Market Harborough Historical Society March Meeting

The Market Harborough Historical Society welcomes local historian and Historical Society Chairman, Dr. David Holmes, as their March Speaker.

David will be talking about the story of Joseph Bazalgette, with ‘The Great Stink’ and the rebuilding of London.

The early summer of 1858 was hot and dry.

The River Thames had become a giant sewer; the stench was so bad that Members of Parliament could not work.

They were galvanised to pass an Act ‘to drastically improve drainage of the metropolis’, the Act taking only 18 days from introduction to becoming law.

Joseph Bazalgette, the city engineer, was entrusted to design and implement a revolutionary solution.

The scale of the work was vast and changed the architectural appearance of London, introduced the underground railway system and had a major effect on public health.

The talk reviews the background to the problem and how the project was undertaken and completed.

The meeting will take place on Wednesday, March 11th, at the Market Harborough Methodist Church Hall, Northampton Road at 7.30.pm. For new members and visitors please note there is a car park directly opposite the church. There is also a charge of £3 for non-members plus a £1 entry fee for all. Further details can be found on the Historical Society website, www.marketharboroughhistoricalsociety.org