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Great Stink
The Great Stink was an event in Central London during July and August 1858 in 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 theory, 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, and fears of its possible effects, prompted action by the national and local administrators who had been considering possible solutions to the problem. The authorities accepted a proposal from the civil engineer Joseph Bazalgette to move the effluent eastwards along a series of interconnecting sewers that sloped towards outfalls beyond the metropolitan area. Work on high-, mid- and low-level systems for the new Northern Outfall Sewe ...
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The Silent Highwayman
''The'' is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the Most common words in English, most frequently used word in the English language; studies and analyses of texts have found it to account for seven percent of all printed English-language words. It is derived from gendered articles in Old English which combined in Middle English and now has a single form used with nouns of any gender. The word can be used with both singular and plural nouns, and with a noun that starts with any letter. This is different from many other languages, which have different forms of the definite article for different genders or numbers. Pronunciation In most dialects, "the" is pronounced as (with the voiced dental fricative followed by a schwa) when followed by a con ...
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Charles Driver
Charles Henry Driver (23 March 1832 – 27 October 1900) was a significant British architect of the Victorian era, with a reputation for pioneering use of ornamental iron work for which he was seen as a leading authority. Biography Driver began his career as a draughtsman in the office of Frank Foster, Engineer to the Commissioners of Sewers, in London. In 1852, he was employed by Liddell and Gordon as a draughtsman, and he completed designs for bridges and stations for the Midland Railway on their Leicester and Hitchin Railway. His original case of drawing tools with a monogrammed lid 'ChD 1855' has been passed down through the family. Starting in 1857, he worked under Robert Jacomb-Hood in the Engineer's Office of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway including work on designs for their London Bridge terminus. In 1866, he created designs for the Three Bridges to Tunbridge Wells Central Line stations. In 1867, he designed for Box Hill & Westhumble railway station on ...
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Cesspit
Cesspit, cesspool and soak pit in some contexts are terms with various meanings: they are used to describe either an underground holding tank (sealed at the bottom) or a Dry well, soak pit (not sealed at the bottom). A cesspit can be used for the temporary collection and storage of Human feces, feces, excreta, or fecal sludge as part of an on-site sanitation system and has some similarities with septic tanks or with soak pits. Traditionally, it was a deep cylindrical chamber dug into the ground, having approximate dimensions of diameter and depth. Its appearance was similar to that of a hand-dug water well. The pit can be lined with bricks or concrete, covered with a slab, and needs to be emptied frequently when in use as an underground holding tank. In other cases (if soil and groundwater conditions allow), it is not constructed watertight, to allow liquid to leach out (similar to a pit latrine or to a soak pit). Terminology In British English, historically, a cesspit wa ...
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Subterranean Rivers Of London
The subterranean or underground rivers of London are or were the direct or indirect tributary, tributaries of the upper estuary of the River Thames, Thames (the Tideway) that were Subterranean river, built over during the growth of the metropolis of London. They now flow through culverts, with some of them integral parts of London's London sewer system, sewerage system and diverted accordingly. North of the Thames ''From west to east - sub-tributaries are shown indented'' * River Brent (partially underground) * Stamford Brook *Parrs Ditch * Counter's Creek * River Westbourne ** Tyburn Brook * River Tyburn * River Fleet, (following Farringdon Street, New Bridge Street and other roads). ** River Fleet#Lamb's Conduit, Lamb's Conduit ** River Fleet#Fagswell Brook, Fagswell Brook (Follows the course of Charterhouse Street) * River Walbrook * Lorteburn or Langbourne (now dry) * Sir Thomas More Street#The brook, Brook at Nightingale Lane * Black Ditch * Muswell Stream
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Walbrook
Walbrook is a Ward of the City of London and a minor street in its vicinity. The ward is named after a River Walbrook, river of the same name. The ward of Walbrook contains two of the City's most notable landmarks: the Bank of England and the Mansion House, London, Mansion House. The street runs between Cannon Street and Bank junction, though vehicular traffic can only access it via Bucklersbury, a nearby side-road off Queen Victoria Street, London, Queen Victoria Street. City ward A street called Walbrook runs along the lower part of the brook's course. A valley is clearly visible; this can be seen most clearly at the junction of Walbrook and Cannon Street. On the street is the church of St Stephen Walbrook, which originally stood on the west bank of the stream, but was rebuilt around 1439 on the east side. In 1666 the church was destroyed in the Great Fire of London; Christopher Wren built a new church there in 1672, which still stands, to replace it. The Bank of England an ...
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River Fleet
The River Fleet is the largest of Subterranean rivers of London, London's subterranean rivers, all of which today contain foul water for treatment. It has been used as a culverted sewer since the development of Joseph Bazalgette's London sewer system in the mid-19th century with the water being treated at Beckton Sewage Treatment Works. Its headwaters are two streams on Hampstead Heath, each of which was dammed into a series of ponds—the Hampstead Ponds and the Highgate Ponds—in the 18th century. At the southern edge of Hampstead Heath these descend underground as combined sewer, sewers and join in Camden Town. The waters flow from the ponds. The river gives its name to Fleet Street, the eastern end of which is at what was the crossing over the river known as Fleet Bridge, and is now the site of Ludgate Circus. Name The river's name is derived from the Anglo-Saxon language, Anglo-Saxon "tidal inlet". In Anglo-Saxon times, the Fleet served as a Dock (maritime), dock for ...
