View report page

55
Offensive Smells.—Complaints were received in a number of instances
of offensive smells, and 11 notices were issued in respect thereof. These
arose from burning fat and refuse, petrol fumes, defective flues, gas
engines, the discharge of waste steam into fire box of a steam trolley,
from defective working of a smoke-preventing apparatus whereby steam
used to produce a forced draught came in contact with the hot coals.
Complaints were also dealt with arising from barges laden with
house refuse.
Removal of Human Remains.—The clearance of the site of King's
College Hospital for the erection of new premises necessitated the
removal of a large quantity of human remains from the ground in front
and at the back of the hospital which was formerly a part of the burial
ground belonging to St. Clement Danes' Parish. The special Act of
Parliament sanctioning the removal of the hospital required the owner
to remove any remains interred there under the supervision and to the
satisfaction of the Medical Officer of Health of the City of Westminster.
The remains of about 27,000 persons have been removed and re-interred
in the City of Westminster's burial ground at Brookwood. Although
there has been no burial in the ground during the last 60 years, a large
number of the coffins were intact through the dryness of the ground and
the fact that they were packed closely together and one above the other
with little or no earth between. The inscriptions on a number of the
coffin plates were decipherable. 1,550 coffins were removed in a more
or less intact condition. The loose bones were taken away in large
boxes. The earth was in many parts much polluted with the results of
decomposition. The ground for this graveyard, rather more than onethird
of an acre, was purchased by the parish in 1638, and it is believed
that one of the plague pits of the year 1665 was situated here. A
number of persons who died in the cholera epidemics in the early part
of last century were interred here. The supervision of the work of
removal necessitated frequent daily visits to the site in order to ensure
that the removal was being conducted satisfactorily, and that proper
precautions were being taken.
In 1902, in the course of making excavations for an extension of
buildings at the corner of Clement's Lane and Portugal Street, a
quantity of bones were disturbed, this piece of ground having evidently
formed part of the old burial ground. The remains of some 6,500
persons were removed under an Order of the Home Secretary.