5.3 Sewage Drainage
from Place-Royale from today to yesterday, Quebec city. (videos) Hosted by Musée de la civilisation
Before the 19th century, none of the neighbourhood streets or the market square were paved, despite recommendations from the authorities. In 1673, residents were told they must pave the section of street in front of their houses. They were to leave a gutter in the centre, to serve as an open sewer. The order also declared that all new buildings had to be equipped with latrines. But despite these edicts, and later ones, the streets still weren’t paved. What's worse, the habit of tossing everything into the street persisted: waste water, chamber pot contents and table scraps were often found out on the street in front of the houses. In 1800, stone paving was laid for the first time in the market square and on a few other streets, including Rue Notre-Dame and Rue Saint-Pierre, as well as the Côte de la Montagne. A channel was created down the centre of the paving to allow water to drain. A covered sewage system was not extended to the entire city of Québec until the second half of the 19th century. Start the video Map of Place-Royale
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