Walthamstow's Plague Pits
The site of a 17th century plague pit.
Location: Vinegar Alley, Walthamstow
Description: The graveyard to the North of Vinegar Alley, away from St Mary's Church and beyond the Almshouses was where the survivors of the Great Plague of London dumped the bodies of the dead.
Vinegar Alley is so named because they lined the surrounding paths with the only plentiful thing they had that warded off the disease.
At the start of the plague outbreak, parishes did the best they could to provide proper burials for their parishoners, but soon ran out of space and began to dig mass graves within the city. However, the plague was so devastating that soon, in late 1665, the group graves began to be dug outside the city.
Tours: Historic Walthamstow Tour
Themes: Death Disaster
The site of a 17th century plague pit. |
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