John Evelyn’s Fumifugium

In his report to King Charles II of England Fumifugium or the Inconveniencie of the Aer and Smoak of London Dissipated, John Evelyn (1620–1706) described the damaging effects of air pollution caused by processes such as sea-coal-burning. He suggested that burning wood would be less harmful to the lungs and recommended relocating some of London’s more polluting industries, such as brewing, fabric dying, soap and salt manufacturing, and lime-burning, outside the City of London. As for selected areas of land adjacent to the City, Evelyn proposed the planting of large, fragrant gardens to further improve air quality.