 1965

The Ambulance Service was very heavily used in the first few years. The public, aware this was a new and free service, made heavy (and sometimes unnecessary) use of it. Hospitals and doctors too overloaded the service.

Ambulances and equipment

A replacement programme for equipment was initiated soon after the County Council became a fire authority. The three types of appliance (pump, pump escape and turntable ladder) were gradually replaced with more up to date models so that by 1965 the entire stock had been overhauled. Nearly 50,000 feet of new hose was purchased with new escapes and ladders, breathing apparatus sand other items. A similar improvement and modernisation programme was carried out within the Ambulance Service. The Council purchased 166 new ambulances and 55 other vehicles before April 1959.

Communications

Radio was used to a limited extent in Middlesex before the County Council became a fire authority. In June 1950 the Council approved the installation for a radio network on a frequency exclusive to the Middlesex Fire Brigade. The system became operational in March 1951 and by 1965 there were two master stations and seventy four master sets in use. In 1948 about 40% of Middlesex was supplied with street fire alarms. Some of these were 50 years old and they were in a poor state of repair. By that date the telephone had taken over the role of alerting fire brigades so in 1950 they were removed.

Hydrants

As a fire authority the County Council was obliged under section 13 of the 1947 Act to ensure that adequate provision of water for use in fire fighting. A programme of standardisation of the county's 28,000 hydrants began in 1949 and was completed in the mid 1950s.

Fire Prevention

Another statutory duty the Council had to perform was to make provision for advising on fire prevention. Accordingly, the Fire Service set up a Fire Prevention Branch staffed by specialist officers who were able to advise local authorities, commercial and industrial firms and private individuals. The Branch also undertook inspection of the County Council's buildings. Legislation which affected the branch included the Factories Act 1961; the Licensing Act 1961; the Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act 1963.

Civil Defence

The auxiliary branch of the fire service was re-established in 1949 under Home Office directives under the terms of the Civil Defence Act 1948 which again made the County Council a civil defence authority. This branch was set up to organise an emergency fire service which would come into operation in the event of a war. The Auxiliary Fire Service (or Civil Defence Corps) was trained by members of the regular fire service. Enrolment was open to women who worked as radio operators, despatch riders and control room staff. The men performed regular periods of duty as a backup to the regular service. There were 5 divisions consisting of approximately 30,000 volunteers in the Corps.

Transfer of the Ambulance Service to the Middlesex County Council Health Department

In 1958 an Organisation and Method Report was submitted to the Fire Brigade Committee. This suggested that closer contacts be established between the Ambulance Service and the hospitals; that the training of the ambulance personnel should be primarily medical; that it would be financially more cost effective or the ambulance service to be run by the Health Service. From 1 April 1959 the Sick Removal Branch of the Ambulance Service was run by the Chief Medical Officer. In 1962 the rest of the service was transferred, although some fire stations continued to house accident ambulances.

Transfer of Middlesex Fire Brigade to the Greater London Council

On the abolition of the Middlesex County Council the brigade became part of the London Fire Brigade under the Greater London Council. The stations at Sunbury and Staines joined the Surrey Fire Brigade, the station at Potters Bar joined the Hertfordshire Brigade.

MCC , Middlesex County Council x Middlesex County Council

The Middlesex Fire Brigade was established in 1948, under the terms of the Fire Services Act 1947. In the period 1948-1959 the Fire Service was incorporated with the Middlesex Ambulance Service which had been set up following the National Health Service Act 1946. In 1959 responsibility for the Ambulance Service began to be transferred within the County Council to the Health Department, a process which was completed by 1962.

In 1666 during the Great Fire of London the hand squirt was used to little effect and it was realised that better fire fighting equipment was essential, in particular with the prevalence of modern buildings. The use of apparatus such as pumps grew up together with volunteer Fire Brigades. These brigades were organised on a voluntary basis and supported by public subscription. During the early modern period the larger insurance companies set up their own private brigades to protect properties covered by their insurance.

In 1882 the London Fire Brigade Establishment was created by an amalgamation of ten of the larger insurance companies' brigades. Further companies joined the establishment and under the terms of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade Act 1865 it became the Metropolitan Fire Brigade and part of the Metropolitan Board of Works. Meanwhile local authorities, such as Middlesex, began setting up brigades of their own under the terms of the Lighting and Watching Act 1889. Twenty six local brigades were created in Middlesex (one for each of the lower tier authorities). The brigades were diverse in character; some comprised of professional fire fighters (for example at Ealing); some had semi-professionals and others had volunteers or a mixture of all three (for example Southall and Uxbridge). The local authorities found supporting these small brigades a heavy financial burden and were unable to keep pace with modern fire fighting technology. The 1930s in particular were important in promoting the ideal of modern fire stations with up to date fire fighting apparatus.

The Fire Brigades Act 1938 made the provision of adequate fire brigades and fire fighting by local authorities statutory. This legislation was followed swiftly by the formation of the Auxiliary Fire Service and then the outbreak of the Second World War. In 1939 there were 26 Fire Brigades in Middlesex with some 724 regular personnel. These brigades whilst retaining their separate identities became part of the London region under emergency wartime reorganisation. They provided invaluable assistance not only to London but also to the provinces. The scale and intensity of the air raids in 1940-1941 led to the belief that fire fighting could only be dealt with on a national basis. In 1941 the National Fire Service was formed; subsequently the 69 local authority fire services (including those of Middlesex) were amalgamated. This situation continued until the implementation of the Fire Services Act 1947 on 1 April 1948.

Ambulance Service

The Metropolitan Asylums Board set up a horse drawn ambulance service for the transportation of fever patients to hospitals. Responsibility for helping those injured in public places was that of the police. The police were aided by voluntary organisations such as the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, which gave first aid instructions and provided a service at public processions and meetings. The work of such organisations increased in the twentieth century at the same time as voluntary and teaching organisations began setting up their own ambulance services. Impetus to the movement also came from the increasing use of motor vehicles in ambulance work.

Under the terms of the Local Government Act 1929 Middlesex County Council took over the functions of the defunct Boards of Guardians in the county and was now responsible for public hospitals and their ambulance services. The Public Health Act 1936 gave local authorities a permissive power to provide ambulances, but no full obligation.

During the Second World War a Civil Defence Ambulance Service was established in Middlesex. This was an auxiliary force of volunteers using commercial vehicles and cars. The Hospital Car Service was also started during the war from a union of the British Red Cross Service, the Women's Voluntary Services and the St. John's Ambulance Association. This provided transportation for out-patients to hospitals. The Civil Defence Ambulance Service was disbanded after the war leaving the following somewhat piecemeal situation:

1 The County Council and some lower tier authorities provided ambulances for accidents and emergencies

2 Voluntary and teaching hospitals provided a service for their own patients

3 Voluntary societies had some ambulances

4 The Hospital Car Service (see above)

County of Middlesex Fire and Ambulance Service 1948-1959

Under the terms of the Fire Services Act 1947 County Councils became full fire authorities with effect from 1 April 1948. In the same year under the terms of the National Health Service Act 1946 they became responsible for the provision of an ambulance service. Middlesex County Council decided to run these two services jointly as the Middlesex Fire and Ambulance Service. The reason for this was the lack of both a central organisation and any accommodation within the previous local authority ambulance services. It was only possible for the Council to provide an Ambulance Service by superimposing one on the Fire Brigade and making full use of fire service facilities. The first meeting of the Fire Brigade Committee was held on 7 June 1947. The County of Middlesex Fire Service was the second largest (after London) in the country and the largest joint fire and ambulance service in the country.

Middlesex Fire Brigade inherited 38 fire stations and a manpower deficiency of 12% from the National Fire Service in 1948. Many stations were old fashioned and needed modernisation. Vehicles and equipment were also outdated. Street fire alarms were unreliable and there was only a limited radio communication service. The ambulances were few in number and in need of repair. This situation necessitated a good deal of work, both in terms of recruiting personnel and improving buildings and equipment in the first few years of the service.

