Sewer Ecologies: The Hidden Heritage of London's Urban Infrastructure

Thousands of kilometres of tunnels run under the streets of London, keeping waste contained and concealed.

London inherited this sewerage system from the Victorians, most notably Chief Engineer Joseph Bazalgette, prompted by the Great Stink of 1858.

While it has endured remarkably well, population growth means that tens of millions of tonnes of untreated sewage now overflow into the Thames every year, posing a serious environmental threat.

This project moves beyond sewers as purely technical infrastructures to consider the relationship between public attitudes to waste and pollution, and the material dynamics of waste management from the Victorian era to the present daya topic that is particularly relevant considering the growing effects of waste in the Anthropocene.

Its main objective is to examine sewers as integral parts of Londons urban heritage, through the interdisciplinary lens of heritage studies, contemporary archaeology, ecocriticism, and urban studies, bringing them together within the scope of the environmental humanities as an ecology of sewers.

Such an ecology can shed light on how infrastructures produce heritage legacies that engage humans, nonhumans, and the environment, and have ramifications for what it means to live in the contemporary city. In doing so, a form of urban infrastructural heritage that is concealed yet emergent can be unveiled.

This knowledge can further aid cities in solving complex problems relating to global challenges such as clean waterways, climate adaptation, and infrastructure modernisation. Much like climate change itself, ecologies are difficult to envision and need to be actively sought out.

A deeper understanding of Londons sewers, from the creation of its sewerage system to the present day, can address the question of what it means to live alongside these legacies, and demonstrate the relevance of crafting futures that acknowledge their role in our co-constructed, shared world.