The Great Stink, as was named the horrendous smell given off by the Thames, plagued London for a great many years during the Victorian era. Prior to the construction of the current system, the Thames was London’s sewer, full of human remains, human waste, animal waste, rubbish, industrial outflow.
What did London smell like in the 1800s?
In the 19th century, London was the capital of the largest empire the world had ever known — and it was infamously filthy. It had choking, sooty fogs; the Thames River was thick with human sewage; and the streets were covered with mud.
What did the 17th century smell like?
The stench of horse manure
The 17th century was also full of foul smells; the stench could be dreadful everywhere. Mains water, sewer systems, deodorant, toothpaste, washing machines, fridges: none of these existed yet – with all the inherent consequences.
When was the big stink in London?
1858
For centuries the River Thames had been used as a dumping ground for the capital’s waste and as the population grew, so did the problem. The hot summer of 1858 elevated the stench to an unbearable level and resulted in an episode known as ‘The Great Stink’.
What was London like during the Great Stink?
That particular summer, all of London was feeling the affects of an oppressive heat wave and as a result, all the sewage in the Thames began to ferment in the scorching sun—centuries of waste was literally cooking in the monstrous heat. The result was a smell as offensive and disgusting as can ever be imagined.
Did they have perfume in the 1700s?
In the late 1700s, the best-selling products available from perfumers in major European cities such as London and Paris included (as one might imagine) scented waters.
What did Victorians smell like?
By the middle of the Victorian era, bergamot and lemon oil had surpassed Eau de Cologne to become the most popular fragrance for women. According to Goodman: “Bergamot and lemon oil, sometimes employed separately but more often used in combination, was the signature smell of the middle years of the century.
How smelly was Versailles?
Built on swampland, Versailles was described by a visitor in 1764 as an odiferous cesspool of dead cats, urine, excrement, slaughtered pigs, standing water, and mosquitoes. Inside the palace, things smelled different. Many royals in Louis XIV’s day eschewed hot water baths, believing them bad for the health.
What did medieval London smell like?
An episode of the 2011 BBC TV documentary Filthy Cities describes the streets of London in the 1300s. They were ankle-deep in a putrid mix of wet mud, rotten fish, garbage, entrails, and animal dung. People dumped their own buckets of faeces and urine into the street or simply sloshed it out the window.
How smelly was ancient Rome?
In crowded fora and the amphitheater, the stench of death from blood sports mixed with the ever-present odors of burning sacrifices to the gods and the funeral pyres just outside city walls. Toilets and public baths were heavy with the smell of excrement, urine and disease.
What are the smells of London?
There’s a heady aroma of car exhaust fumes, fuel and dust overpowering Londoners’ nostrils (perhaps unsurprisingly). But not far behind, the smell of the natural world – flowers, plants, trees and grass – is enveloping our noses.
What is the smelliest smell ever?
Worst Smells on Earth
- Surströmming. This Swedish delicacy literally means “sour herring”.
- Durian. Durian is a fruit native to Southeast Asia, with an odor that has been described as turpentine, rotten onions, and sewage.
- Nattō.
- Skunk.
How did they cure the Great Stink?
The government’s response during the early days of the stink was to douse the curtains of the Houses of Parliament in chloride of lime, before embarking on a final desperate measure to cure lousy old Father Thames by pouring chalk lime, chloride of lime and carbolic acid directly into the water.
Did Paris stink in the 18th century?
In fact, Paris was notorious for its noxious odors long before and long after 1880. The author traces some of Paris’s earliest waste-removal efforts to 1184. In 1539 King François I mandated the installation of residential cesspits in an effort to rid the already filthy streets of human waste (liquid and solid).
Did the Victorians drink water?
Households had to use every tub and bowl they owned to hold the water they needed for up to 48 hours. This rationing of water meant that each household had to carefully work out how much to use for washing, cooking, cleaning, laundry, and drinking.
When did London get sewage?
Although the system was officially opened by Edward, Prince of Wales in 1865 (and several of the largest sewer channels named after members of the Royal Family), the whole project was not completed until 1875.
What did perfume smell like in the 1700s?
17th and 18th century perfumes fell into two general categories: floral and musky. Floral scents of the time were made from flower oils or waters distilled from blooms such as roses, orange flowers, and jasmine. These scents float near the top of the modern note range.
What did the first perfume smell like?
The French later gave the name “parfum” to the smells produced by burning incense. Indeed, the first form of perfume was incense, first made by the Mesopotamians about 4000 years ago.
Did men wear cologne in the 1700s?
Through most of the seventeenth century, men and women often wore similar scents, but all of that shifted at the start of the eighteenth century. In 1709, Giovanni Marina Farina released the first bottle of eau de cologne as an ode to his new hometown of Cologne, Germany.
What did Victorian ladies do about periods?
The Victorian Period (And Beyond)
From the 1890s to the early 1980s, people used sanitary belts, which basically were reusable pads that attached to a belt worn around the waist – and yes, they were as uncomfortable as they sound.
Did Victorian ladies shave?
In the Victorian era, ladies with excess facial or body hair didn’t have the luxury of making an appointment at their local salon. Instead, women employed various methods of hair removal at home. There was shaving and tweezing, of course, but there were also more dangerous methods.