#dustcart

The finished version of an other addition to the vehicle cross stitch pattern series I have in my shop. This time it is a garbage truck

Lost London: The Great Dust Heap

Before it was King’s Cross, it was known as Battle Bridge. And before the railways arrived, another vast landmark dominated the area: the Great Dust Heap. It was here that the contents of dustcarts were emptied, producing a huge mound consisting of all the detritus of London’s coal fires – mostly ash and cinders, with other household waste mixed through.

Every day, scavengers would scale the heap and sift for anything of value - broken pottery, earthenware, oyster shells, discarded pans, rags, dead animals – that they might sell on for a few pennies. They would be joined by feral dogs, cats, pigs and fowl, picking their way through for anything remotely edible. All of them were likely unaware of the most valuable component of the heap – the ash itself.