‘Great Stink’ of 19th century extracted from Thames mud

REMNANTS of the “Great Stink” that forced Parliament to be suspended in the 19th century are still present on the Thames, a documentary presented by Sir Tony Robinson has discovered.

Human sewage, animal carcasses and industrial effluent tipped or poured into the river during a heatwave caused the Houses of Parliament to be abandoned in July and August 1858.

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert scrapped plans for a pleasure cruise because of the smell, and in a letter to a friend Charles Dickens wrote: “The offensive smells have been of a most head-and-stomach-distending nature.”

“The Great Stink” led to the building of the Thameside Embankments to house new sewers that are still in use. Scientists working with Sir Tony have not only recreated the smell, they have found some of the original.

Marine archaeologists discovered a compacted layer of Victorian waste in front of the Tate Modern in Vauxhall.

Sprinkled with bits of clay pipe, pottery and leather shoes it dated to the mid-19th century. The odour was extracted in a laboratory, with experts revealing it had not lost potency in 160 years. Roger Michel, of the Institute for Digital Archaeology, said: “It was an odour that I immediately recognised from our laboratory work.

“It was a very distinctive odour of putrefaction, human waste and sulphur, all the flavour notes that had been there in our synthesised version, although it was more, it had this huge ooomph, it was more overwhelming.

“No one could believe the smell, it’s like a body blow when you smell it. It just stops you in your tracks.”

Sir Tony, 74, said it was “absolutely disgusting”. Mr Michel says the material had been in an anaerobic environment which preserved its aroma.

In 1858 the “miasma” from the river was blamed for deadly diseases including cholera and typhoid. In the hot dry weather water levels dropped and sewage baked but remained where it was.

Mr Michel says the smell of Victorian London may not linger much longer. He said: “This was a last survivor of a Victorian mud flat that is fast disappearing because it is being eroded by the wash from faster, more powerful ferries.”

Sir Tony’s series continues on Channel 5 next month.