From the archives: Cleaning up the Great Stink, 1858

By Tom Lowe2023-04-28T06:00:00

London’s sewer network collapses, creating a public health emergency as a cholera epidemic sweeps the capital. The Builder reports from the scene

In the summer of 1858, London was plunged into crisis when its antiquated sewer system collapsed under the pressure of the city’s booming population. One tributary of the Thames had become a “putrid mass”, The Builder reported, while any sewage which did make it out to sea was quickly swept back by the incoming tide. Cholera, the water-borne disease which plagued the capital at this time, tore through the city’s poor and wealthy districts alike, killing thousands who depended on the polluted river for drinking water.

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