Middlesex was divided into 3 districts with district headquarters at Edmonton Harrow and Ealing. The service headquarters were based at Wembley.

A Control: Edmonton (1); Southgate (2); Potters Bar (3); Enfield (4); Ponders End (5); Coombes Croft (6); Tottenham (7); Hornsey (8); Fortis Green (9); Finchley; *Wood Green
B Control: Harrow (30); Wealdstone (31); Harrow on the Hill (37) (closed 11/03/63); Kingsbury (33); Mill Hill (34); Hendon (35); Willesden (36); Kilburn (37); Stonebridge; Wembley (39); Greenford (40) (closed 11/03/63); Uxbridge; *Ruislip (42); Northwood (43); Northolt (from 11/03/63); Park Royal
C Control: Ealing (60); Western Avenue (61); Acton (62); Chiswick (63); Brentford (64); Heston (65); Twickenham (66); Sunbury (67); Staines (68); Feltham (69); Yiewsley (70); Hayes (71); *Southall (72)

Ambulances were based at stations marked with a *

In some cases the operations were the responsibility of the officer in charge. There were three ambulance only stations at Southall, Twickenham and Staines. The station at Staines was administered from the Staines Fire Station; the stations at Twickenham and Southall were in the charge of a Head Driver, who was responsible to the Divisional Office. There were also some ambulance stations at former hospitals in the charge of Head Drivers. Finally, there were infectious diseases ambulance stations run by Hospital Boards. The Voluntary Car Service continued to operate with the County Council contributing to costs. Each district headquarters had a control room to co-ordinate the movement of fire appliances (fire engines) and ambulances. County headquarters co-ordinated county movements.

The Ambulance Development Plan

The Ambulance Development Plan was submitted to the committees of the Fire Brigade and the Health Department in January 1950. In brief the plan laid down that accident and emergency ambulances should continue to be operated from fire stations but that sick removal ambulances should be taken from fire stations and operated from strategically placed depots (the county being divided into 10 catchment areas for this purpose). This would free accommodation in the fire stations for the Auxiliary Fire Service. This plan was approved by the Minister of Health. As the new depots could not all be built immediately as an interim measure the County Council reorganised the sick removal ambulances to temporary accommodation.

Accommodation

A reorganisation scheme was set up to deal with the problem of unsuitable and old fashioned fire stations. The 38 fire stations had been sited by district councils to suit their own pre-war local needs. Between 1948 and 1965 16 new stations were built and 12 stations modernised. The Brigade Headquarters at Wembley were specially adapted for this new role. A new vehicle repair depot for both fire appliances and ambulances was built at Ruislip to replace one inherited from the National Fire Service at Brentford.

Personnel and training

The Middlesex Fire Brigade began life with a personnel deficiency. This was rectified by 1952, but the problem was to occur again. Ideally, the number of operational personnel required in both the ambulance and fire services was 1,250 with an administrative staff of 50. From the beginning an emphasis was placed on the importance of thorough training. A training school for fire personnel was established at Finchley. Accommodation was available for 50 students and provision was made for recruits from Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire. In addition lectures were given at individual stations and "package" lectures (scripts, visual aids, models, tapes) were sent around the country and overseas for other brigades to use. Advanced training was given to officers. By 1965 the Middlesex Fire Brigade was well to the fore in the field of technical education and training.

Operations and calls

During its lifetime the Middlesex Fire Brigade received approximately 200,000 calls. Notable incidents included:

Aircraft crash at Ruislip in July 1948

Aircraft crash at Mill Hill in October 1950

Aircraft crash at London Airport (Heathrow) in October 1950

Hayes Timber Yard in July 1952

Harrow and Wealdstone railway crash in October 1952

Brentford Soap Works in August 1959

Wealdstone Furniture Repository in January 1961

Ponders End Furniture Factory in February 1963

Southall Timber Yard in September 1963

Alperton Rubber Factory in January 1965

The Ambulance Service was very heavily used in the first few years. The public, aware this was a new and free service, made heavy (and sometimes unnecessary) use of it. Hospitals and doctors too overloaded the service.

Ambulances and equipment

A replacement programme for equipment was initiated soon after the County Council became a fire authority. The three types of appliance (pump, pump escape and turntable ladder) were gradually replaced with more up to date models so that by 1965 the entire stock had been overhauled. Nearly 50,000 feet of new hose was purchased with new escapes and ladders, breathing apparatus sand other items. A similar improvement and modernisation programme was carried out within the Ambulance Service. The Council purchased 166 new ambulances and 55 other vehicles before April 1959.

Communications

Radio was used to a limited extent in Middlesex before the County Council became a fire authority. In June 1950 the Council approved the installation for a radio network on a frequency exclusive to the Middlesex Fire Brigade. The system became operational in March 1951 and by 1965 there were two master stations and seventy four master sets in use. In 1948 about 40% of Middlesex was supplied with street fire alarms. Some of these were 50 years old and they were in a poor state of repair. By that date the telephone had taken over the role of alerting fire brigades so in 1950 they were removed.

Hydrants

As a fire authority the County Council was obliged under section 13 of the 1947 Act to ensure that adequate provision of water for use in fire fighting. A programme of standardisation of the county's 28,000 hydrants began in 1949 and was completed in the mid 1950s.

Fire Prevention

Another statutory duty the Council had to perform was to make provision for advising on fire prevention. Accordingly, the Fire Service set up a Fire Prevention Branch staffed by specialist officers who were able to advise local authorities, commercial and industrial firms and private individuals. The Branch also undertook inspection of the County Council's buildings. Legislation which affected the branch included the Factories Act 1961; the Licensing Act 1961; the Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act 1963.

Civil Defence

The auxiliary branch of the fire service was re-established in 1949 under Home Office directives under the terms of the Civil Defence Act 1948 which again made the County Council a civil defence authority. This branch was set up to organise an emergency fire service which would come into operation in the event of a war. The Auxiliary Fire Service (or Civil Defence Corps) was trained by members of the regular fire service. Enrolment was open to women who worked as radio operators, despatch riders and control room staff. The men performed regular periods of duty as a backup to the regular service. There were 5 divisions consisting of approximately 30,000 volunteers in the Corps.

Transfer of the Ambulance Service to the Middlesex County Council Health Department

In 1958 an Organisation and Method Report was submitted to the Fire Brigade Committee. This suggested that closer contacts be established between the Ambulance Service and the hospitals; that the training of the ambulance personnel should be primarily medical; that it would be financially more cost effective or the ambulance service to be run by the Health Service. From 1 April 1959 the Sick Removal Branch of the Ambulance Service was run by the Chief Medical Officer. In 1962 the rest of the service was transferred, although some fire stations continued to house accident ambulances.

Transfer of Middlesex Fire Brigade to the Greater London Council

On the abolition of the Middlesex County Council the brigade became part of the London Fire Brigade under the Greater London Council. The stations at Sunbury and Staines joined the Surrey Fire Brigade, the station at Potters Bar joined the Hertfordshire Brigade.

MCC , Middlesex County Council x Middlesex County Council

The Housing and Town Planning Act 1909 provided that every County Council should establish a Public Health and Housing Committee and appoint a Medical Officer of Health. the MCC Public Health and Housing Committee first met in February 1910. Health services organised by the Committee included:

a) treatment and care of persons with tuberculosis, including the management of two sanatoria

b) maternity and child welfare services

c) ante-natal clinics

d) birth control clinics

e) day nurseries

f) school medical services

g) general hospital service (particularly post 1930 when Poor Law institutions were transferred to the management of the Council)

h) inspection of nursing homes

i) medical care of the sick poor

j) testing of milk

k) oversight of refuse collection.

