Brighton and Hove On this Day by Dan Tester: Friday January 13 1871

By 1870, Brighton's population had risen to 90,000. Just before 1860, the town council decided that all of the town's wastewater should be drained into the sea as the current arrangement of filling cesspools and using the back of dwellings wasn't ideal, or particularly kind on the nostrils.
By The Newsroom
Published 12th Jan 2017, 13:02 BST
Updated 8th Jun 2018, 04:41 BST

Following detailed surveys, work began in 1865 to improve the situation.

About 44 miles of sewers were laid ranging from 30cm diameter salt-glazed ware pipes to 2.4m circular brick tunnels.

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Inhabitants were not content and in 1869 public pressure grew for an intercepting sewer – a main trunk sewer into which others would drain.

An Act of Parliament was obtained in 1870 forming a body called the Brighton Intercepting and Outfall Sewers Board.

Work began on the new sewer around this time but it stopped in May when the contractors could not cope with the volume of water encountered.

Thirteen pumps of 51 centimetres in diameter were then driven by nine engines to pump an estimated 68 million litres every 24 hours.

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The resulting intercepting sewer is circular, made of brickwork, is 1.5m in diameter and runs from Hove Street to East Street, and 2.1m thereafter, to Portobello at Telscombe – a total of 7.25 miles.

As the Brighton and Hove urban area has expanded so has the sewer system; there are now 300 miles of main sewers running beneath the city.

Since the early 1960s, tours of the magnificent Victorian masterpiece have been held from May to September.

To buy a copy of the book signed by the author, go to http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Brighton-Hove-On-This-Day-signed-by-the-author-/142233888546?hash=item211dcce722:g:Vv4AAOSw65FXtK69

Related topics:BrightonHoveWorkPortobelloTelscombeVictorian