London in the 19th Century was the world’s largest city, and the capital of a mighty empire. Its population grew from one million to 6.7 million between 1800 and 1900. London was the commercial, financial and political hub of the world, and retained this status until the second half of the century, when New York and Paris began to rival it.

As British territories and holdings expanded, London grew wealthy, but at the same time it was also a city of poverty. Charles Dickens’ works, such as 'Oliver Twist', where he described the social conditions of London, are heralded as spiritual autobiographies of the age. Dickens was extremely critical of both the government and the church, which operated workhouses for the poor. In 'Oliver Twist', Dickens describes the poor as having two choices in the 19th Century: choose not to live in a workhouse and starve quickly, or starve slowly in one.

Prime Minister Robert Peel introduced the Metropolitan Police Service of London in 1829. This force covered the urban area of the city, and soon gained the nickname ‘peelers’, after their founding father. The 19th Century invention of railroads established a network in the UK, enabling the development of suburbs in neighboring counties. Both the rich and middle class could use the trains to travel to the city. The first railroad line, opened in 1836, extended from London Bridge to Greenwich. Construction of train terminals followed, which included Waterloo, Paddington, Euston, and King’s Cross stations. The first lines of the subway (metro) also opened about this time.

As the urban area continued to expand, a special city board was created to provide adequate infrastructure in London, with its main task related to sanitation problems. Sewage was being pumped directly into the river Thames. After a summer of overwhelming stench and severe health hazards of London’s citizens, authorities decided to try and resolve this problem, dubbed the Great Stink of 1858.