PCA Special Reports

The Whale Skeleton at Bay Wharf Greenwich

by Stuart Watson

During the dredging operations at Bay Wharf, Greenwich the most notable event was the uncovering of an almost complete whale skeleton (the skull and jaws were missing). This follows on from the earlier discovery of four whale vertebrae recovered during sheet piling operation, which were certainly from the same animal.
The whale skeleton was found 2.50m below the current ground level of the river bank at low tide. It was covered by, and contained within, a thick deposit of bluish grey alluvial clay, overlain with peat. The skeleton was aligned approximately east-west with the head-end towards the west, i.e. facing the river. The skeleton was truncated at the tail-end by the sheet piling (when the original vertebrae were found) and obviously continues beyond the southern limit. If the missing skull and unexcavated tail-end are taken into account the whale must have originally been in the region of 10m to 12m long and maybe even up to 15m. The bone was in good condition.
Despite the difficult site conditions, and with the assistance of the site contractors, the skeleton was reasonably well cleaned up in situ where it was photographed and a scaled plan drawn.

The whale could only be excavated between tides

Part of the whale has been truncated by sheet piling

The skeleton was subsequently removed and later transported to PCA’s offices where it was cleaned (no mean feat given the size and the amount of bone involved). Full analysis of the bones will be undertaken by experts from the Natural History Museum. At the moment the species has been initially identified as a North Atlantic Right Whale, but we await a more exact identification. It all probability it is believed to represent a beached specimen, however the whale's position is not consistent with a natural beaching. Cetaceans generally beach head-first, or lie parallel to the shoreline. This animal was probably dragged tail-first up onto the foreshore, to allow Londoners access to the carcass for meat, oil and baleen (the filtering network of keratinous plates in a whale's mouth).
Dating the whale is more problematic. Other than the whale itself, no datable artefacts have been recovered from the alluvial clay deposit in which it was found, although tool marks on the bones reveal that this is unlikely to be a prehistoric whale. A sample of the peat could be dated using C14, the top of which was recorded higher than the whale, and could at least provide a ‘later than’ date.
There are several historic accounts of whales found in the Thames which caused immense excitement at the time; indeed there are reports from the modern era. So while a rare event, it is not unknown. One whale was found in Greenwich 1658 and another at Blackwall dock in 1690, there are at least two contemporary accounts of the 1658 whale.
All probabilities this whale is likely to be a male since Right Whale males live solitary lives only coming into contact with females during mating seasons, where as females stay in groups with their young. It is the male whales that tend to get beached.

The ribs of this great animal are revealed

Studio shot of one of the vertibrae after cleaning

Early Assessment of the Whale Skeleton by Kevin Rielly

The skeleton was revealed following the removal of some 2.5 metres of fluvial silt. It was positioned approximately 45 degrees to the river frontage, head towards the river and facing downstream. The tail has been cut through by a modern perpendicular extension of this frontage. Various parts are missing, most notably the head and of course the truncated tail, plus a selection of smaller parts related to the pectoral fins as well as the vestigial pelves and femurs. These smaller parts were left behind during the recovery of the skeleton, using a mechanical digger. In contrast, the head was clearly absent when the body was discovered. Various modifications to the bones include a variety of cut marks noticed on a number of the pectoral elements as well as several vertebrae. In addition, there were notable pathological anomalies in the vertebral column, including two pairs of fused vertebrae. The appearance of this anomaly is very similar to a condition known from other mammals as ankylosis spondylitis, remarkable because fusion occurs as a result of boney growths from the lateral parts of the centrum and neural arch, leaving the centrum articular surfaces intact.
The skeleton was identified as a Greenland Right Whale by Richard Sabin, the cetacean expert at the London Natural History Museum, who also suggested it was an old animal, possibly in excess of 100 years, even to as old as 200 years. The fused vertebrae may also be an indication of advanced age. It appears to be a rather large specimen of this species.
There is no clear dating evidence from the silts associated with this skeleton, however, the position of the body, the noted cut marks as well as the species, may all point to a date no earlier than the 18th century. It has already been mentioned that the tail, rather than the head, is towards the riverbank. This negates the possibility of it being a beached whale and rather suggests it was pulled up by its tail onto the shore. There are numerous stories about large whales being captured and killed in the Thames estuary, which in the 17th century appeared to incite more curiosity than commercial opportunities.
Once the whaling industry was well under way, by the 18th century, it can be assumed that any large whale entering the Thames, particularly one as valuable as a Greenland Right Whale, would not have been viewed, at least not entirely, as a tourist attraction. This would explain the position of the whale, as it is easier to drag a whale by its tail than its head, and also the missing skull, which would have contributed not only the baleen, but also the oil from the mandibles. Presumably, the cut marks noticed on several skeletal parts suggest that a portion of the blubber was also removed. Depending on when this event took place, the opportunistic whalers would not have had very far to go rend the blubber, making use local rendering plants nearby.

A specialist from the Natural History Museum examines a vertibrae

Part of the backbone laid out in sequence

Richard Sabin and Tracy Heath from The Natural History Museum examine two fused vertibrae

Stuart Watson from PCA is interviewed by TV crew

Very few Right Whale skeletons exist in European museums. After this short exhibition at The Docklands Museum it will be transported to the Natural History Museum, where it will become part of the National Cetacea Research Collection and a full analytical programme will be carried out. Pre-Construct Archaeology would like to thank Land & water Services Ltd for funding the work.