Remnants of The Great Stink that forced Parliament suspension still present on the banks of the Thames
Scientists working with TV presenter Sir Tony Robinson have recreated the smell of sewage and industrial effluent left there in 1858
15 May 2021 • 4:35pm
Remnants of the 19th century Great Stink that forced Parliament to be suspended are still present on the banks of the Thames, a Sir Tony Robinson documentary has discovered.
A cocktail of human sewage, animal carcasses and industrial effluent tipped or poured into the river during a heatwave caused the Houses of Parliament to be abandoned in July and August 1858.
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert scrapped plans for a pleasure cruise because of the smell, and in a letter to a friend Charles Dickens wrote: “I can certify that the offensive smells have been of a most head-and-stomach-distending nature.”