After the introduction of the National Health Service in 1946 the Middlesex County Council hospital service was transferred to the control of the Minister of Health. However, the MCC was still a Local Health Authority and as such was given the task of organising a whole range of services, many of which it had also administered before 1946. Under the terms of the National Health Service Act and various other Acts the Council was responsible for the provision of the following services:

a) health centres

b) care of mothers and young children

c) midwifery

d) health visiting

e) home nursing

f) vaccination and immunisation

g) ambulance services

h) prevention of illness, care and after-care

i) domestic help

j) mental health services

k) the School Health Service

l) registration of nursing homes

m) registration of nurseries and childminders

n) supervision of midwives

o) health control services at Heathrow Airport.

The Health Committee retained central control of services but divided the County into ten districts, each with a Local Area Committee to oversee administration of the service in their district. The County Health Department had both central offices and offices in each health area and had a large staff of doctors, dentists, nurses and technical staff, under the supervision of the County Medical Officer of Health.

Care of mothers and young children: maternity and child health clinics were set up in convenient places throughout the County. As well as receiving expert advice on caring for their babies, mothers also received milk foods and vitamins. Ante and post natal clinics provided for the supervision and care of expectant and nursing mothers and the Council employed a staff of midwives to attend maternity cases where the babies were born at home.

Day nurseries: these were provided to meet the needs of children for whom it was considered that nursery provision was required on health grounds, such as the children of unmarried mothers or widows who were obliged to work to support their family.

Care of unsupported mothers: four residential homes for mothers and babies were provided and maintained by the MCC. Three almoners gave social help to such mothers and a grant was paid to the London Diocesan Council for Moral Welfare who also engaged in this work.

Home nursing: male and female nurses were employed to visit the homes of patients and provide nursing care, under the instruction of the general practitioner responsible for the patient.

Vaccination and immunisation: the MCC provided vaccination or immunisation against smallpox, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus and polio.

Ambulance service: until 1952 the Fire Service was responsible for the Ambulance Service on behalf of the Health Committee. The MCC maintained a large fleet of ambulances for the removal of accident cases to hospital and for the routine transport of sick persons to appointments.

Care and after-care, prevention of illness: care and after-care of patients with tuberculosis was undertaken at chest clinics and at the patients' homes. The MCC also maintained colonies for rehabilitation and had its own rehabilitation workshop. Care for the mentally ill was proved by mental welfare officers who arranged for hospital admission if necessary. The Council also ran five adult training centres and eight junior training centres. Other care services included chiropody provided at the MCC clinic in Edmonton; sending convalescent patients on recuperative holidays or stays in rest homes; and providing certain items of nursing equipment on loan to patients being nursed at home. To prevent illness schemes of health education were organised for adults and school children. A full time health education officer was employed to organise and co-ordinate health education.

Domestic help in the home: the MCC provided home helps to assist with the normal duties of running the household when this was required because of the presence in the home of one who was ill, an expectant mother, mentally defective, disabled or elderly. A charge was made but this was adjusted according to income.

Heathrow Airport: the main object of the health control service was to prevent the entry of infectious diseases into Britain. The airport medical staff also carried out medical examinations for aircrew and provided a medical service for employees at the airport.

MCC , Middlesex County Council x Middlesex County Council

The Planning Department existed from 1947-1965 and reported to the Planning Committee.

Housing and Town Planning Act 1919: This act was an attempt to alleviate the problems of long delays endured by local authorities awaiting planning approval for schemes (Parliamentary approval being necessary in some instances). Planning schemes became obligatory for boroughs and urban districts with populations exceeding 20,000.

Town Planning Act 1925: Under this legislation the lower tier authorities were allowed to draw up schemes for land which was either undergoing development or had the potential to be developed. The following Middlesex authorities were obliged to draw up schemes: Acton; Brentford and Chiswick; Ealing; Edmonton; Enfield; Finchley; Hendon; Heston and Isleworth; Hornsey; Southall; Southgate; Tottenham; Willesden and Wood Green.

In the inter-war years three joint planning committees were set up in the county with representation from the County Council. The North Middlesex Joint Town Planning Committee (1926-1945) covered Edmonton, Enfield, Finchley, Friern Barnet, Harrow on the Hill, Hendon, Hornsey, Kingsbury, Potters Bar, Southgate, Tottenham, Wealdstone, Wembley, Willesden, Wood Green and South Mimms. This committee was appointed under the 1925 Act. The County Council sent two representatives to the Committee but had no voting rights. In December 1945 the Committee became the North Middlesex and South-East Hertfordshire Joint Planning Committee (1945-1948) and now included Barnet, Cheshunt, East Barnet, Elstree and had representatives from the Hertfordshire County Council and the Middlesex County Council. The West Middlesex Joint Town Planning Committee (1922-1945) covered Acton, Brentford, Chiswick, Ealing, Feltham, Greenford, Hampton Wick, Hanwell, Hayes, Heston and Isleworth, Ruislip-Northwood, Southall-Norwood, Staines (UD and RD), Sunbury, Uxbridge (UD and RD), Yiewsley and Barnes. The County Council sent two representatives to the Committee but had no voting rights. This region was the first in the Greater London area to be the subject of a twentieth century planning report. In December 1945 the Committee became West Middlesex Joint Planning Committee (1945-1948) and now included Twickenham. The Central Middlesex Joint Planning Committee (1945-1948) covered Harrow, Hendon, Wembley and Willesden.

Town and Country Planning Act 1932: Local authorities were given planning powers over developed areas for the first time. The process of preparation and awaiting approval for schemes remained very lengthy, and the legislation still remained with the lower tier authorities and not the county councils, so producing very localised schemes. The Ministry of Health (which had responsibility for planning) had no effective powers and could provide no financial assistance. County Councils were however responsible for enforcing certain provisions of the schemes, namely those relating to county roads, open space and building lines, and in some cases actually owned the land which was the subject of the scheme. Finally compensation for planning restrictions and prohibitions was high and held back progressive local authorities.

In the inter-war period the country entered an economic recession which produced areas of high employment and depression. Migration of workers to London and Middlesex seeking employment rose sharply, and was indeed encouraged, until it was realised that to have high concentrations of the working population in the south-east was in itself undesirable and a more evenly distributed population was preferable. In Middlesex the population rose at a rate of 30.8% between 1921 and 1931 (5 times above the normal rate and more than any other administrative county) and at a rate of 27.4% between 1931 and 1939 (7 times above the normal rate). The rise was due less to the rising birth rate than to adult migration as people moved out of London, surrounding counties and areas of depression in the north and west to occupy the new housing in Middlesex and to work in the industries which were growing up around the new arterial roads.

Green Belt: The growth of transport systems enabled the rising working populations in London and Middlesex to live in the suburbs and commute into work. This in turn produced a housing boom - in 1939 a third of all houses in England and Wales had been built since 1918 and 2,700,000 of these had been built since 1930. Concern grew about the detrimental effects development was having on rural areas and in 1927 Neville Chamberlain (Minister of Health) set up the Greater London Regional Planning Committee. Chamberlain called for the establishment of an agricultural belt around the greater London area to separate the capital from development in the surrounding satellite areas. Furthermore, the Committee technical adviser Sir Raymond Unwin urged that recreation land be preserved for those living in London and Middlesex from a girdle of open space encircling the greater London area. Unwin argued that open spaces should not (as current legislation stood) be planned around building land, but that building development be planned around open spaces. The concept of Green Belt was given full backing by the County Council.

Standing Conference on London Regional Planning: The Standing Conference was established in 1937. After the abolition of the Greater London Regional Planning Committee it was felt by the Ministry of Town and Country Planning and other interested parties that the region required an advisory and consultative body to assist the local joint planning committee.

The Barlow Report: The Barlow Commission was appointed in 1938 to enquire into the causes of geographical distribution of industries, the disadvantages of concentrations of industry and industrial populations and to advise on any probable changes which might occur of remedial measures which should be made. The Commission's report was not made until after the outbreak of the Second World War. But its recommendations were very influential and provided an impetus for post-war planning legislation. The report recognised that there were problems in having large industrial concentrations and that having no effective central planning authority (that is a Ministry of Planning) was a hindrance to solving problems. London and the Home Counties presented the single largest and most significant problem due to the very high levels of migration. The establishment of a National Industrial Board was recommended to regulate industrial development, although some members of the Commission argued for a Ministry of Planning with full executive powers which liaised at a high level with the local authorities. Existing policies were condemned as inadequate, particularly with reference to the south-east and the suggestion was made that migration there should be positively discouraged. The Ministry of Town and Country Planning was created following the recommendations of the Barlow Report, so providing a basis for the concept of all round planning.

