'The incineration of refuse is beautiful' : Torquay and the introduction of municipal refuse destructors
Abstract
In the last decade of the nineteenth century, the English seaside and health resort of Torquay abandoned its old practice of municipal waste tipping and invested in a destructor, or incinerator. Technical, legal and financial considerations lay behind this decision. The ensuing protests against the operation of the destructor highlight the tensions between nascent technocrats and the affected residents. At a time when pollution was most often displaced or dispersed, topography conspired against the residents of Torquay, and challenged the accepted spatial and social relationships of waste.
Citation
Clark , J F M 2007 , ' 'The incineration of refuse is beautiful' : Torquay and the introduction of municipal refuse destructors ' , Urban History , vol. 34 , no. 2 , pp. 255-277 . https://doi.org/10.1017/S0963926807004634
Publication
Urban History
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
0963-9268Type
Journal article
Rights
(c)2007 Cambridge University Press
Collections
Items in the St Andrews Research Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.