Editing River Thames (section)

===Victorian era===
[[File:Monster Soup commonly called Thames Water. Wellcome V0011218.jpg|thumb|left|Satirical cartoon by [[William Heath (artist)|William Heath]], showing a woman observing monsters in a drop of London water (at the time of the ''Commission on the London Water Supply'' report, 1828)]]

In the 19th century the quality of water in the Thames deteriorated further. The discharge of raw [[sewage]] into the Thames was formerly only common in the [[City of London]], making its tideway a harbour for many harmful bacteria. [[Gasworks]] were built alongside the river, and their by-products leaked into the water, including spent lime, ammonia, cyanide, and [[phenol|carbolic acid]]. The river had an unnaturally warm temperature caused by chemical reactions in the water, which also removed the water's oxygen.<ref>Peter Ackroyd, "Thames: Sacred River" 272–273</ref> Four serious cholera outbreaks killed tens of thousands of people between 1832 and 1865. Historians have attributed [[Albert, Prince Consort|Prince Albert's]] death in 1861 to typhoid that had spread in the river's dirty waters beside Windsor Castle.<ref name="autogenerated1" /> Wells with [[water table]]s that mixed with tributaries (or the non-tidal Thames) faced such pollution with the widespread installation of the [[flush toilet]] in the 1850s.<ref name="autogenerated1">Peter Ackroyd, ''Thames: The Biography''. 272 & 274.</ref> In the '[[Great Stink|Great Stink' of 1858]], pollution in the river reached such an extreme that sittings of the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] at Westminster had to be abandoned. Chlorine-soaked drapes were hung in the windows of Parliament in an attempt to stave off the smell of the river, but to no avail.<ref>Peter Ackroyd, "Thames: Sacred River" 272</ref>

There followed a concerted effort to contain the city's sewage by constructing massive [[Combined sewer|sewer systems]] on the north and south river embankments, under the supervision of engineer [[Joseph Bazalgette]]. Meanwhile, there were similar huge projects to ensure the water supply: reservoirs and pumping stations were built on the river to the west of London, slowly helping the quality of water to improve.

The [[Victorian era]] was one of imaginative engineering. The coming of the railways added railway bridges to the earlier road bridges and also reduced commercial activity on the river. However, sporting and leisure use increased with the establishment of [[regatta]]s such as [[Henley Royal Regatta|Henley]] and [[the Boat Race]]. One of the worst river disasters in England was on 3 September 1878, when the crowded pleasure boat {{SS|Princess Alice|1865|2}} collided with the ''Bywell Castle'', killing over 640 people.