Snapshot of city life in 1853

The Thames is teeming with raw sewage, gangs of pickpockets bludgeon their victims in daylight and the average Londoner drinks two pints of gin a week.

That was the capital 250 years ago, when the British Museum first opened its doors.

As part of its anniversary celebrations the museum will from Friday hold a free exhibition providing a fascinating snapshot of London in 1753. It will introduce 21st century Londoners to a time when the streets were crowded with animals as well as people; when Mayfair was dotted with lavish houses surrounded by fields, south London hardly existed at all, and Camberwell, Kennington, Belsize Park and Camden were hamlets surrounded by market gardens.