The Waterloo Helmet

Well... that happened · Mar 1, 2025 · 2m

The water flowing under Waterloo Bridge from the River Thames was filthy. Following the great stink of the 1840s, the Goverment were aware waste and pollution into the water was a grave concern. Particularly as the fumes from the stench polluted the otherwise fragrant air of the Parliamentary Estate. To that end, in 1868, the river was dredged; this would make the area more navigable and less… offensive to the olfactory senses. In the filth and the slime a worker spotted something glinting in the Sun, grabbed it and took it to one of them there learn’d types, who cleaned it up. This was to…