Greater London Plan 1944: In 1944 Professor Sir Patrick Abercrombie prepared an advisory plan for the Greater London area for the new Ministry of Town and Country Planning. The Plan was based upon four concentric rings. The innermost ring was an urban one where both the density of population and the level of congestion were too high; the second ring was a suburban one where population levels were tolerable; the third ring was designated Green Belt and the fourth was an outer county ring. Abercrombie proposed that the Green Belt be preserved from building development as far as possible to provide recreation land for Londoners and to halt urbanization. He urged that the fourth outer ring be preserved as open countryside. To relieve congestion in the inner ring Abercrombie suggested migration be encouraged out to the outer country ring into very carefully planned towns. In 1945 Sir Patrick became Town Planning Consultant to the Middlesex County Council.

Advisory Committee on London Regional Planning: The Committee was established in 1945 with a mandate to draw up a plan to serve as a broad directive to the planning authorities within the region (as defined by Abercrombie's Greater London Plan). Comments and suggestions were to be drawn from the local joint planning committees and authorities in the region.

Middlesex County Council Planning Department 1947-1965

Town and Country Planning Act 1947: This Act was the basis for all post war planning law and fundamentally affected the law concerning the ownership and development of land. All previous planning legislation was repealed.

The main terms of the Act as they affected local government were:

1 County Councils and County Boroughs became planning authorities, meaning that from 1 July 1948 the Middlesex County Council became the planning authority for Middlesex.

2 Planning authorities were to survey their areas and prepare a Development Plan

3 Planning authorities were empowered to administer new legislation concerning development control. No landowner could develop her/his land without permission from (and paying a fee to) his planning authority. Planning authorities were to register all planning applications and then study and decide whether a development could take place. A national fund of £300 million was set aside to compensate landowners for the loss of development value. The law relating to compensation changed and the value of compensation was now given only for existing (and not potential) land value.

4 Wide powers were given to planning authorities to use compulsory purchasing powers to buy and develop land

5 Control of advertisements, exercised only in the interests of amenity and public safety. Planning authorities did not have control over subject matter. The following four types of advertisement hoarding all received automatic consent from planning authorities: (i) Functional hoardings, notices produced by local authorities, public transport authorities and statutory undertakers; (ii) Miscellaneous hoardings; for example referring to doctors and institutions; (iii) Temporary notices; the sale and letting of property, non-commercial activities; (iv) Businesses; referring to business premises. All other advertisement hoardings required local authority consent and were required to be clean, tidy, safe and non-obstructive. Consents were valid for three years. The Middlesex County Council advised against large hoardings near open spaces, areas of special architectural or historic interest or residential areas. In some areas (called areas of special control so designated by the County Council or the lower tier authorities) advertising hoarding were limited as to size and type.

6 A Central Land Board was established to deal with claims for depreciation in land values and determine development charges.

7 Planning authorities were given extensive powers to acquire and develop land. Additional finance was available for this.

The Middlesex County Council now had functions which may be broadly divided into two categories; preparation of the Middlesex Development Plan and administration of development control. The decision was made to set up a Planning Committee and Planning Department. The Committee met for the first time on 28 March 1947 under the chairmanship of Bernard Lewis. The County Planning Committee set up, in consultation with the County Planning Officer, four Area Planning Sub-Committees representing the lower tier authority areas. An equal number of County Councillors and District Councillors sat on each committee.

The four Area Planning Committees were: North Middlesex (Edmonton, Enfield, Finchley, Friern Barnet, Hornsey, Potters Bar, Southgate, Tottenham, Wood Green); Central Middlesex (Harrow, Hendon, Wembley, Willesden); West Middlesex (Acton, Ealing, Southall, Hayes and Harlington, Ruislip-Northwood, Uxbridge,
Yiewsley and West Drayton) and South Middlesex (Brentford and Chiswick, Heston and Isleworth, Twickenham, Feltham, Staines, Sunbury on Thames).

The Planning Department followed this structure and had a section dealing with each area as represented by the Sub-Committee areas. Each section was headed by an Area Planning Officer who was based at the County Planning office but served her or his own area and controlled her or his own staff.

Middlesex Development Planning as the first function of the Council as a planning authority. Each authority was required to survey their areas and prepare a Development Plan within three years of 1 July 1948, which was to be a survey of land use, population trends and statistics, properties, industries, transport, recreation and leisure facilities within their areas. This plan was to indicate the trend of future development and the allocation of land. The Plan was be submitted to the Ministry for approval and reviewed every five years. The Planning Committee concerned itself with its responsibilities as a development controller for the first few years of its existence and was not able to give full attention to the County Development Plan. The Planning Officer requested extra staff in 1949 to work on the Plan and the Minister of Town Planning and Local Government extended the time limit for the submission of the Plan until July 1952.

To help stimulate interest in the Plan and deal with possible objections to its proposals the County Planning Officer recommended that a pamphlet be produced by the Planning Department to explain and publicise the Council's policies. This pamphlet entitled "Mind Your Own Middlesex" was published in 1950 and in simple terms explained the technicalities of town planning and encouraged people to make known their views. It aroused interest on a national level as it was the first such publication by a County Council.

In March 1951 a Draft Development Plan was produced. The Middlesex Development Plan was presented to the Ministry of Housing and Local Government on 30 June 1952. The policy of the Plan was based on the Greater London Plan as drawn up by Abercrombie. The principal of the four rings of development was upheld together with the argument that a reduction of the population of Middlesex and decentralisation of industry was required. The Plan defined areas for industry, homes, recreation, education, civic and leisure amenities and green belt and comprehensive development.

The format of the Plan was written matter including written statement and report of the survey on the Plan and written statement and report of the survey on the comprehensive development areas; and maps consisting of County Map, Programme Map, Comprehensive Development Area Maps, Designation Maps, Street Authorisation Maps and Communications Maps.

The County Development Map was one required by law and also required to be drawn at a scale of 1 inch to the mile except in cases of London or of County Boroughs where a larger scale of 6 inches to the mile was requested. However because of the special problems of Middlesex (high density) the whole County was allowed to be treated as County Borough so the County Development Plan was drawn on the larger scale making it the largest scheme of detailed planning ever drawn up in Britain.

A public enquiry was held in 1953 conducted by Ministry Inspectors to deal with the 7,500 public objections to the Plan. The Plan was accepted, after certain modification, in 1956. A Draft review was produced in 1962. The first review of the Plan took place in 1962 and was submitted to the Ministry on 1 January 1963. The review was in general terms an update and reappraisal of the original Plan and certainly reinforced its principals. The restraint of office space in Middlesex had become as important as the restraint of industry by this date. The Review took consideration of the modifications and amendments made by the 1953 Public Enquiry. The period that the reviewed Plan took into consideration was extended to 1981. A Public Enquiry into the Review was held on 15 October 1963. A total of 159 objections were received and considered by the inspectors. The review was published in March 1965.

From the time when the Middlesex County Council first became a planning authority the Council was keen to delegate to the boroughs and district councils as much as was permissible under the 1947 Act of the administration of development control. Delegation and decentralisation was allowed under the terms of the Act as long as this did not overburden the lower tier authorities or hinder the progress of the County Development Plan. The local authorities themselves were strongly in favour of delegation. The process of determining the degree of delegation and decentralisation involved not just the County Council and the local authorities but also the Town and Country Planning Ministry (or Ministry of Town and Country Planning from 1951). Middlesex County Council played a national role in this in that the degree of pressure placed upon the Council by its very vocal local authorities (who had been very active in pre-war planning and to whom the County Council was for the most part sympathetic) brought in full and exhaustive negotiation on the subject and so provided a model for other local authorities. The administrative expenses of the local authorities in carrying out these functions were borne by them and not the County Council.

