London’s Main Drainage Booklets

I thought I’d share some front cover images from a few variations of booklet on the theme of London’s Main Drainage, produced by a mix of London administrative bodies. I’m unsure how many incarnations of these booklets were published over the years, though I expect it is greater than the five I have. Read More

Anatomy of a Junction: Two

North Western Storm Relief Sewer: Notting Hill

After years of dispute and deliberation Joseph Bazalgette (Chief Engineer of the Metropolitan Board of Works) was given a little short of carte blanche to reform London’s piecemeal drainage system, the clincher being the much documented ‘Great Stink‘ of 1858. Bazalgtte’s intercepting sewers constituted the lion’s Read More

A cover story

“What on earth is that place?”

“What must my job be?!”

“I hope I get paid a lot for doing that!”

“Where is that anyway?” Read More

Anatomy of a Junction: One

The King’s Scholars’ Pond Sewer: St. John’s Wood

When a fellow underground aficionado first ventured into a London sewer his planned journey began in St. John’s Wood, in an unremarkable section of the King’s Scholars’ Pond Sewer (K.S.P.S.). Unremarkable as it was the 5.5ft x 3.5ft egg shaped sewer bombarded John with curious new sights, sounds Read More

Sewer Voyeur

We’d been stooping down a branch sewer for fifteen minutes. Our bodies were complaining almost as much as our sense of salubrity, it was very apparent that our chosen access route was rather less sanitary than we’d hoped for Read More