Health in the Marshes
By the middle of the nineteenth century Nottingham was facing a major health crisis. There was serious overcrowding in areas like the Marshes; water supplies were frequently polluted; and there were major outbreaks of disease. In 1832 Nottingham suffered a severe cholera outbreak. The cholera caused many deaths in Narrow Marsh, which lay alongside the River Leen, a major carrier of the disease.
In 1878, Nottingham's medical officer for health reported that the 'high rate of mortality is largely due to radically bad sanitary arrangements'. He complained of the 'foul air' and atmosphere, and the 'evils arising from the large number of back to back houses in the old town'. This picture (right) taken in 1934, shows Sherwood Place in Broad Marsh (reference: CA/ES/8/171). The poor physical environment of the courtyard contributed to the inhabitants' poor health.
People in Broad and Narrow Marsh could not afford to pay for doctors and surgeons, and relied on traditional cures or herbalists like Jesse Boot, who had a 'Botanic Establishment' on Goosegate,
not far from Narrow Marsh. Jesse Boot went on to found the giant retail empire of Boots the Chemist. Another local herbalist was Newball and Mason, who started business on Derby Road in 1850. They sold a variety of products, including their botanic beer, made from an extract of herbs, shown here (reference: DD2407/4, left). See the advertisement in more detail here [PDF 145KB] 
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By the early 1900s it became urgent for the Nottingham corporation to tackle housing and health in the Marshes. The map (top) shows how Broad Marsh looked in 1901. See the 1901 Ordnance Survey map in more detail here [PDF 2346KB] .