1) Planning permission:
Private landowners wishing to develop their land were required to apply for this planning permission to their planning authority. In Middlesex this function was delegated to the lower tier authorities. A development charge was also to be paid, until this was abolished under the terms of the Town and Country Planning Act 1953. The local authorities received the applications, registered and numbered them (a legal requirement) and then informed applicants of their statutory rights. A copy of the proposed plan was sent to the County Council and another to the Central Land Board. The County Council's Area Planning Officer studied the application and had to decide whether it should be dealt with either by his office or delegated to the district council. The County Council would normally deal with cases which were likely to affect the County Development Plan; give rise to a liability for compensation; affect a County or Trunk road (an important consideration in Middlesex where there was a lot of road building). If the application fell into any of these three categories then the Area Planning Officer would keep the case (which would have to be administered by his or her staff and passed by the local Planning Area Sub-Committee), and inform the local authority of the decision. These applications were known as excepted applications and could involve the Area Planning Officer in high level discussions with other County Council departments such as Highways, Education, Architects, Valuers; other neighbouring county councils; and the Ministry. If an application was not an excepted case it would be returned to the local authority for processing.

If the local authority (or the County Council) objected to the decision of the Area Planning Sub-Committee the application might be referred up to the County Council Planning Committee. The final appeal lay with the Ministry. On average during the period 1948-1965 80% of planning applications were referred back to the local authorities and only 20% remained with the County Council. On average during the same period 12,000 planning applications were made a year (peaking at 14,000- 15,000 in 1961-1962).

2) Compensation:
Compensation for restrictive planning permission or refusal to grant permission was tightened up under the 1947 Act and available only from the Ministry after it had consulted the Planning authority. The Town and Country Planning Act 1954 provided a new form of compensation. Compensation here was only available if a landowner was unable to obtain the development value of his land by the local authority using a compulsory purchase order to buy the land at its existing use value before November 1958 or by the imposition of planning restrictions by the Planning authority (subject to exceptions) which would stop or restrict building development. The Town and Country Planning Act 1963 laid down that compensation had to be provided by planning authorities when planning permission was refused for certain development. This also applied to the enlargement of buildings when permission was sought to enlarge them by less than one tenth of their cubit content or floor space.

3) Other powers:
Subject to prior consultation with the Council the district councils could make statutory orders and issue notices relating to:

(i) revocation and modification of planning permission;

(ii) the discontinuation of authorised uses of land;

(iii) preservation of trees and woodland;

(iv) proper maintenance of derelict and waste land;

(v) preservation of historic or architecturally outstanding buildings;

(vi) control of development carried out without planning permission or breaking planning law;

(vii) control of advertisements

Middlesex Planning Committee retained the right to initiate actions relating to the above. Any claims for compensation in these cases were met by the County Council except in circumstances where the district council ad acted without the Council's permission.

The Town and Country Planning Act came into force on 16 August 1959. The main provisions as affecting planning authorities were:

(i) the introduction of additional publicity for planning applications, ensuring that owners and tenants were informed of applications affecting them;

(ii) the securing of the market value of property subject to compulsory purchase order;

(iii) planning authorities were given greater powers to challenge decisions made by the Ministry;

(iv) local authorities were given powers to acquire land in advance of their requirements;

(v) planning authorities were to purchase land which was deemed to be suffering from "planning blight" (that is planning proposals would have a detrimental effect on property);

(vi) local authorities were given additional powers to acquire land independently of the Ministry.

Planning legislation was consolidated under the terms of the Town and Country Planning Act 1962 which repealed all previous planning law.

National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949: The County Council was empowered to prepare a survey in consultation with the local councils showing all rights of way alleged to exist in the county. Middlesex Planning Department drew up such a map which was approved by the County Council in 1953 and then published. The map was subject to complaints and appeal in the same way as the Development Plan and was also to be reviewed every five years. It was decided to exclude parts of the County deemed to be too developed to be surveyed. The excluded areas were the whole of Acton, Friern Barnet and Wood Green; the greater parts of Hornsey, Southgate and Willesden (no footpaths were found in remaining land). The rest of the County was surveyed according to how much rural land there was, although Enfield, Potters Bar and Wembley were fully surveyed. The Survey was done by the local authorities with help from the Planning Department. A Draft Survey and Map were approved by the County Council in November 1953 and showed more than 200 miles of public rights of way. The Map and Accompanying Statement were published and 166 objections were made to the County Council. Some modifications were made and there was one appeal made to the Minister and four counter objections to the County Council. A Provisional Map was published in June 1957. The Definitive Map was published in February 1958.

Other powers:

(i) District Councils were given powers of dedication which required approval from the County Councils. Powers were given to create new footpaths. Middlesex County Council proposed a continuous Thames riverside walk.

(ii) Powers were given to the Districts to plant trees, bushes, flowers except on land abutting on proposed trunk and county roads. The County Council had a programme of tree planting along sections of Western Avenue, Stanwell New Road and the Great Cambridge Road.

(iii) The Nature Conservancy was obliged to inform the County Council of land in the County which although not of the status of a nature reserve was of special ecological interest. The following notifications were made in Middlesex: Denham Wood, Harefield Moor, Osterley Park, Perivale Wood, Ruislip Reservoir, Staines Moor, Welsh Harp and Whitewebbs Park. The County Council was thereafter obliged to consult with the Nature Conservancy before granting planning permission in the area. In 1959 a Nature Reserve at Ruislip Reservoir was created. The initiative to create nature reserves lay with the lower tier authorities.

MCC , Middlesex County Council x Middlesex County Council

The Civil Defence Department existed from 1938-1946 and from 1948-1965. It reported to the Air Raids Precautions Committee (1938-1939) and the Civil Defence Committee (1948-1965).

The development of aircraft and related weaponry in the early twentieth century brought with it the threat of attacks on civilian populations and property at times of war. London in particular had suffered a degree of enemy action from the air during the First World War. In the 1930s the political situation in Europe compelled the government to implement legislation for the protection of the civilian population in the event of a war. In July 1935 the Home Office issued a circular on Air Raid Precautions (ARP) to all local authorities which encouraged them to create ARP machinery and to recruit and train the public in ARP duties. The decision to work through the local authorities was a significant one. In Middlesex some of the lower tier authorities developed high calibre plans (Hornsey for example) while others did very little work. This was a pattern reflected by the whole country. The county of Middlesex was considered by the Home Office to be an area of "especial danger" where civil defence was very important.

Under the 1937 Air Raid Precautions Act local authorities were obliged to draw up ARP schemes in order to protect civilians and their property from air attack. In Middlesex the Air Raid Precautions Committee consisting of County Councillors was formed in 1938. The Committee decided that the lower tier authorities had a major part to play in civil defence and urged them to appoint their own ARP officers and formulate proposals which could be co-ordinated by the County Council. A small Civil Defence Department was set up by the County Council to deal with this work under the leadership of a Civil Defence Officer. The Munich Agreement of September 1938 gave fresh impetus to the development of Civil Defence activities. A recruitment drive for part time volunteers was initiated together with the construction of air raid shelters and the establishment of rest centres. It was anticipated, given what had happened in the First World War, that poison gas would be used so gas masks were issued. First Aid Posts were set up and trenches built in open spaces. The Middlesex County Council area was incorporated into the London Civil Defence Region to form Group 6. The Civil Defence Act 1939 gave further responsibilities to the local authorities. On the outbreak of war on 3 September 1939 a civil defence organisation was in being, although not equipped or ready for active service.

