CHAPTER III FUTURE In this chapter I will investigate solutions for the future of London. I will first investigate the dire situation London is in, and then argue that we need to follow Victorian . I will be analysing a wide range of solutions from moderate methods, like advocating for legislative changes, to extreme approaches, like alternative means of disposal. I focus on practical proposals that aim at reducing land uptake due to burials.
In addition to the ‘Magnificent Seven’, the city saw the development of the Necropolis Railway in 1854, with a designated station at London Waterloo, Figure 23.1. The Necropolis Railway aimed to rapidly take mourners from London to Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey, nicknamed London Necropolis, Figure 23.2. It was the largest cemetery in the world that was planned to be big enough to accommodate all burials for centuries.
Modern architecture has not been able to resolve the complications discussed. I fear that death is not a conversation that religious groups which prefer burial are willing to engage in; thus resulting in a crisis similar to that of the Victorian era. It was only until “the disgusting conditions of churchyards”50 became unbearable, that in the nineteenth century “remarkable change”51 was seen. During this period of desperation London saw advancements in medicine, industrial innovations and changes to perceptions of depositioning - all of which aided in the realisation of provocative solutions that London holds dear today.
The Victorian era also conceived the establishment of Woking Crematorium; the first crematorium in the United Kingdom, Figure 24. The crematorium was founded by Sir Henry Thompson who also founded the Cremation Society of England in 1874. He advocated for cremation as a precaution against the spread of diseases among the population.
Figure 23.2: Map of London Necropolis Railway Line
to Bookwood Cemetery - 1854
50 51
(Curl, J., 2002. Death And Architecture, Pg. 206-207) (Curl, J., 2002. Death And Architecture, Pg. 206-207)
Figure 24:The cremator at Woking Crematorium in
the 1870s, before the chapel and buildings were constructed
61
