Tide, time and talents, Rotherhithe

http://carolineld.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/tide-time-and-talents.html

Caroline has posted on her excellent blog, "Caroline's Miscellany," about Rotherhithe's Old Mortuary. With some excellent photos.

 There was a double dose of Victorian history at one Open House property in Rotherhithe. The Old Mortuary, now the home of Time and Talent, is unassuming but has a great deal of interest.

First, the mortuary was built in 1895 to deal with bodies found in the Thames. Many washed up in Rotherhithe, and fees were paid to the finder - with more money if an inquest was held, and perhaps a reward from the family of the deceased. One factor for the finder to consider was just how much the retrieval was worth; Rotherhithe paid more than some neighbouring areas such as Deptford. There was therefore a steady supply of bodies arriving here from the river.