> [!quote] [The Great Stink](https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/archive/collections/photographs/the-great-stink/) > For centuries the River Thames had been used as a dumping ground for the capital's waste and as the population grew, so did the problem. The hot summer of 1858 elevated the stench to an unbearable level and resulted in an episode known as 'The Great Stink'. - relevant for [[Civil Mage]] & [[Irella]]