This plan, which probably accompanied a report by the local government board, shows the sewage system under Bermondsey. The network of pipes, sewers, and manholes is laid out in red, with details such as “sewer grates”, “cess pools”, and “privys” marked using abbreviations that are explained by the key in the left margin. The various colours on the plan reflect the varied composition of the area, so pink shows brick, while green shows “garden ground”.

The late-nineteenth century had seen significant improvement in public health, with the Public Health Act of 1875 making it compulsory for local councils to provide clean water, proper drainage, and – as illustrated here – sewage systems.

Frederick Dangerfield was a printing company perhaps best-known for the stylish posters that they produced for London Transport, with whom they had a contract, in the early-twentieth century. We have been unable to trace any other plans that Dangerfield printed in relation to the Sanitary Acts in London, but the company did publish ‘Mr. Chadwick’s Reports on the Sanitary Conditions of Hong Kong; with Appendices and Plans’, in 1882.