Understanding the Great Stink
To start, it is important to understand that the Great Stink did not happen overnight.
Pollution in the River Thames, and the unpleasant smells and disease outbreaks that came with it, was already recognized as a problem in the 1600s. However, without an idea of how to fix this, or a strong incentive for significant actions, the city continued its rapid transformation from Roman outpost to urban metropolis; with a focus on growth rather than on the infrastructure or regulations needed to adequately sustain it.
This all changed in 1858 with the Great Stink. Soaring summer temperatures created a stench so bad that efforts to mask the smell with chloride of lime (industrial bleach) failed. As a result, all activity in the city, economic and otherwise, stopped and politicians were forced to admit that real reform could no longer be delayed. Infrastructure had to be transformed; stronger regulations introduced and enforced. In the end, the Great Stink sparked a sanitary revolution that transformed the Thames into the cleaner, safer river that it is today.
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