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Michael Faraday
Michael Faraday (; 22 September 1791 – 25 August 1867) was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the study of electrochemistry and electromagnetism. His main discoveries include the principles underlying electromagnetic induction, diamagnetism, and electrolysis. Although Faraday received little formal education, as a self-made man, he was one of the most influential scientists in history. It was by his research on the magnetic field around a Electrical conductor, conductor carrying a direct current that Faraday established the concept of the electromagnetic field in physics. Faraday also established that magnetism could Faraday effect, affect rays of light and that there was an underlying relationship between the two phenomena. the 1911 ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. He similarly discovered the principles of electromagnetic induction, diamagnetism, and the Faraday's laws of electrolysis, laws of electrolysis. His inventions of electric motor, electromagnetic rotar ...
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Punch (magazine)
''Punch, or The London Charivari'' was a British weekly magazine of humour and satire established in 1841 by Henry Mayhew and wood-engraver Ebenezer Landells. Historically, it was most influential in the 1840s and 1850s, when it helped to coin the term "cartoon" in its modern sense as a humorous illustration. Artists at ''Punch'' included John Tenniel who, from 1850, was the chief cartoon artist at the magazine for over 50 years. The editors took the anarchic puppet Mr Punch, of Punch and Judy, as their mascot—the character appears in many magazine covers—with the character also an inspiration for the magazine's name. With its satire of the contemporary, social, and political scene, ''Punch'' became a household name in Victorian Britain. Sales of 40,000 copies a week by 1850 rose above 100,000 by 1910. After the 1940s, when its circulation peaked, it went into a long decline, closing in 1992. It was revived in 1996, but closed again in 2002. History ''Punch'' was found ...
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William Heath (artist)
William Heath (1795 – 7 April 1840) was a British artist who once described himself as a "portrait & military painter." He was best known for his published engravings which included caricatures, political cartoons, and commentary on contemporary life. Biography Heath was born in Northumberland, England. His early works often dealt with military scenes, including colour plates for ''The Martial Achievements'', ''The Wars of Wellington'', etc., but from about 1820 on he focused on satire. Between 1827 and 1829, many of his works were published under the pseudonym "Paul Pry" (the name of an overly inquisitive stage character in a popular 1825 stage comedy by John Poole); also used the pseudonym Argus. He was described by Dr John Brown, biographer of John Leech as "poor Heath, the ex-Captain of Dragoons, facile and profuse, unscrupulous and clever". Heath helped found an early caricature magazine, '' The Glasgow Looking Glass'' (renamed to ''The Northern Looking Glass'' afte ...
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Peter Ackroyd
Peter Ackroyd (born 5 October 1949) is an English biographer, novelist and critic with a specialist interest in the history and culture of London. For his novels about English history and culture and his biographies of, among others, William Blake, Charles Dickens, T. S. Eliot, Charlie Chaplin and Sir Thomas More, he won the Somerset Maugham Award and two Whitbread Awards. He is noted for the volume of work he has produced, the range of styles therein, his skill at assuming different voices, and the depth of his research. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1984 and appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2003. Early life and education Ackroyd was born in London and raised on a council estate in East Acton, in what he has described as a "strict" Roman Catholic household by his mother and grandmother, after his father disappeared from the family home. He first knew that he was gay when he was seven. He was educated at St Benedict' ...
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Albert Embankment
Albert Embankment is part of the river bank on the south side of the River Thames in Central London. It stretches approximately one mile (1.6 km) northward from Vauxhall Bridge to Westminster Bridge, and is located in the London Borough of Lambeth. History The Albert Embankment was built for the Metropolitan Board of Works under the immediate direction of engineer John Grant (not Sir Joseph Bazalgette, as is commonly supposed; Bazalgette was chief engineer to the Board). It was commenced in September 1865, and opened in May 1868. The purpose was to create a new highway and open space, and to help even out irregularities in the riverfront (since malodorous mud accumulated in the wider places). It is sometimes said the Albert Embankment was created to prevent flooding in the Lambeth area, but that was not its purpose. In fact the Albert Embankment was built on arches to permit vessels to continue to access landside business premises, such as draw docks; these already ...
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Chelsea Embankment
Chelsea Embankment is part of the Thames Embankment, a road and walkway along the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. The western end of Chelsea Embankment, including a stretch of Cheyne Walk, is in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea; the eastern end, including Grosvenor Road and Millbank, is in the City of Westminster. Beneath the road lies the main low-level interceptor sewer taking waste water from west London eastwards towards Beckton. Chelsea Bridge and Albert Bridge, London, Albert Bridge are to the south. Royal Hospital Chelsea is to the north. Sloane Square tube station, Sloane Square is the closest tube station, located to the north. History The embankment was completed to a design by Joseph Bazalgette and was part of the Metropolitan Board of Works' grand scheme to provide London with a modern London sewerage system, sewage system. It was opened on 9 May 1874 by Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinbur ...
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