MH Historical Society

"Joseph Bazalgette: ‘The Great Stink’ and the Rebuilding of London" by David Holmes.
The early summer of 1858 was hot and dry. The river Thames had become a giant sewer; the stench was so bad that Members of Parliament could not work. They were galvanised to pass an Act ‘to drastically improve drainage of the metropolis’, the Act taking only 18 days from introduction to becoming law. Joseph Bazalgette, the city engineer, was entrusted to design and implement a revolutionary solution. The scale of the work was vast and changed the architectural appearance of London, introduced the underground railway system and had a major effect on public health. The talk reviews the background to the problem and how the project was undertaken and completed.