There was a time when London became so smelly that politicians had to intervene – and the solution is still dotted across streets to this day.
Ever seen one of those super tall structures that almost resembles a giant lamppost, but with no light and a completely open top? They’re called stink pipes – and we have the Victorians to thank for them.
They were built not only in London but across the UK following the particularly pungent summer of 1858, popularly known as The Great Stink.
For years, the River Thames had been used to dump the city’s waste as there was no centralised sewage system, and as more and more people flocked to the Big Smoke, the problem only grew.
In 1858, a heatwave warmed the human waste coursing through the capital, and residents were enveloped in a haze of fumes so strong that politicians were forced to act – and so the stink pipes, as well as the blueprints for a proper sewage system, were born.
According to Historic England, they functioned by ‘allowing gases from below ground sewers to vent out and dissipate high above the level at which they would be smelled or breathed in,’ and were built not only in London, but across the UK.
While it’s not known exactly how many of these stinky pipes were built across the capital specifically, it’s estimated that there were around 158 in the Borough of Lambeth alone.
Today, they’re no longer in use as sewage systems have since advanced beyond the need to use them – but many of them still remain, often puzzling onlookers below.
Stink pipes continue to offer value to society in other ways, though. In 2023, a particularly rare one in Shifnal, Shropshire was granted Grade II-listed status.
This particular pipe was constructed following the passing of the Public Health Act in 1875 – which is when the town’s sewers got a considerable upgrade.
As Historic England notes, the Shifnal pipe displayed a ‘degree of artistic interest’ which showed it had in fact been designed for ‘public pride’ as well as serving an important function.
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The colourful history behind London’s stink pipes specifically has been vastly documented over on Instagram by the @stink_pipes_of_london account, which has acquired 3,758 dedicated followers. Clearly, there’s a blossoming fanbase.
Posting pictures of pipes across the capital, the captions are often accompanied by a poem of sorts. We’ve truly seen it all now.
‘From Shetland to Stonehenge, there’s nowhere quite like Penge, where the roads never bend and all the bus routes end,’ one previous post capturing a pipe in – you guessed it – Penge in South East London reads.
‘Yes, if you don’t like Penge, I guess we can’t be friends. I must exact revenge unless you can make amends.’ Truly, the stuff of Shakespeare.
Elsewhere, keen Redditors have long been pondering over their unique history – and even offering their own tongue-in-cheek takes on what they might be.
They ‘put them in when someone pins a location in maps,’ @edloveday joked over on the r/London Subreddit.
@f1nch3yz04 laughed that it was ‘a ye olde 5G mast,’ while @reignerof suggested it was a ‘charging station for birds’ and @sarcasmkills likened it to a ‘really tall queen chess piece.’
Other curious details across London’s streets, debunked
Ghost signs
Stink pipes aren’t the only curious details dotted across London that tell a secret story. Ever seen an old sign that’s now fading and wondered why it’s still there?
These are actually called ‘ghost signs’ – and have been spotted everywhere from Windrush Square in Brixton (the iconic Bovril sign) to Earl’s Court and New Cross (which both still display the famous Bryant and May safety match advertisements).
Many of them were painted during the 19th and 20th centuries and have proved resilient over the years, standing the test of time.
And they tell such an interesting tale of how the social fabric of an area might have changed over the years that in 2023, Historic England created an interactive map of ghost signs across England.
Pebbledash markers
One viral post recently pondered over the various shapes (including circles and almost heart shapes) adorning the terraced houses in their South London area.
As architectural investigator at Historic England Matthew Whitfield previously explained, they’re ‘purely decorative.’
‘They formed part of ‘modernisation’ projects for brick-built Victorian terraced houses. Most likely completed during the 1960s and 1970s, it appears that local building firms at the time were very successful in selling new pebbledash finishes to homeowners,’ Matthew, the co-author of England’s Suburbs: 1820-2020, told Metro.
‘There were a range of geometric decorative shapes available to choose that could be set into the pebbledash, and neighbours could either match with or differentiate from each other.
‘They’re an example of how the historic environment of suburbs has changed over time, not least because of the shifting tastes of suburban residents.’
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