In past times the River Thames was much wider than today. London rapidly grew in size and population during the early 19th century but there was no efficient sewage system. Waste found its way into small streams, which flowed into the Thames, washed back and forth every day on the tides. The river became increasingly polluted. In the summer of 1858 the smell became so bad that Parliament was briefly abandoned, an event known as ‘the Great Stink’. It galvanised the government into authorising the construction of a new sewer system for London. In this new system, sewage pipes ran through the city downhill to the Thames. Large pipes were installed along the riverbank that intercepted (and still intercept) the sewage. The contents then flowed through these intercepting pipes until discharged much further downstream beyond London. New embankments were created along the river to house the intercepting sewers, reducing the river’s width, with these gardens created above them.