Evacuation plans for children and mothers were first drawn up in the late 1930s. The prime movers in this were the London County Council and the government, as Middlesex County Council was not responsible for all education provision at that date. The boroughs of Action, Edmonton, Hornsey, Tottenham and Willesden were included in the plans, and later also Enfield, Ealing, Brentford and Chiswick. Evacuation took place from 1-4 September 1939 and by this date many people had already left London privately. As no enemy bombing started in 1939 many evacuees returned to the capital before the end of the year and did not leave again until the start of the Blitz in September 1940.

Bombing in Middlesex began on 12 July 1940 and the whole of the county was badly affected by the Blitz (September 1940 - May 1941). There was a lull in bombing between May 1941 and 1944 with only sporadic attacks. During this period a degree of reorganisation took place within the Civil Defence services. The stretcher party service was amalgamated with the rescue service, wardens were given First Aid training. Emergency feeding was established by the Home Office and its use pioneered in Middlesex with the Red Cross who equipped and staffed empty houses and then housed homeless people and those suffering from shock. In the summer of 1944 attacks from flying bombs and long range rockets began (V1s and V2s) and Middlesex suffered early on and badly from these. 16,000 casualties were recorded. Notable incidents included 29 September 1940 daylight attack (target presumed to be Northolt Airport), when 200 high explosive bombs were dropped on area around Ruislip Road, Ealing; 30 November 1940 133 high explosive bombs dropped in a night raid on Twickenham and 13 February 1941 housing estate bombed near the Welsh Harp, Hendon.

The Civil Defence (Suspension of Powers) Act, 1945, suspended some provisions of the Civil Defence Acts 1937 and 1939, notably the obligations the local authorities had to prepare air raid precaution schemes, build shelters, train civil defence volunteers and organise the blackout. Full time civil defence staff were no longer required. The Middlesex County Council Air Raid Precautions Officer's Department was dissolved and its remaining duties undertaken by the Clerk's Department and County Treasurer's Department. The Home Office continued to encourage the activities of local Civil Defence branches of volunteers. These branches were strong in the Middlesex local districts so the County Council appointed honorary liaison officers to work with the branches. This work continued until the passing of the Civil Defence Act 1947.

The Civil Defence organisation stood down after the Second World War ended in 1945. In December 1948 the Civil Defence Act 1947 came into force and the County Council again received civil defence responsibilities. The new Act had been passed as an attempt to offer a measure of protection to the civilian population in the event of another war and in particular to tackle the new atomic warfare. The functions of the County Council fell into two areas: the organisation of the Middlesex Division of the Civil Defence Corps and the preparation of plans for the operation of certain war-time services The Civil Defence Committee sat again and a small Civil Defence Department was established under the County Civil Defence Officer. The County Council was again made responsible for the five areas of Hertfordshire within the Metropolitan Police District.

The County Council was responsible for the enrolment and training of volunteers to make up the Middlesex Defence Corps. The Civil Defence Committee decided at a very early stage that the lower tier authorities should play a large role in civil defence and be responsible for enrolling and training volunteers under the County Council's supervision. It was felt that a better response would be received from the general public if volunteers were organised locally. The local authorities were arranged into three sub-groups - Group A: Barnet, Cheshunt, East Barnet, Edmonton, Enfield, Finchley, Friern Barnet, Hornsey, Potters Bar, Southgate, Tottenham, Wood Green; Group B: Bushey, Elstree, Harrow, Hendon, Rusilip-Northwood, Uxbridge, Wembley, Willesden and Group C: Acton, Brentford and Chiswick, Ealing, Feltham, Hayes and Harlington, Heston and Isleworth, Southall, Staines, Sunbury-on-Thames, Twickenham, Yiewsley and West Drayton. The Corps was divided by the Civil Defence Act into five sections; headquarters; warden; ambulance and casualty collecting; rescue; welfare. Recruitment began in November 1949 and by the end of the year 8,579 members had been enrolled. The County Council retained the responsibility for ensuring that the instructors were trained. Qualifications could be obtained at Home Office Technical Training Schools.

Volunteers received basic training and then proceeded to work within the section of the Corps in which they had enrolled. The County Council provided courses for instructors to use for the headquarters, warden and ambulance sections and guided the local authorities in selecting the instructors for the welfare section. To ensure that volunteers were properly trained the County Council encouraged the districts to establish civil defence training centres and authorised expenditure with this in mind. Likewise the purchase of equipment was encouraged. By the end of 1952 25 districts had incendiary bomb huts; 24 districts had gas chambers and 13 districts had gas compounds. The Civil Defence Corps was often called in to assist other emergency services, for example in transport accidents and searches for missing children.

The County Civil Defence Officer was the chief officer of the department. Under him were four assistant Civil Defence Officers, an Assistant Rescue Officer, six full time instructors with clerical and manual support staff. There were personnel within other County Council departments who were charges within the planning of the emergency services and were so involved in civil defence work. There was a sub-divisional Civil Defence Officer in each local authority for whose salary expenses the local authority was reimbursed by the County Council.

In 1962 central government initiated an overhaul of the running of Civil Defence Corps. The aim of this reorganisation was to enhance the status of the Corps, to improve efficiency, and to develop a nucleus of highly trained volunteers. These changes took effect from 1 October 1962 and the most significant effect was to improve the standards of training. The civil defence functions of the County Council passed to the new London Boroughs and the county councils of Hertfordshire and Surrey.

MCC , Middlesex County Council x Middlesex County Council

The Civil Defence Department existed from 1938-1946 and from 1948-1965. It reported to the Air Raids Precautions Committee (1938-1939) and the Civil Defence Committee (1948-1965).

The development of aircraft and related weaponry in the early twentieth century brought with it the threat of attacks on civilian populations and property at times of war. London in particular had suffered a degree of enemy action from the air during the First World War. In the 1930s the political situation in Europe compelled the government to implement legislation for the protection of the civilian population in the event of a war. In July 1935 the Home Office issued a circular on Air Raid Precautions (ARP) to all local authorities which encouraged them to create ARP machinery and to recruit and train the public in ARP duties. The decision to work through the local authorities was a significant one. In Middlesex some of the lower tier authorities developed high calibre plans (Hornsey for example) while others did very little work. This was a pattern reflected by the whole country. The county of Middlesex was considered by the Home Office to be an area of "especial danger" where civil defence was very important.

Under the 1937 Air Raid Precautions Act local authorities were obliged to draw up ARP schemes in order to protect civilians and their property from air attack. In Middlesex the Air Raid Precautions Committee consisting of County Councillors was formed in 1938. The Committee decided that the lower tier authorities had a major part to play in civil defence and urged them to appoint their own ARP officers and formulate proposals which could be co-ordinated by the County Council. A small Civil Defence Department was set up by the County Council to deal with this work under the leadership of a Civil Defence Officer. The Munich Agreement of September 1938 gave fresh impetus to the development of Civil Defence activities. A recruitment drive for part time volunteers was initiated together with the construction of air raid shelters and the establishment of rest centres. It was anticipated, given what had happened in the First World War, that poison gas would be used so gas masks were issued. First Aid Posts were set up and trenches built in open spaces. The Middlesex County Council area was incorporated into the London Civil Defence Region to form Group 6. The Civil Defence Act 1939 gave further responsibilities to the local authorities. On the outbreak of war on 3 September 1939 a civil defence organisation was in being, although not equipped or ready for active service.

Evacuation plans for children and mothers were first drawn up in the late 1930s. The prime movers in this were the London County Council and the government, as Middlesex County Council was not responsible for all education provision at that date. The boroughs of Action, Edmonton, Hornsey, Tottenham and Willesden were included in the plans, and later also Enfield, Ealing, Brentford and Chiswick. Evacuation took place from 1-4 September 1939 and by this date many people had already left London privately. As no enemy bombing started in 1939 many evacuees returned to the capital before the end of the year and did not leave again until the start of the Blitz in September 1940.

