New Mortuary For North London

By Hazel Last edited 181 months ago
New Mortuary For North London

Catacombs, Graves, Dissenters & Spooks Fans of CSI disappointed that there is still not a CSI: London on TV can take morbid pleasure in a new state-of-the-art underground mortuary in Haringey. Opened on Monday this week, the whizzy £3million design comes with a sweltering amount of detail:

- twice as big as the current Hornsey mortuary

- for the deceased of Haringey, Enfield, Barnet, Harrow and Brent

- can store up to 54 corpses at a time, with nine pull-out fridges and a special obese fridge for plus-size bodies

- has a viewing gallery so relatives and police can watch post-mortems in progress (those that are relevant to them, of course, not a random viewing with refreshments of whatever body is being analysed...)

- a bereavement garden surrounding the site and a landscaped roof to provide space for mourners

- is unique as a standalone mortuary rather than a department within a hospital

- cost £100 per inch sunk into the ground during the build as the site is in a conservation area. Considering it's a massive underground facility, that's a lot of inches and a lot of money.

While we're more accustomed to celebrating new arts theatres rather than new post-mortem theatres, it's still good news. From death comes life and the cycle continues: the new facility brought redevelopment and regeneration to a run-down part of north London and it's good to know that those who end up in the new mortuary may well get to rest in efficient, clean and state-of-the-art peace.

Photo by Matt Brown

Last Updated 12 February 2009