A plague burial site is thought to be located under a popular Islington picnic and lunch spot, historians have claimed.
Islington Green may sit atop a makeshift plague pit, according to the online heritage guide Historic UK.
The bubonic plague wiped out 15 per cent of London’s population between 1665 and 1666, but until now little was known about the burial site locations.
The recent revelation has not gone down well with locals who go to the spot during their lunch breaks.
One charity worker, David Brown who regularly goes to the Green for lunch said if he had known “It might have made me think twice before deciding to eat lunch here.”
While finance worker Steve Aptel said: “It might be nice if the council could commemorate the victims somehow, or at least let us know what we’re eating on top of.”
Historic UK compiled the data with help from local historians, 17th Century sources and social media channels in an attempt to map out all locations believed to be plague burial sites across London.
Speaking to this paper, a spokesperson for Historic UK said: “The majority of these sites were originally in the grounds of churches, but as the body count grew and the graveyards became overcharged with dead, pits were hastily constructed in the fields surrounding London.
“Unfortunately there is very little evidence about the exact location of these plague pits.”
[…] Plague pit discovered under Islington Green […]