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Aldgate pump located at the junction where Aldgate meets Fenchurch Street
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Aldgate pump located at the junction where Aldgate meets Fenchurch Street
Aldgate pump located at the junction where Aldgate meets Fenchurch Street and Leadenhall Street. People thought that the water had medicinal purposes and collected bottles on Sundays. They praised the well water for being " bright, sparkling, and cool, and of an agreeable taste". In fact qualities were later found to be derived from decaying organic matter from adjoining graveyards and the leaching of calcium from the bones of the dead in many new cemeteries in north London
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Media ID 20955191
© Illustrated London News Ltd/Mary Evans
Aldgate Beliefs Collecting Crank Cultural Draw Fraudulent Powers Pump Pumps Significance Sundays Supplies Supply 1902 Contaminated Contamination Curative
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Aldgate Pump: A Symbol of Belief and Contamination in 1900s London This photograph, taken in 1902, depicts the Aldgate Pump located at the bustling junction of Aldgate, Fenchurch Street, and Leadenhall Street in London's East End. The pump, with its ornate cast-iron design and lantern, once served as a public water supply for the local community. However, its significance extends far beyond its functional purpose. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, Londoners held strong beliefs in the curative powers of the Aldgate pump water. People believed that the water was bright, sparkling, and cool, with an agreeable taste. Every Sunday, crowds would gather around the pump, drawing water using a hand crank and filling their bottles to take home for medicinal purposes. Unbeknownst to them, the water's desirable qualities were derived from contamination. Decaying organic matter from adjoining graveyards and the leaching of calcium from the bones of the dead in many new cemeteries in north London were the real sources of the water's unique characteristics. Despite this, the beliefs and traditions surrounding the Aldgate pump persisted. The image of the pump, with its lantern casting a warm, inviting light, serves as a poignant reminder of the cultural significance of water in London's history. The hand crank and the collective act of drawing water from the pump evoke a sense of community and shared belief, even as we now know the truth behind the water's supposed curative powers.
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