Joseph Bazalgette; the legacy

By eighteen seventy five, at the cost of six and a half million pounds, we had constructed or adapted one thousand three hundred miles of sewers that can, on a daily basis, deal with one million and eight hundred thousand gallons of water and waste. But it was not until eighteen eighty five that the final sections were completed. In building the Albert and Victoria embankments, which house the great sewer pipes, we managed to replace the tidal mud of the Thames and reclaim acres of land that is now used for roads, public gardens and even the underground railway. During my career I have also worked on a project to clear the Soho slums and create Shaftsbury Avenue and I was engaged in building the Woolwich ferry across the River Thames. And I haven’t just worked in London to improve the health of the population, no, I have shared my knowledge and experience with city engineers throughout Britain to help revolutionise public health. Quite an achievement, don’t you think?