Aldgate Pump
the pump that poisoned the city
An old stone water pump on a City corner with a brass wolf's head and a dark Victorian secret.
Free to visit · Aldgate · Aldgate · EC3N 1AL
Opening: Always visible
On a busy corner where the City meets the East End stands the Aldgate Pump, a handsome old stone water point that for centuries marked the symbolic start of the East End. Look closely and you will find a brass wolf's head spout, said to commemorate the last wolf shot in the City of London.
Its darker fame is the Aldgate Pump epidemic of the 1870s, when hundreds fell ill and a number died from drinking its water, eventually traced to the spring being contaminated as it filtered through new cemeteries upstream. The pump was connected to clean mains water and the deaths stopped. It is free to find and a grimly fascinating little City survivor.
Getting there: At the junction of Aldgate High Street and Fenchurch Street, by Aldgate station.
Best time to go: Any time, a quick stop on a City wander.
Insider tip: Look for the brass wolf's head on the spout, the detail most people walk straight past. It marks the traditional boundary where the City ends and the East End begins.
Free things to do in London · London Free Guide