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Channels

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In early modern London, the term channel could refer to any natural or artificial waterway, from the Thames and Fleet Rivers to roadside gutters, the latter of which were used primarily for sluice drainage purposes. In narrow streets, it was customary for a single channel to run through the centre of the roadway, while in wider streets it was customary for two channels to be built, one on each side of the road. The flow of water in these channels, which collected most of the city’s rainwater and runoff from any nearby wells, was intended to be constant. However, the illegal dumping of solid household or privy waste could lead to stopped-up channels or flooding in the streets. Jonathan Swift’s Description of a City Shower (1710) infamously depicts an epic flood of swelling kennels (channels) in northwest London, from the butcher stalls of Smithfield to Holborn Bridge, the gushing waste-laden contents of which would have emptied into the Fleet Ditch.1

Notes

  1. See Sabine, OED channel n.1, and OED kennel n.2. (KMF)↑

Cite this page

MLA citation

Foley, Christopher. Channels. The Map of Early Modern London, edited by Janelle Jenstad, U of Victoria, 20 Jun. 2018, mapoflondon.uvic.ca/CHAN4.htm.

Chicago citation

Foley, Christopher. Channels. The Map of Early Modern London. Ed. Janelle Jenstad. Victoria: University of Victoria. Accessed June 20, 2018. http://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/CHAN4.htm.

APA citation

Foley, C. 2018. Channels. In J. Jenstad (Ed), The Map of Early Modern London. Victoria: University of Victoria. Retrieved from http://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/CHAN4.htm.

RIS file (for RefMan, EndNote etc.)

Provider: University of Victoria
Database: The Map of Early Modern London
Content: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

TY  - ELEC
A1  - Foley, Christopher
ED  - Jenstad, Janelle
T1  - Channels
T2  - The Map of Early Modern London
PY  - 2018
DA  - 2018/06/20
CY  - Victoria
PB  - University of Victoria
LA  - English
UR  - http://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/CHAN4.htm
UR  - http://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/xml/standalone/CHAN4.xml
ER  -

RefWorks

RT Web Page
SR Electronic(1)
A1 Foley, Christopher
A6 Jenstad, Janelle
T1 Channels
T2 The Map of Early Modern London
WP 2018
FD 2018/06/20
RD 2018/06/20
PP Victoria
PB University of Victoria
LA English
OL English
LK http://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/CHAN4.htm

TEI citation

<bibl type="mla"><author><name ref="#FOLE1"><surname>Foley</surname>, <forename>Christopher</forename></name></author>. <title level="a">Channels</title>. <title level="m">The Map of Early Modern London</title>, edited by <editor><name ref="#JENS1"><forename>Janelle</forename> <surname>Jenstad</surname></name></editor>, <publisher>U of Victoria</publisher>, <date when="2018-06-20">20 Jun. 2018</date>, <ref target="http://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/CHAN4.htm">mapoflondon.uvic.ca/CHAN4.htm</ref>.</bibl>

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