ABSTRACT
The evangelical arm of the Church of England, which, under its founder, Wilson Carlile, operated in parallel with the Salvation Army, ran lodging houses but on a much smaller scale than the Salvationists. Rowton Houses date from 1893, when Lord Rowton began building superior lodging houses as respectable working men's hotels, quite distinct in tone from the ordinary dosshouses. Between 1907 and 1931 the London Rowtons were offering just over 5,000 beds a night; this is to be set against the continued shrinkage of London's common lodging house bed space from 27,000 in 1914 to under 17,000 in 1931. The 'Sally Ann' soon established its primacy in the field of philanthropic lodging houses in Britain. In 1931, of the common lodging house beds 4,600 were provided by philanthropic agencies. The Church Army has traditionally been selective and more personal; its lodging houses were smaller, with a maximum of 25 beds each in the 1890s.
