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5. MORTUARY. The public Mortuary has been in existence
for a good many years and the Council are conscious of the fact
that the time is approaching when a new one will have to be
provided. The site of the existing one is quite convenient from
the point of view of its accessibility by public transport yet it is
unobtrusive, but it has the great disadvantage that hearses cannot
be brought to the door of the Mortuary and the length of carry
from the Mortuary to the waiting hearse is over one hundred
yards. The building and its planning also fall short of present
day standards and so the Council have made provision for a new
Mortuary in their five-year plan. At one time it was considered
that an appropriate site would have been in the proposed new
cemetery at Northwick Park, but as the proposal to have a
cemetery there has since been abandoned a fresh site will have
to be found for the new Mortuary when it is built.
An improvement has been effected by the provision of a cooling
chamber which is a self-contained unit capable of being moved
when the circumstances arise.
152 bodies were deposited in the Mortuary during the year,
the majority of which were on orders from the Coroner so that
post-mortem examinations could be made.
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