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Joseph Bazalgette

Sir Joseph Bazalgette
Born 28 March 1819
Died 15 March 1891
Nationality English
Known for sewer network for central London

Sir Joseph William Bazalgette (28 March 1819 – 15 March 1891) was one of the great English civil engineers of the Victorian era. Events 37 - Roman Emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, entitled to him by the Senate. Year 1819 ( MDCCCXIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar in the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year Events 44 BC - Julius Caesar, Dictator of the Roman Republic, is stabbed to death by Marcus Junius Brutus, Year 1891 ( MDCCCXCI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The London sewerage system is part of the Water infrastructure serving London. Events 37 - Roman Emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, entitled to him by the Senate. Year 1819 ( MDCCCXIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar in the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year Events 44 BC - Julius Caesar, Dictator of the Roman Republic, is stabbed to death by Marcus Junius Brutus, Year 1891 ( MDCCCXCI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland This list of civil engineers is a list of notable people who have been trained in or have practiced Civil engineering. Culture The Victorian fascination with novelty resulted in a deep interest in the relationship between modernity and cultural continuities As the chief engineer of London's Metropolitan Board of Works, his major achievement was the creation of a sewer network for central London, which helped relieve the city from cholera epidemics, while beginning the clean-up of the River Thames, which had reached a nadir with "The Great Stink" of 1858. An engineer is a person professionally engaged in a field of Engineering. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The Metropolitan Board of Works (MBW was the principal instrument of London -wide government from 1855 until the establishment of the London County Council in 1889 The London sewerage system is part of the Water infrastructure serving London. Cholera, sometimes known as Asiatic cholera or epidemic cholera, is an infectious Gastroenteritis caused by the Bacterium The Thames ( is a major River flowing through southern England. The Great Stink or The Big Stink was a time in the summer of 1858 during which the smell of untreated Sewage almost overwhelmed people in central London Year 1858 ( MDCCCLVIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common

Contents

Beginnings

Joseph William Bazalgette was born at Hill Lodge, Clay Hill, Enfield, London, England, the son of Joseph William Bazalgette (1783-1849), a retired captain of the Royal Navy and Theresa Philo, née Pilton (1796-1850) and was grandson of a French immigrant. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) He began his career working on railway projects, articled to noted engineer Sir John MacNeill and gaining sufficient experience (some in Ireland) in land drainage and reclamation works for him to set up his own London consulting practice in 1842. "Railroad" and "Railway" both redirect here For other uses see Railroad (disambiguation. Sir John Benjamin Macneill FRS ( 1793 - 2 March 1880) was an eminent Irish Civil engineer of the 19th century closely associated Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Land reclamation is either of two distinct practices One involves creating new land from sea- or riverbeds the other refers to restoring an area to a more natural state (such as after Year 1842 ( MDCCCXLII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common By the time he married, in 1845, Bazalgette was deeply involved in the expansion of the railway network, working so hard that he suffered a nervous breakdown two years later. Year 1845 ( MDCCCXLV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common

While he was recovering, London's shortlived Metropolitan Commission of Sewers ordered that all cesspits should be closed and that house drains should connect to sewers and empty into the Thames. The Metropolitan Commission of Sewers was one of London 's first steps towards bringing its Sewer and Drainage infrastructure under the control of a single A cesspit, or cesspool, is a pit conservancy tank or covered Cistern, which can be used for Sewage or Refuse. As a result, a cholera epidemic (1848-49) then killed 14,137 Londoners. Cholera, sometimes known as Asiatic cholera or epidemic cholera, is an infectious Gastroenteritis caused by the Bacterium

Bazalgette was appointed assistant surveyor to the Commission in 1849, taking over as Engineer in 1852, after his predecessor died of "harassing fatigues and anxieties. Year 1849 ( MDCCCXLIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Year 1852 ( MDCCCLII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year " Soon after, another cholera epidemic struck, in 1853, killing 10,738. Year 1853 ( MDCCCLIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Medical opinion at the time held that cholera was caused by foul air: a so-called miasma. The miasmatic theory of disease held that Diseases such as Cholera or the Black Death were caused by a miasma (Greek language "pollution" Dr John Snow had earlier advanced a different explanation, which we now know to be correct: cholera was spread by contaminated water. John Snow ( 15 March 1813 &ndash 16 June 1858) was a British physician and a leader in the adoption of Anaesthesia and medical His view was not generally accepted.


Championed by fellow engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Bazalgette was appointed chief engineer of the Commission's successor, the Metropolitan Board of Works, in 1856 (a post he retained until the MBW was abolished and replaced by the London County Council in 1889). Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS (9 April 1806 &ndash 15 September 1859 (ˈɪzəmbɑrd ˈkɪŋdəm brʊˈnɛl was a British Engineer. The Metropolitan Board of Works (MBW was the principal instrument of London -wide government from 1855 until the establishment of the London County Council in 1889 Year 1856 ( MDCCCLVI) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year London County Council (LCC was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889-1965 existence and the first London-wide general municipal Year 1889 ( MDCCCLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common In 1858, the year of the Great Stink, Parliament passed an enabling act, in spite of the colossal expense of the project, and Bazalgette's proposals to revolutionise London's sewerage system began to be implemented. Year 1858 ( MDCCCLVIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common The Great Stink or The Big Stink was a time in the summer of 1858 during which the smell of untreated Sewage almost overwhelmed people in central London The expectation was that enclosed sewers would eliminate the stink ('miasma'), and this then reduced the incidence of cholera. The miasmatic theory of disease held that Diseases such as Cholera or the Black Death were caused by a miasma (Greek language "pollution" Cholera, sometimes known as Asiatic cholera or epidemic cholera, is an infectious Gastroenteritis caused by the Bacterium