Bombing in Middlesex began on 12 July 1940 and the whole of the county was badly affected by the Blitz (September 1940 - May 1941). There was a lull in bombing between May 1941 and 1944 with only sporadic attacks. During this period a degree of reorganisation took place within the Civil Defence services. The stretcher party service was amalgamated with the rescue service, wardens were given First Aid training. Emergency feeding was established by the Home Office and its use pioneered in Middlesex with the Red Cross who equipped and staffed empty houses and then housed homeless people and those suffering from shock. In the summer of 1944 attacks from flying bombs and long range rockets began (V1s and V2s) and Middlesex suffered early on and badly from these. 16,000 casualties were recorded. Notable incidents included 29 September 1940 daylight attack (target presumed to be Northolt Airport), when 200 high explosive bombs were dropped on area around Ruislip Road, Ealing; 30 November 1940 133 high explosive bombs dropped in a night raid on Twickenham and 13 February 1941 housing estate bombed near the Welsh Harp, Hendon.

The Civil Defence (Suspension of Powers) Act, 1945, suspended some provisions of the Civil Defence Acts 1937 and 1939, notably the obligations the local authorities had to prepare air raid precaution schemes, build shelters, train civil defence volunteers and organise the blackout. Full time civil defence staff were no longer required. The Middlesex County Council Air Raid Precautions Officer's Department was dissolved and its remaining duties undertaken by the Clerk's Department and County Treasurer's Department. The Home Office continued to encourage the activities of local Civil Defence branches of volunteers. These branches were strong in the Middlesex local districts so the County Council appointed honorary liaison officers to work with the branches. This work continued until the passing of the Civil Defence Act 1947.

The Civil Defence organisation stood down after the Second World War ended in 1945. In December 1948 the Civil Defence Act 1947 came into force and the County Council again received civil defence responsibilities. The new Act had been passed as an attempt to offer a measure of protection to the civilian population in the event of another war and in particular to tackle the new atomic warfare. The functions of the County Council fell into two areas: the organisation of the Middlesex Division of the Civil Defence Corps and the preparation of plans for the operation of certain war-time services The Civil Defence Committee sat again and a small Civil Defence Department was established under the County Civil Defence Officer. The County Council was again made responsible for the five areas of Hertfordshire within the Metropolitan Police District.

The County Council was responsible for the enrolment and training of volunteers to make up the Middlesex Defence Corps. The Civil Defence Committee decided at a very early stage that the lower tier authorities should play a large role in civil defence and be responsible for enrolling and training volunteers under the County Council's supervision. It was felt that a better response would be received from the general public if volunteers were organised locally. The local authorities were arranged into three sub-groups - Group A: Barnet, Cheshunt, East Barnet, Edmonton, Enfield, Finchley, Friern Barnet, Hornsey, Potters Bar, Southgate, Tottenham, Wood Green; Group B: Bushey, Elstree, Harrow, Hendon, Rusilip-Northwood, Uxbridge, Wembley, Willesden and Group C: Acton, Brentford and Chiswick, Ealing, Feltham, Hayes and Harlington, Heston and Isleworth, Southall, Staines, Sunbury-on-Thames, Twickenham, Yiewsley and West Drayton. The Corps was divided by the Civil Defence Act into five sections: headquarters; warden; ambulance and casualty collecting; rescue; welfare. Recruitment began in November 1949 and by the end of the year 8,579 members had been enrolled. The County Council retained the responsibility for ensuring that the instructors were trained. Qualifications could be obtained at Home Office Technical Training Schools.

Volunteers received basic training and then proceeded to work within the section of the Corps in which they had enrolled. The County Council provided courses for instructors to use for the headquarters, warden and ambulance sections and guided the local authorities in selecting the instructors for the welfare section. To ensure that volunteers were properly trained the County Council encouraged the districts to establish civil defence training centres and authorised expenditure with this in mind. Likewise the purchase of equipment was encouraged. By the end of 1952 25 districts had incendiary bomb huts; 24 districts had gas chambers and 13 districts had gas compounds. The Civil Defence Corps was often called in to assist other emergency services, for example in transport accidents and searches for missing children.

The County Civil Defence Officer was the chief officer of the department. Under him were four assistant Civil Defence Officers, an Assistant Rescue Officer, six full time instructors with clerical and manual support staff. There were personnel within other County Council departments who were charges within the planning of the emergency services and were so involved in civil defence work. There was a sub-divisional Civil Defence Officer in each local authority for whose salary expenses the local authority was reimbursed by the County Council.

In 1962 central government initiated an overhaul of the running of Civil Defence Corps. The aim of this reorganisation was to enhance the status of the Corps, to improve efficiency, and to develop a nucleus of highly trained volunteers. These changes took effect from 1 October 1962 and the most significant effect was to improve the standards of training. The civil defence functions of the County Council passed to the new London Boroughs and the county councils of Hertfordshire and Surrey.

MCC , Middlesex County Council x Middlesex County Council

The Children's Department of the Middlesex County Council was set up under the Children Act 1948 which embodied the findings of the Curtis Report of 1945-1946. The Act took effect on 5 July 1948; the first meeting of the newly formed Children's Committee took place on the next day, taking over from the Interim Children's Committee, formed of the members of the thereafter defunct Children's Care Sub-Committee of the Education Committee. The first Children's Officer, Mr Ainscow, had in fact been appointed in anticipation, with effect from 1 May 1948. The duties of the Department had previously been distributed across several County Council departments (the Public Assistance, Public Health and Education Departments), as well as bodies (education authorities outside the MCC and the County Maternity and Child Welfare authorities) not part of the County Council at all.

The activities of the Children's Department may be summarised as follows:
i) Care and welfare: this comprised of the provision of care for a) children under the age of 17 if they had no parents or guardians; if they were abandoned or lost; of if their parents were unable to provide for their proper upbringing, provided that such care was in the child's best interests: and b) children committed by a court to the care of the County Council under a Fit Person order. This involved inter alia the running of homes and nurseries, the maintenance of the boarding out system for foster homes, and in some cases the assumption of full parental rights until the child should attain majority. The Department also undertook the care of children as delegated by the Welfare Department when dealing with problem or evicted families.

ii) Child Life Protection: this was a long standing local authority responsibility. After the passing of the Children Act 1948 its effect was to render it an offence for any person other than the parent, legal guardian or a relative to undertake for reward (whether or not for profit) the care of a child below school leaving age (15 in 1948) without notifying the County Council as a welfare authority. The Children's Department publicised the legal obligations upon such persons, supervised placements, inspected and regulated foster homes and so on. After the Adoption Act 1950, a similar duty to notify the Council rested upon anyone placing a child in another's care (with the same exceptions as above).

iii) Approved schools and remand homes: a child could be committed by the courts into the care of the Council either by a Fit Person Order, the effect of which was to put the child into the care of the Children's Department or by an Approved School Order, which placed the child under the care of managers at an Approved School. It should be noted that placements were made under the aegis of the Home Office nationwide, and that although the Council, through sub-committees of the Children's Committees, ran two approved schools, by no means all Middlesex children would be allocated places there. The Committee also ran two remand homes. The Children's Department were involved in briefing judges on cases: sometimes in bringing themselves in order to gain the powers by which to afford children under threat the care and protection they needed; and as the executive arm of the County Council on receipt of Fit Person Orders. Staff were also responsible for the supervision and after-care of "licensed" Middlesex children.

iv) Under the Adoption Act 1926, the County Council had since 1943 to oversee the compulsory registration of adoption societies in the county (not an onerous duty: two were registered in of which only one, the Homeless Children's Aid and Adoption Society, continued for any length of time). Compulsory notification to the County Council of all adoptions in the county was not introduced until the Adoption Act 1950. Also, from that point of view the Council had to supervise every prospective third party adoption in its area, whether or not involved in any other capacity. After the 1958 Act the Council had the power to place children for adoption even if those children were not in its care. Its powers of supervision were widened to include all adoptions in the county.

