Rosemary Ashton, an expert in 19th-century literature, Stephen Halliday, who authored a detailed account of the Great Stink, and Paul Dobraszczyk, a lecturer on architectural history, delve into the foul odors of the River Thames that horrified Victorian London. They discuss how the summer of 1858 spurred drastic sanitation reforms attributed to engineer Joseph Bazalgette. The conversation highlights the connection between urban growth, public health crises, and the revolutionary sewer systems that transformed the city and its hygiene for future generations.
