New School Uncovers Grim Riddle of the Dead
Posted: 25 Feb 2015 10:17
From another of the Liverpool Echo entries around 1980ish, I feel sure there was more investigation into this, perhaps some of our members know more?
New School Uncovers Grim Riddle of the Dead
Three hundred delighted youngsters began a new term at their brand new school this week – unaware of the grim secret seven years ago when work first began. For the first diggings revealed a mystery which had lain undiscovered for possibly hundreds of years.
Now the landscaped site of the two-storey £450,000 St. Oswald’s Primary School building stands as a modern day monument to the mystery of over 3,500 graves.
The coffins – in an area of 40 square yards – were in places piled up 16 high beneath the ground.
Building work was held up for a total of 18 months while the remains were carefully exhumed, cremated and eventually reburied at Liverpool’s Anfield Cemetery.
One of the men involved in the little-known operation said today: “We had to stick to certain regulations, like notifying the Home Office and erecting 10 feet high fencing. But although it wasn’t exactly kept quiet, we didn’t invite publicity at the time for obvious reasons.”
He added: “A few had nameplates on, but I don’t think we can ever really get to the historical roots of this burial ground.
“If it had been in some different area of Liverpool we could have assumed it was a cholera pit or something – but we just don’t know. There were no records – we’ve already tried that course of action.”
It’s only now, as today’s youngsters start life in a new school that the full story of the 3,561 un-named dead has come to light.
New School Uncovers Grim Riddle of the Dead
Three hundred delighted youngsters began a new term at their brand new school this week – unaware of the grim secret seven years ago when work first began. For the first diggings revealed a mystery which had lain undiscovered for possibly hundreds of years.
Now the landscaped site of the two-storey £450,000 St. Oswald’s Primary School building stands as a modern day monument to the mystery of over 3,500 graves.
The coffins – in an area of 40 square yards – were in places piled up 16 high beneath the ground.
Building work was held up for a total of 18 months while the remains were carefully exhumed, cremated and eventually reburied at Liverpool’s Anfield Cemetery.
One of the men involved in the little-known operation said today: “We had to stick to certain regulations, like notifying the Home Office and erecting 10 feet high fencing. But although it wasn’t exactly kept quiet, we didn’t invite publicity at the time for obvious reasons.”
He added: “A few had nameplates on, but I don’t think we can ever really get to the historical roots of this burial ground.
“If it had been in some different area of Liverpool we could have assumed it was a cholera pit or something – but we just don’t know. There were no records – we’ve already tried that course of action.”
It’s only now, as today’s youngsters start life in a new school that the full story of the 3,561 un-named dead has come to light.
