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West End Extra - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published: 1 June 2007

There was no burial ground at Bow Street

• WITH reference to an article recently about bodies being buried at Bow Street Magistrates Court (April 6) and my reply to the comment about the depth of the basement (April 20), it was too deep to bury someone under the floor and I suggested that someone should look into the plans of the area before the court and police station were built.
I have looked at a map for that area dated May 24 1799 and it clearly shows that no church or burial ground was previously in the area of the court or police station.
It is interesting to see the number of premises removed to build a court and police station and there is a vacant area behind the premises.
It must be remembered that gardens were not at the rear of houses then.
It would be interesting today if such a plan to build a court and police station involved removing so many buildings – there would be many protests.
In the plans to build a hotel and restaurant at the site they will remove the cells, which are at the back of the court.
When they get back to the bare earth it will be interesting to see if they find any bodies, or if there are still remains of the premises that were removed to build the court.
COLIN BURGESS
Kenley, Surrey

Send your letters to: The Letters Editor, West End Extra, 40 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DR or email to letters@westendextra.co.uk. The deadline for letters is midday Wednesday. The editor regrets that anonymous letters cannot be published, although names and addresses can be withheld. Please include a full name, postal address and telephone number.
Letters may be edited for reasons of space.

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