The Great Stink of London: A Stench That Sparked Urban Reform

London in the mid-19th century was a rapidly expanding urban hub. The city's population more than doubled between 1800 and 1850.Show more

As the population surged, so did the volume of waste generated by both residents and businesses. But the sanitation infrastructure of the era was utterly inadequate to handle the sheer magnitude of human waste and industrial discharges.

The Great Stink commenced in July 1858, coinciding with scorching temperatures in London, averaging between 34-36°C (93-97°F). The oppressive heat caused the Thames River to recede to its lowest levels in years, revealing the putrid sewage that had accumulated on its bed.

The crux of the issue lay in London's antiquated sewer system. These sewers constituted an aging patchwork of channels, cesspits, and drains that discharged directly into the Thames River. Once a vital waterway for transportation and commerce, the Thames had devolved into an open sewer, emitting a foul odor of filth and contagion.

The Great Stink presented a dire public health crisis for London. The fetid air was not only a nuisance, it was also seen as a breeding ground for disease. Cholera, typhoid, and other waterborne illnesses were rampant at the time, claiming countless lives.

During the Victorian era, prevailing healthcare theories leaned toward the miasma theory, attributing the spread of contagious diseases to the inhalation of contaminated air. This contamination could stem from the stench of decomposing bodies, sewage, putrefying vegetation, or even the exhalations of infected individuals. Many believed that miasma was the primary mode of cholera transmission, a disease that caused widespread fear due to its rapid dissemination and high mortality rates.

It wasn't until later in the century, notably after Dr. John Snow's investigation into the cholera outbreak in Soho in 1854, that the view that contaminated water was the source of cholera gained acceptance.

The growing popularity of flush toilets contributed to the stench. Fear that miasma from the sewers could spread disease led to more frequent toilet flushing, resulting in even more sewage discharge into the Thames.
Reports of the stench reached the highest levels of government, and members of Parliament were forced to suspend their sessions because of the unbearable conditions in the Palace of Westminster, located on the banks of the Thames.

The government’s response during the early days was to douse the curtains of the Houses of Parliament in chloride of lime, and later to pour chalk lime, chloride of lime and carbolic acid directly into the water. But this was ineffective. The crisis demanded immediate action.

The turning point arrived in the form of an enterprising engineer named Joseph Bazalgette. Appointed as the chief engineer of the Metropolitan Board of Works, Bazalgette had long championed a comprehensive overhaul of London's sewage and sanitation systems.

Bazalgette's visionary plan encompassed the construction of an intricate network of subterranean sewers designed to redirect sewage away from the city and into the Thames Estuary. This ambitious endeavor aimed not only to resolve the immediate Great Stink crisis but also to forestall future outbreaks of waterborne diseases.

Bazalgette's plan required more than just the construction of underground sewers. To accommodate the new system, the Thames itself had to be transformed. Bazalgette oversaw the creation of massive embankments along the river, which not only housed the new sewers but also widened the riverbanks and provided space for the construction of new roads.

The embankments served as marvels of engineering and urban planning. They not only ameliorated sanitation conditions but also improved the city's infrastructure and visual appeal. This ambitious project involved the removal of vast quantities of waste and the relocation of numerous buildings and businesses along the river.

By the mid-1860s, Bazalgette's ambitious project was nearing completion. The new sewer system effectively diverted waste away from the city and into the estuary, eliminating the immediate threat of the Great Stink. The impact on public health was profound, with the incidence of waterborne diseases decreasing dramatically.

The Great Stink of London, while a harrowing episode in the city's history, had a lasting legacy of urban reform. Bazalgette's sewer system set a standard for sanitation infrastructure that would be emulated in cities around the world. It demonstrated the importance of long-term planning, investment in public health, and the role of engineering in shaping urban environments.

Bazalgette's innovative approach to sewage and sanitation not only eradicated the immediate threat but also laid the groundwork for London's future as a modern, healthy, and livable city.