Great Stink [SEP] end time
Great Stink
The Great Stink was an event in central London in July and August 1858 during which the hot weather exacerbated the smell of untreated human waste and industrial effluent that was present on the banks of the River Thames. The problem had been mounting for some years, with an ageing and inadequate sewer system that emptied directly into the Thames. The miasma from the effluent was thought to transmit contagious diseases, and three outbreaks of cholera before the Great Stink were blamed on the ongoing problems with the river.
The smell
major contributing factor to "The Great Stink" of 1858).
The Commission was notable in that it employed Joseph Bazalgette, first as assistant surveyor (from 1849), taking over as Engineer in 1852 after his predecessor died of "harassing fatigues and anxieties". Bazalgette was then appointed chief engineer of the Commission's successor, the Metropolitan Board of Works in 1856, and by the end of the decade after "The Great Stink" - his proposals to modernise the London sewerage system were being implemented.
See