Monday Miscellanea

This Week In London’s History

Monday – 3rd December ????: Nothing of any interest has ever happened in London on this date. Sorry.

Tuesday – 4th December 1882: The Royal Courts of Justice on The Strand are opened by Queen Victoria. Wednesday – 5th December 1905: Part of the roof of Charing Cross station collapses, killing six people. Thursday – 6th December 1983: Britian’s first heart and lung transplant operation takes place at Harefield Hospital in Uxbridge, west London. The operation goes well, but sadly the patient would die 13 days later. Friday – 7th December 1732: The Theatre Royal, Covent Garden is opened. It would later become the Royal Opera House.

Random London Fact Of The Week

Slightly south of Waterloo station, at 121 Westminster Bridge Road to be precise, is the remnants of what used to be the London Necropolis Station.

The station was the northern terminus of a railway that was dedicated for funeral trains, mostly to and from Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey. During the 19th century, coffins and mourners were ferried daily to and from the cemetery in three-carriage trains. The service’s frequency was gradually reduced during the 20th century, until the station was damaged during an air raid in 1941. The service was never resumed.

London’s Weather This Week

Despite clear skies at the moment, the forecasters are using words like ‘wet’, ‘blustery’ and ‘heavy’ this week. Hmmm.

Picture of the site of the London Necropolis Station taken from etcher67’s Flickr photostream, and shot (we think) during Londonist’s guided walk in June.