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Londoners called 1858 'The year of the great stink'
Londoners called their toilet the privy, in overcrowded London as
much as 150 people shared one toilet (Not at the same time).
EVERYTHING was dumped into the river Thames, dead animals, horse
manure, waste from factories and untreated sewage. This in itself
would be bad enough, but the Thames was the main source of
drinking water.
At that time if you were to pump water out of your taps, it came out
brown and full of bacteria. Thousands of people died from diseases
like cholera. Around 1858 the weather was very hot, and this helped
cause a very bad small, something needed to be done, and by 1865 the
government had a new sewer system built.
Now waste could be taken away to be treated instead of being dumped
into the river. Health improved vastly, but there were still many
houses not connected to the sewer system. Public toilets sprang up
everywhere, these "halting stations" charged people "One Penny"
hence the saying "spending a penny"
The first loo paper was used in Britain in 1857, this came in flat
pack sheets and was called "curl papers" The Victorians were so
delicate they couldn’t bring themselves to use the words ‘toilet
paper’ :)- 1880 ..Publishers of " The Old Farmers Almanac" improves
circulation by punching a hole in the corner, so it can be hung by a
nail in the out-house.
Toilets Romans
Medieval Tudor
Georgian
Victorians
Cesspit
London's Drains
Thomas Crapper
Mullein |
