Long before vaccines and antibiotics, London’s first line of defence against epidemic disease was the Pest House. Built beyond the city walls to isolate those suffering from plague, smallpox and other contagious illnesses, these often-overlooked institutions played a vital role in protecting the wider population during some of the capital’s darkest chapters.
In this talk, Alison Wall traces the history of London’s Pest Houses, from their expansion during the Great Plague of 1665 under Charles II to the fever hospitals and isolation units that followed. Along the way, she explores changing medical beliefs, reveals the surprising locations of surviving Pest Houses and considers what these early attempts at quarantine can teach us about our own experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. Join us for a journey through London’s forgotten history of contagion, isolation and survival.
ALSION
WALL
Alison Wall has a background in nursing and midwifery and holds an MSc in Public Health. She is the author of Plague Houses and Pandemics and has spent many years researching London’s forgotten Pest Houses, tracing the history of quarantine, epidemic disease and public health from the Great Plague to the COVID-19 pandemic.
| Ticket | Event time | Cost |
|---|---|---|
|
The Pest Houses of London
Isolation, Survival and the Fight Against Disease |
13:30 - 15:00 | £13.75 |
Address
Dissenters Chapel, Kensal Green Cemetery, 391 Ladbroke Grove, London, W10 5AB
Nearest Station
Ladbroke Grove (Tube)
Getting there
1. The ticket holder voluntarily assumes all risks and danger incidental to the event for which the ticket is issued, whether occurring prior, during or after the event. The ticket holder voluntarily agrees that the management, venue, event participants, DesignMyNight WFL Media Ltd and all of their respective agents, officers, directors, owners and employers are expressly released by the ticket holder from any claims arising from such causes.
2. Tickets are issued subject to the rules and regulations of the venue.
3. Please check your tickets, as mistakes cannot always be rectified.
4. Occasionally, events are cancelled or postponed by the promoter, team, performer or venue for a variety of reasons. If the event is cancelled, please contact us for information on receiving a refund from the responsible party. If the event was moved or rescheduled, the venue or promoter may set refund limitations. It is your responsibility to ascertain the date and time of any rearranged event.
5. The venue reserves the right to refuse admission and may on occasion have to conduct security searches to ensure the safety of the patrons.
6. Every effort to admit latecomers will be made at a suitable break in the event, but admission cannot always be guaranteed.
7. We regret that tickets cannot be exchanged or refunded after purchase.
8. Tickets are sold subject to the venue or promoter's right to alter or vary the programme due to events or circumstances beyond its control without being obliged to refund monies or exchange tickets.
9. If this ticket is re-sold or transferred for profit or commercial gain by anyone other than the promoter, venue management, DesignMyNight or one of their authorised sub-agents, it will become voidable and the holder may be
refused entry to or ejected from the venue.
10. The venue may operate a No Smoking Policy.
11. The promoter, venue management and DesignMyNight accept no responsibility for any personal property.
12. The event listed on the purchased ticket is strictly for ticket holders who are over 18 years of age. Identification may be required.