What connects the controversial ULEZ tarif with the London fogs of the 1880s? The answer is ‘air quality’. ULEZ stands for ‘ultra-low emission zone’ and is a charge applied to vehicles crossing over a boundary in Greater London [1], the aim being to improve air quality. But of course, dirty London air is nothing new with the pea-soup fogs of the 19th century being synonymous with the world of Sherlock Holmes, Jack the Ripper, and Dickens.
Like a yellow silken scarf, the thick fog hangs along the quay. Oscar Wilde, Symphony in Yellow. 1881
London Fog vs Regular Fog
London fog was so distinct that it had its own character. Whereas regular fog was not disagreeable to breathe, being mainly white, without smell, and clean; London fog was smoky and sulfurous, dense enough to block light, and caused a choking sensation when inhaled. [2]
In London, men work as if in darkness, scarcely seeing their own hands. Arthur Symons in London: A Book of Aspects
The fog could be so thick and dark that it blocked out the sun, indeed on Christmas Day 1879 such a fog cloaked London, and the day was spent in eternal darkness. This has interesting implications because on this day the industries that belched out smoke were shut down; which raises questions about what caused the fog?
The Recipe for London Fog
In the 19th century, it was concluded that there were three ingredients to a proper pea-soup fog (so-called because the fog’s yellow-green color and thickness were reminiscent of pea soup.) These were:
- Marshy ground: the Thames Valley is damp, marshy ground, from which a thick mist rises in cold weather
- Smoke: the soot and pollution belched out from chimney stacks mixed with the mist to form smog (fog x smoke)
- Wind: the direction of the prevailing wind concentrated the fog in certain areas. For example, a north or north-westerly wind meant particularly bad fog over the City itself. Which wind will bring us the largest quantity of mist, by finding on a map in which direction the greatest length of chimneys would have to be traversed. [3]
Indeed, one of the unique qualities of London fog was that it could be highly localized, perhaps depending on the dampness of the earth and resulting drifting mist. One contemporary account is particularly evocative as it describes: the omnibus felt as if it were going at a black wall…which it then passed through.
And as to the origins of the smoke, this was blamed on domestic dwellings.
It is certain that private houses, and not factories, are chiefly responsible ; for some of the very worst fogs have occurred on Sundays, and Christmas Day, 1879, was nearly dark. [3]
More than this, blame was placed on the poor in the East End of London, where families lived crowded together and piled on top of each other. The sheer density of the population and the cheap fuels they burned, meant poor quality, high-volume pollution…and it wasn’t without consequences
The Price of Pollution
In 1880, the financial cost of fog was put at an estimated £1,761,000 (nearly $2,200,000) – in the modern day this is around £265,000,000 or $330,000,000. This figure was calculated from costs such as damage to buildings and statues, repainting properties every five years, damage to fine textiles, extra candles to see by, the cost of extra washing, servants’ time spent cleaning, extra chimney sweeping, window cleaning, etc etc. [3]
But of course, there was more than a financial penalty, smog killed people.
The Human Cost of Smog
In the 1880s, as now, the number of weekly deaths was recorded. This provided a resource of the predicted mortality rather for a certain week or month, compared to previous years. In 1880, severe fog caused a peak in unexpected deaths. For the week ending February 14th, there were 730 more deaths than anticipated, with 551 of these being from respiratory disease (in just one week!)
The sun shines in London with only two-thirds of the power, on an average, with which it shines in the country [3]
Then there were other impacts on people such as the stress of living in semi-darkness, the health implications of low sunlight levels, and a higher crime rate under the cloak of anonymity gifted by smog.
Solving the Problem of Smog
Just as Sadiq Kahn aims to improve air quality by imposing the ULEZ, so 19th century Londoners sought answers. Some solutions were more sensible than others.
The most practical suggestion was the wider use of smokeless coal (coke.) The drawback to this simple solution was this fuel was more expensive and it required a special stove to burn it. Unfortunately, areas of poverty were the greatest generators of smoke, and these were the people least able to afford such a luxury.
And finally, one of the more eccentric (to modern eyes) solutions was the suggested use of explosives dropped from hot air balloons. The theory was that a hot air balloon high above an open space, such as Hyde Park or Green Park, would drop and detonate an explosive device. The resultant pressure waves would then forcibly disperse the fog to leave clean air in its wake.
One cited drawback was the difficulty of getting a hot air balloon airborne in extreme fog. But what was also pointed out was the resulting explosion would be so massive it would also blow out the windows of the wealthy residing in Bayswater and Park Lane. Perhaps for this reason this method was never trialed.
Photo courtesy of London Fog” by gwire is licensed under CC BY 2.0
References and Further Reading
[1] ULEZ: Where and When. Transport for London.
[2] London Fog. Cassell’s Family Magazine 1881 J Erskine
[3] ‘London Fogs‘ by R.Russell, 1880
