Chatham Elephant

In 1913, Sydney Turner, a Luton resident, made a remarkable discovery in Upnor: the bones of the Chatham Elephant. These belonged to a straight-tusked elephant, an ancient species dating back approximately 400,000 years, with a height of nearly 4 metres and weighing around 10 tonnes. Excavations took place in 1915, revealing what is considered to be the largest elephant species ever found in Britain. Today, London’s Natural History Museum is home to Turner’s extraordinary findings.