Dec 7, 2017
Please don't think I have an obsession with sewers.
In this episode I look at work of Bazalgette, the former Chief Engineer of the London Metropolitan Board of Works, a man who “probably did more good, and saved more lives, than any single Victorian public official”.
Bazalgette probably may claim more credit for London's infrastructure than any other individual. He is responsible for bridges, major thoroughfares, and the London sewer system.
Now Chicago's sewer system is incredibly impressive, however Bazalgette's designs in London are lauded in a similar vein to the Panama Canal as one of the seven industrial wonders of the world.
I'll look at how the sewer system was desperately needed, why it was so special, and how the system has coped in an age of population density unforeseeable in Bazalgette's time.
Thanks to Richard Zak (@rjzak) for the episode suggestion!