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PIGEON NUISANCE
A firm of pigeon catchers is employed under contract by the City Corporation whose policy
is not to exterminate all pigeons but to control their numbers to such proportions as will ensure
that the pleasure they give to residents and visitors is not out-weighed by the nuisance theycause.
Diring the year 2,100 pigeons were humanely trapped and killed as compared with 2,400 in 1960.
EXCAVATION OF HUMAN REMAINS
St. Peter's Burial Ground. Upper Thames Street, E.C.4.
Rebuilding on war damaged sites abutting on and including St. Peter's Burial Ground made it
necessary to remove all human remains that that Burial Ground contained. An inspection disclosed
four tombs and a number of gravestones and memorials. It was necessary to lower the level of the
Birial Ground to a depth of approximately 10 feet below the level of the carriageway in Upper
Thames Street, thus bringing it to the general level of the surrounding sites, from which stage the
contractors of the redevelopment could then commence their work. An architect was responsible
for the lowering of the level of the Burial Ground and the removal of human remains. For the
latter purpose he obtained a Faculty from the Bishop of London for their removal and re-interment
at the City of London Cemetery, Manor Park.
As excavation progressed, five complete sound coffins containing human remains, as when
buried originally, were found. A record of each name, age and date of burial, which was obtained
from the name plates attached to the coffins has been kept. Human bones were also found. These
bones gave evidence of previous disturbance, for, though some were lying loose in the soil,
others were stacked at a lower level, all well covered with soil.
All were conveyed to the Cemetery by a funeral undertaker for reinterment, being contained
in 87 boxes.
The site was screened from public gaze diring the progress of the work which was carried
out with due reverence.
Meat Market, Smithfield.
A complete block of the Corporation Meat Market, Smithfield was destroyed by fire in 1958.
At the northern corner, i.e. Charterhouse Street, a wall had been broken down and vaults had
been revealed which had apparently been sealed up since the time of construction of the meat
Market, over 100 years ago.
In one of these vaults a quantity of human bones was found and the way in which they were
lying suggested that they were tipped in from above, that is normal basement level of the Market,
through a hole resembling a coal-hole such as can be seen in the public footway. The existence
of these vaults was unknown until recently revealed and so these bones have been sealed
up since the time the Market was built, probably having been removed from their original place.
They could have been collected from all over the site. The bones appeared to be about 300
years old.
A licence was subsequently issued by the Home Office for the remains to be placed in
wooden shells, conveyed to the City of London Cemetery and there cremated. 10 boxes of remains
were subsequently cremated.
THE NOISE ABATEMENT ACT, 1960
Very few complaints, in fact less than half-a-dozen, were received of excessive noise. With
the exception of one, these were all due to the use of drills or bull-dozers in connection with
demolition works and the contractors were all co-operative in endeavouring to minimise the noise
after their attention had been drawn to the complaints.
The one exception was repeated complaints from a number of residents who were unable to
sleep owing to the noise of singing, whistling and music from loudspeakers emanating from a
printing establishment where workers were employed at night. Requests to minimise the noise in
the interests of those dwelling nearby were at first ignored and it was not until the owner of the
firm was threatened with legal proceedings that the nuisance ceased.
HOUSING
The Housing Act, 1957 repeals and re-enacts in consolidated form the provisions of the
earlier Housing Acts with the exception of financial provisions.
Sec. 191 of the Act constitutes a comprehensive saving provision which secures continuity
of action by enacting, inter alia, that anything done under a repealed enactment shall have effect
as if done under the corresponding provisions of the new Act and that documents referring to a
repealed enactment shall be construed as referring to the corresponding provision of the new Act.
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