History

Brief:
To create an illustrated historically informational book on London's event 'The Great Stink' of 1858.

Research

Guardian Article

Historic England Blog

Joseph Bazalgette

Joseph Bazalgette

'Working as a surveyor for the Metropolitan Commission of Sewers, was employed to mastermind a plan for sewers, pumping stations and the redevelopment of the embankments of London.'

Pre-Raphaelite painting which depicts many people and classes but the main focus of the painting is the three laborers, who are given a hero like status of the piece. These laborers are creating the new Bazalgette sewage system.

“Work”, Ford Madox Brown, oil on canvas 1852-65

https://manchesterartgallery.org/unlocking-work-by-ford-madox-brown/

Interesting Imagery

'Such was the overpowering smell from the Thames, that the curtains of the Commons were soaked in chloride of lime in a vain attempt to protect the sensitivities of MPs.' -Funny

'cesspits and cesspools which were prone to explosions from the build-up of methane gas.'

'It is no surprise that a bill was rushed through Parliament and became law in 18 days, to provide more money to construct a massive new sewer scheme for London, and to build the Embankment along the Thames in order to improve the flow of water and of traffic.'
-Rushed MPs, victory for the people but mainly for the stench suffered by the affluent than the lives of the masses

'The miasma theory of disease was still the prevalent one. This concept, with its roots in medieval and even earlier times, was based on the idea that disease was borne on the air by mysterious miasma, connected in some vague way with filthy conditions and rotting corpses.'

'The Thames, used for centuries as a convenient dumping ground for sewage as well as household and industrial waste (not to mention the bodies of the occasional murder victim and executed pirate)'