- DURATION 1 hr 15 mins
Event Description
In Victorian times, London was afflicted with a terrible epidemic. No one knew the cure. No understood the science. Except one man. This is his story. The story of London’s hygiene starts 2,000 years ago with a look at how things started to go pear shaped. We take a humorous look at waste from the first toilets in London (Roman of course) and why we got the term ‘loo’.
We’ll look at the evolution of public loos on London Bridge, the human caped ‘bucket loos’ and the flushing loos of the Victorians. We’ll learn about people who made money from the waste of Londoners, the toshers, grubbers and night-soil men, the creation of the flushing toilet and why it’s called a John in the USA.
Finally the important bit: How a lack of understanding of not ridding of our waste correctly led to awful cholera outbreaks, the ‘Great Stink, and how a man of science collaborated with a man of religion to solve it.
- Duration: 1 hr 15 mins
- Online Zoom event: Join from your computer, phone or tablet (no replay available)
Meet the Host, Loona
Loona Hazarika is a history geek who has been giving guided tours of his birthplace London for over 15 years. Trained by the British Museum (where he was an official tour guide) he co-founded London City Steps, a social enterprise that helps to train and give confidence to underprivileged youth via a love of local history.
He spent a year volunteering at the Genocide Memorial Centre in Rwanda where he recorded and set up their first audio guides system and has advised and appeared on TV history shows such as BBC TV’s The ‘Hairy Builder’, ‘the Repair Shop’ and SKY Atlantic’s ‘Urban Secrets’
He has a Master’s Degree in economics from the University of Cambridge.
Preparing for the Event
For the best experience, you will need to have Zoom downloaded onto your computer. Please ensure you're connected to broadband/wifi rather than using your mobile phone connection (3G/4G).
We also recommend that pets are either calmly sitting on your lap or in another room, and any refreshments you may require are within your reach!
More Information
What if I can’t make the event?
If a recording’s available for the event, you can still register for it and we will send you an email with a link to a recording shortly after it ends.
Will my camera be on and will I be visible to the other people?
Your camera and microphone does not need to be on for you to enjoy the event. The choice about whether to do this is completely yours.
How do I watch the live event?
Rest Less events are hosted on Zoom, a computer application that allows you to attend online events just by clicking a link. For detailed instructions, please go to our "FAQ" page, which you can find a link to in the nav bar at the top of the page.
How do I sign-up for and access the recording? (Recorded events only)
Book the event as normal (as if you are attending live). After the event ends you will automatically receive a post-event email with a link to the recording, as long as the event was recorded. You do not need to do anything else and there is no separate booking process for recordings only. Please note it can take up to 24 hours for Zoom to process recordings.