The Walrus in the Coffin: A Victorian steampunk adventure based on a true event

The extraordinary tale of The Walrus in the Coffin - based on true events.

In 2003, historians were excavating within an area of London known as St. Pancras. During the course of these excavations a nineteenth century human burial site was discovered, and as a result approximately fifteen hundred skeletons were subsequently exhumed.

This wasn't uncommon for such burial sites, however, they also discovered an old Victorian coffin in amongst the finds. Inside this coffin they were astonished to find the remains of a dead walrus. Even more surprising, the coffin also contained three human skulls in addition to numerous other human remains thought to be from several different bodies.

Further analysis of the walrus remains showed that it had originated from the Arctic Ocean, and was in fact a Pacific Walrus. No one knows how such a walrus came to be buried in Victorian London. Such an animal would have been considered a rather exotic creature at this time, and for there to be no apparent recording of its presence remains a mystery. All research has failed to find any conclusive evidence relating to its presence.

This steampunk inspired story is perhaps one explanation of how such an extraordinary discovery could have come about, and in the best traditions of Jules Verne and H G Wells, is no less extraordinary than the real-life discovery of - The Walrus in the Coffin.