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 could you smell in Victorian London?
Hot, overcrowded, with little running water or sanitation, the sheer stink of unwashed bodies, tobacco smoke, horses and garbage would have been horrendous. But worse still was the smell which came from the river Thames. There was no effective plumbing in London until the 1860s.
Was the Victorian era unsanitary?
During the Victorian Era in 19th century, health and sanitary conditions were not so great. Viruses and bacteria were quickly spread throughout London, such as Tuberculosis, Smallpox, Measles, Scarlet fever, Cholera, etc.
How did they get rid of 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.
What did London smell like?
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 the Victorian era smell like?
Most fragrances in early to mid-Victorian times were delicate and floral. They were understated, feminine – and often simply conjured up the scent of a particular flower, such as jasmine, lavender, roses, honeysuckle…
Did people smell in 1500s?
No, because hygiene standards did exist, and people used soap, deodorizers and perfumes, and bathed often.
How did Victorian ladies deal with 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.
How often did Victorians shower?
In Victorian times the 1800s, those who could afford a bath tub bathed a few times a month, but the poor were likely to bathe only once a year. Doctors advised against bathing believing it had a negative effect on health and on the appearance of the skin.
What did Victorians use for toilet paper?
Before that, they used whatever was handy — sticks, leaves, corn cobs, bits of cloth, their hands. Toilet paper more or less as we know it today is a product of Victorian times; it was first issued in boxes (the way facial tissue is today) and somewhat later on the familiar rolls.
What diseases did the Great Stink cause?
From 1831 London suffered a series of cholera outbreaks. At the time, the inhalation of ‘foul air’ was widely thought to be responsible for the spread of this dreaded disease. Many blamed the fetid smell that hung over the River Thames – by this time little more than an enormous sewer.
What did the great stink smell like?
This contamination could take the form of the odour of rotting corpses or sewage, but also rotting vegetation, or the exhaled breath of someone already diseased. Miasma was believed by most to be the vector of transmission of cholera, which was on the rise in 19th-century Europe.
What diseases were caused by the Great Stink?
Victorians had no known cure for Cholera and didn’t understand how it spread. Of all the theories of how cholera was transmitted—including bad weather, foul smells, electromagnetism and divine vengeance—it was the misguided idea that disease spreads through the air via bad smells that held the most sway.
What was Princess Diana’s scent?
Penhaligon’s Bluebell
Princess Diana’s favourite perfume was Penhaligon’s Bluebell – and you can still buy it today | HELLO!
What does Queen Elizabeth smell like?
Queen Elizabeth II – the internet says she wore either White Rose by Floris, or L’Heure Bleue by Guerlain. Maybe she wore both, who says you have to stick with one scent? These seem likely choices; a green/sweet floral and a powdery heliotrope, both with a respectable lineage.
What scent does the Queen wear?
Queen Elizabeth reportedly wears Guerlain L’Heure Bleue, a spicy citrus with a powdery dry down. It’s been a classic for the fragrance house ever since the scent was created in 1912.
What was hygiene like in the Victorian era?
Showers were not yet en vogue and everyone bathed to keep clean. Poorer families would have boiled water on the stove then added it along with cool water to a wooden or metal tub, usually in the kitchen area, when it was time for a deep scrub down.
What did Victorians use for deodorant?
There was no deodorant, let alone disposable razors, so some women placed half-moon-shaped “dress shields” between their clothes and their hairy, sweaty armpits. But really, the most surefire way for a lady to deal with body odor was to wear perfume — a lot of it.
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 stinky were people in the Middle Ages?
The people
The population would have absolutely stunk. They did not wash very often. They often didn’t have more than one set of clothes. There was very little idea of personal sanitation, and in the summer they would all have been hot and sweaty.
How did medieval people deal with body odor?
Nobility bathed semi-regularly, while “peasants” would wash with water and a cloth (think of a “hobo bath”), or during warm periods go bathe in the river or lake. Paris at one point had 32 public bathhouses.