About this episode

This episode discusses the Great Stink of 1858 and the engineering solutions implemented to address the sewage crisis in London.

By the mid-1800’s, the River Thames was essentially a massive sewer. People poured their waste into it. They also drank from it. That combination resulted in thousands of deaths. People weren’t sure what caused the deaths, but in the summer of 1858, when the temperatures rose and the water levels dropped, London stunk to high heaven. It took a lot of money, creativity, and an incredible act of civil engineering from Sir Joseph Bazalgette to fix the Great Stink. Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sources! For this episode, Norm pulled from: Ackroyd, Peter. London Under: The Secret History Beneath the Streets . Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2012. “Cesspools and Sewers: Toilets in Dirty Old London.” Yale University Press , November 19, 2014. https://yalebooks.yale.edu/2014/11/19/cesspools-and-sewers-toilets-in-dirty-old-london/ . “Cholera in Victorian London | Science Museum.” https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/medicine/cholera-victorian-london . Contagion - CURIOSity Digital Exhibits. “Cholera Epidemics in the 19th Century.” March 26, 2020. https://curiosity.lib.harvard.edu/contagion/feature/cholera-epidemics-in-the-19th-century . Halliday…

People in this episode

Host: Norm

Topics covered

• Great Stink
• Victorian London
• civil engineering
• public health
• sewage system

Keywords

• Great Stink
• River Thames
• cholera
• Sir Joseph Bazalgette
• Victorian era
• sewage
• public health
• London

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, Yale University Press, Science Museum, CURIOSity Digital Exhibits, The History Press, Historic UK

Places: London

More episodes of An Old Timey Podcast

• 102: I've Got A Bridge To Sell You · May 6, 2026 · 1h 46m
• 100: Universal Sues Nintendo (Part 2) · April 22, 2026 · 1h 22m
• 99: The Story of Donkey Kong (Part 1) · April 15, 2026 · 1h 18m
• 98: Hachi: The Most Loyal Dog · April 8, 2026 · 1h 31m
• 96: Snack Attack: Oreo vs. Hydrox · March 24, 2026 · 1h 46m
• 95: The Trial of Charles Guiteau (Finale) · March 18, 2026 · 1h 52m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the An Old Timey Podcast podcast page.