The Great Smog of 1952

65 years ago, from the 5th to the 9th of December, the capital experienced a particularly bad pea souper, which became known as the Great Smog of London:

A period of cold weather, combined with an anticyclone and windless conditions, collected airborne pollutants – mostly arising from the use of coal – to form a thick layer of smog over the city....

It caused major disruption by reducing visibility and even penetrating indoor areas, far more severe than previous smog events experienced in the past, called "pea-soupers". Government medical reports in the following weeks, however, estimated that up until 8 December, 4,000 people had died as a direct result of the smog and 100,000 more were made ill by the smog's effects on the human respiratory tract. More recent research suggests that the total number of fatalities was considerably greater, about 12,000.

Photographer Carl Mydans was there, for Life Magazine:

[Photos: Carl Mydans/Life Picture Co0llection/Getty Images]

As ever, click to enlarge.

In the Guardian, predictably enough, Andrew Simms believes that 65 years on from the Great Smog nothing has changed. We're still choking.

Comments

[Dom]

What time of day were these photos taken? Not morning I hope.

[Mick H]

It's difficult to tell, but I think the bottom four at least are daytime shots.

[Andrew Duffin]

I don't remember this (I was only six months old!) but I do remember several epic fogs later in the fifties; walking to school was quite an adventure when you had to keep a hand on the fence or hedge at your side, to make sure you stayed on the pavement! A good knowledge of the suburban byways of Romford became pretty important.

[TDK]

Andrew's comment echoes stories told to me by my parents, which show that the photos don't capture the full reality.

My father would tell me that at the worst you couldn't see 5ft in front of you. He too mentioned walking with one hand on the wall to avoid falling into the road. As a result you would collide with people coming the other way. My mother told me that the smog dissolved tights.

Of course the Clean Air Act of 1956 was the catalyst for change.

[wiggiatlarge]

Andrew is totally correct, I do remember this fog but the pictures do not reflect the severity that was seen by most of us.
I also went to school feeling my way along the fences etc and the buses that ran had a man with a flare walking in front of them.

[roger in florida]

We used to make a few bob by tying bright red lights on the back of our bicycles and guiding cars to their destinations around our town (Wembley). So it is an ill fog that brings nobody any good!