In 1858 the Thames smelled so bad that Parliament fled and Disraeli called it a ‘Stygian pool’
By the summer of 1858, three million Londoners were flushing their sewage into the Thames through an aging system that emptied directly into the river. Temperatures hit 48 °C (118 °F) in the sun. The water level dropped. Raw effluent sat on the banks. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert tried a pleasure cruise …