Sewer works

The old Abbey Mills Pumping Station
The old Abbey Mills Pumping Station

At the time, the Thames was little more than an open sewer, devoid of any fish or other wildlife, and an obvious health hazard to Londoners. The Thames ( is a major River flowing through southern England. Bazalgette's solution (similar to a proposal made by painter John Martin 25 years earlier) was to construct 83 miles of underground brick main sewers to intercept sewage outflows, and 1,100 miles of street sewers, to intercept the raw sewage which up until then flowed freely through the streets and thoroughfares of London. John Martin ( 19 July 1789 &ndash 17 February, 1854) was an important and influential English painter of the nineteenth A brick is a block of Ceramic material used in Masonry construction laid using mortar. The outflows were diverted downstream where they were dumped, untreated, into the Thames. Extensive sewage treatment facilities were only built decades later. Sewage treatment, or domestic wastewater treatment, is the process of removing Contaminants from Wastewater, both Runoff ( Effluents

The scheme involved major pumping stations at Deptford (1864) and at Crossness (1865) on the Erith marshes, both on the south side of the Thames, and at Abbey Mills (in the River Lea valley, 1868) and on the Chelsea Embankment (close to Grosvenor Bridge; 1875), north of the river. Pumping stations are facilities including Pumps and equipment for pumping fluids from one place to another Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in south-east London. Year 1864 ( MDCCCLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Crossness Pumping Station was a sewage Pumping station designed by engineer Sir Joseph Bazalgette and architect Charles Henry Driver. Year 1865 ( MDCCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Erith ( ˈɪərɨθ is a place in the London Borough of Bexley, south east London on the River Thames. The original Abbey Mills Pumping Station, in Abbey Lane London E15 is a sewerage Pumping station, designed by engineer Joseph Bazalgette, Edmund The River Lee or River Lea in England originates in Leagrave Park, Leagrave, Luton in the Chiltern Hills and flows generally southeast Year 1868 ( MDCCCLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap Chelsea Embankment is part of the Thames Embankment, a road and Walkway along the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England This article is about the London bridge For the Chester bridge see Grosvenor Bridge (Chester. Year 1875 ( MDCCCLXXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common

The system was opened by the Prince of Wales in 1865, although the whole project was not actually completed for another ten years. Year 1865 ( MDCCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year

Bazalgette's foresight may be seen in the diameter of the sewers. When planning the network he took the most dense population, gave every person the most generous allowance of sewage production and came up with a diameter of pipe needed. He then said 'Well, we're only going to do this once and there's always the unforeseen. ' and doubled the diameter to be used. Every Londoner should be grateful for this foresight as the unforeseen was the tower block. If he had used his original, smaller pipe diameter the sewer would have overflowed in the 1960s. As it is they are still in use to this day.

The effect of the new sewer system was to reduce cholera not only in places that no longer stank, but wherever water supplies ceased to be contaminated by sewage. Cholera, sometimes known as Asiatic cholera or epidemic cholera, is an infectious Gastroenteritis caused by the Bacterium The basic premise of this expensive project was wrong, as so often happens, but the end result was much better than expected, which is a rare occurrence. (The River Thames now contains several smaller varieties of fish, including trout; it is also safe to swim in - for those willing to brave the frigid waters and able to find a stretch without undertow!). Trout is the common name given to a number of Species of Freshwater Fish belonging to the Salmonidae family

Awards

Bazalgette was knighted in 1875, and elected President of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1883. Founded on 2 January 1818, the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE is an independent Professional association, based in central London,

Memorials

Memorial to Sir Joseph Bazalgette on Victoria Embankment
Memorial to Sir Joseph Bazalgette on Victoria Embankment

He lived for some years at 17 Hamilton Terrace, St John's Wood, north London, where there is now a blue plaque in his honour. For the rock band please see St John's Wood (band For the Australian locality St Johns Wood see main article St John's Wood Queensland In the United Kingdom, a blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event

He later moved to Morden, then in 1873, with his wife, Maria, (née Kough, 1819-1902), six sons and four daughters, to Arthur Road in Wimbledon, where he died in 1891, being buried in the nearby churchyard at St Mary's Church. Morden is a town in the London Borough of Merton. It is located approximately South-southwest of central London between Merton Park (to the north Year 1873 ( MDCCCLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Wimbledon is a Suburb of London, part of the London Borough of Merton and located south west of Charing Cross. St Mary's Church Wimbledon is a Church of England church and is part of the Parish of Wimbledon, south-west London, England.

A formal monument (see photo at right) on the riverside of the Victoria Embankment in central London commemorates Bazalgette's genius.

A living fictionalised tribute to the genius, the work and the ideals of Sir Joseph Bazalgette can be found in the historic Victorian novel "The Worms of Euston Square" by William Sutton. This portrays Sir Joseph Bazalgette in a heroic light as a man with an innate social conscience who employs his skills to improve the city that he loves and who plays an active role in rehousing those whose homes were demolished during the enormous work of construction.

Other works

Notable descendants

External links

References

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