Health areas of the County of Middlesex, also used as administrative areas by the MCC Children's Department: Area 1 Enfield and Edmonton; Area 2 Southgate, Potters Bar, Wood Green and Friern Barnet; Area 3 Hornsey and Tottenham; Area 4 Finchley and Hendon; Area 5 Harrow; Area 6 Wembley and Willesden; Area 7 Ealing and Acton; Area 8 Ruislip-Northwood, Uxbridge, Hayes and Harlington, Yiewsley and West Drayton; Area 9 Heston and Isleworth, Southall and Area 10 Feltham, Staines, Twickenham, Sunbury

Approved schools and remand homes:

In the first half of the nineteenth century, child offenders were sent to gaols along with adults; no differentiation was made. In the late 1840s and 1850s however, largely as a result of the Ragged School movement, various philanthropic groups and individuals began to experiment with schools for the reformation of delinquent children: also advocated were industrial schools where the children of the poorest classes whose mode of life was such that there was the probability of their becoming offenders might be fed and gainfully occupied in the acquisition and exercise of some means of making an honest livelihood. The movement bore fruit in the form of the Reformatory Schools (Youthful Offenders) Act 1854 and the Industrial Schools and Reformatory Schools Act 1857 reinforced by two further statutes of 1866. Under these acts, county justices were obliged to commit young offenders to such institutions, and local authorities to maintain them there, as well as being empowered themselves to maintain or contribute to the maintenance of such institutions (most were run by philanthropic or religious bodies).

On the creation of the Middlesex County Council in 1889 it was allotted the justices' functions regarding the maintenance of juveniles in reformatory and industrial schools. These functions were made the responsibility of the Industrial and Reformatory Schools Committee (after 1908 the Reformatory Schools Committee) until 1933.

The 1908 Children Act in effect abolished the difference between industrial and reformatory schools, which had more or less ceased to exist in 1899, when the Reformatory Schools Amendment Act did away with the requirement that juveniles committed to a reformatory school should spend a preliminary period in prison. More importantly the 1908 Act set up juvenile courts as an integral part of the legal system and redefined the reasons for which children might be brought before the Courts to include a much wider range of welfare (as opposed to punitive) committals. For example children being non-offenders might be brought before the juvenile courts as needing protection, if found begging in the streets; wandering and having no proper guardian; destitute, with parent(s) in prison; in the care of drunken or criminal parents; the daughter of a father convicted of the carnal knowledge of any daughter under 16; frequenting the company of a reported thief or prostitute; living in a house frequented by prostitutes or living in circumstances likely to lead to the seduction or prostitution of the child. Such children would then be committed if necessary to an industrial or reformatory school and maintained by the County Council. Further, whereas juveniles awaiting trial had previously been kept in prisons, it was now incumbent upon the police authorities to provide separate places of detention.

In the case of Middlesex the police authority was the Standing Joint Committee, who provided the Place of Detention, Willesden, located at 49 Church Road, Willesden. It opened in 1911 for the accommodation of remanded boys and girls. In 1913 the London County Council agreed to place the girls and the establishment thereafter was for the boys only. It closed in January 1921, when the LCC agreed to accommodate remanded boys for Middlesex County Council.

Major reforms were brought about by the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 which remained in force with amendments for the rest of the Council's existence. This Act replaced places of detention by remand homes, and reformatory and industrial schools by approved schools (i.e. approved by the Home Office). Juvenile offenders were committed by the juvenile courts by an approved school order to the care of the managers of an approved school. The placements were ultimately under the aegis of the Home Office, and could in theory be made anywhere in the country. The County Council was responsible for children and young people in its area. It was also responsible for making good any shortage in approved school accommodation, at the direction of the Home Office. Middlesex children might thus be committed to an approved school anywhere in the country, including those maintained by the MCC; the approved schools maintained by the MCC might receive children from and maintained by any authority in England and Wales. These new duties were given to the Education Committee, and the Reformatory Schools Committee was wound up.

On the eve of the Act the MCC were using the LCC Remand Home at Ponton Road, Nine Elms. They paid for the upkeep of Middlesex juveniles but as far as running a reformatory themselves their only involvement was an eighth part in Northcotts (North London) School, Walthamstow, the other seven eighths being divided between the Boroughs of Edmonton, Haringey, Tottenham and Wood Green. After some gentle prompting from the Home Office, the MCC agreed in 1935 to take over Northcotts entirely and provide new accommodation for it, and to provide another boys' approved school and an approved school for senior girls. In 1936 therefore the Council decided to rent the premises of the School for Jewish Boys in Hayes as an approved school for boys. The initial lease was for 8 years, on the expiry of which in 1944 the Council bought the freehold. The establishment was known from 1937 as Saint Christopher's Approved School.

Meanwhile the LCC had had to transfer their Ponton Road establishment to the Goldhawk Road, and had asked the MCC to find their own remand accommodation for boys, although the LCC still took MCC girls. The Council therefore decided as a temporary measure, to use the Manor House at Hayes (acquired in 1934) as a boys remand home. It began operations in November 1936 as the Manor House Remand Home and was renamed Saint Nicholas Remand Home in November 1938. It was decided in the same year that the establishment should be made permanent.

The question of the transfer of Northcotts was becoming urgent by reason of the inadequate accommodation in Walthamstow, but the Council were experiencing considerable difficulty in finding suitable premises. In 1938 Popes Farm in South Mimms was proposed but discarded in favour of Pishiobury Park, Sawbridgeworth, which was purchased in May 1939. Hardly had the work of adaptation begun however when the Saint Nicholas' premises at the Manor House, Hayes was severely damaged by a fire in July 1939. Pishiobury had therefore to be pressed into service as an emergency shelter for the remand home, and the date of the removal of Northcotts set back indefinitely: it was however agreed that the MCC should become responsible for the entire management of Northcotts as from 1 January 1940. Remand accommodation for girls was now becoming a problem. The number of remanded girls was increasing, and besides the limited LCC places available, the MCC had to use several privately run establishments and pay accordingly. No solution was found until April 1940 when agreement was reached with the Anglican Sisters of the Community of Saint Mary the Virgin that remand cases could be received at their premises at Saint Helena's, West Ealing. The MCC took the premises on a long lease in December 1941. The original date for the transfer of Northcotts to the MCC had been 1 January 1940. Because of the war, the transfer was put back to 1 April 1941, and duly took place on that date. As stated above Northcotts had in fact been moved to their new premises at Pishiobury earlier than planned and were already established there by the date of the transfer of management. From January 1942 the school was known as Pishiobury School.

The MCC had also agreed in 1935 to provide an approved school for senior girls. At length it was decided that the mansion of Denham Court might be suitable and approval for the conversion was given in the autumn of 1937. Work continued through 1939, up until the outbreak of war. In the first wave of evacuations in the autumn of 1939, Saint Nicholas' boys were transferred from Pishiobury to Denham Court, and Northcotts were moved from Walthamstow to Pishiobury; the girls approved school was temporarily shelved, although staff had already been appointed. In April 1940 the Home Office objected to the use of Denham Court for boys and required their removal. The original premises of Northcotts in Walthamstow were at first suggested but the onset of the Blitz put them out of consideration. Alternative accommodation was eventually found in 1941 at North Lodge, Enfield, formerly occupied by Kilvinton Hall School. Adaptation was authorised in July 1941, the new establishment to be known as Saint Nicholas Home, North Lodge, Enfield; it was in operation by January 1941.

Denham Court had become vacant in 1941 on the removal of Saint Nicholas' to Enfield, and the long delayed girls approved school commenced operations. Unfortunately it was not a success - mainly it appears because of the isolated location away from all urban amenities, and in January 1948 it was proposed that the school be discontinued, and the premises used instead as a hostel for children in care awaiting foster homes: this happened later in 1948.

On 5th July 1948 when the Children's Department came into being it took over two remand homes from the Education Department (Saint Helena's Ealing (girls); Saint Nicholas Enfield (boys)); and two approved schools (Saint Christopher's Hayes (junior boys) and Pishiobury, Sawbridgeworth (senior boys)). All these homes remained in use until the MCC was abolished in 1965.