Sea
Floods Burton Bradstock in 1951
In 1951, during a winter gale, the tide broke over
the beach at Burton Freshwater. The sea came pouring
across Bunny Lenthall’s water-meadows and
into the village of Burton Bradstock. It flooded
the road and low-lying cottages.
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Snow
hit Burton Bradstock badly in February 1978 |
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| The third week in
February, 1978. Gale force winds brought
the heaviest fall of snow that South West England
had known since 1963. Burton Bradstock,
Shipton Gorge, Puncknowle and other villages were
cut off and isolated from each other.
The only means of communication was by telephone
(if the lines were not down), or by foot (if you
could get a snowed-up door open) slogging over the
drifts.
The farmers did a fine job in clearing paths to
their cattle and, since no milk lorries could get
through to the farms, what milk was not poured down
the drains, was put into (new and clean) plastic
dustbins and brought by tractor to the centre of
the village where grateful villagers queued up with
jugs, bottles etc..
After nearly five days confined to the house, all
were so pleased to be able to get out that a local
coffee morning in aid of the Arthritic& Rheumatism
Research Council was attended by a large crowd who
generously subscribed £65!! |
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| Click on a picture for a more detailed
image. |
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| Cliff
Road February 1978 |
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| Further
up Cliff Road the snow was even worse |
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| Coast
Road |
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| High
Street in the snow on 2nd February, 1978 |
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| The
eastern end of the High Street |
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| Shipton
Lane in the snow on 1st February, 1978 |
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| And
on the 2nd February in Shipton Lane |
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| Even
“The Drain” between Annings Lane and
Grove Road was hit |
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| The
River Bride didn't quite freeze over |
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From Tony Legg |
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| Shadrach
blocked by the Anchor |
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From Tony Legg |
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| Barr
Lane |
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From Tony Legg |
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| Cliff
Road |
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From Tony Legg |
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| Help
at last! |
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From Tony Legg |
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| And
in 1963 - Icicles on The Retreat |
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| Close
up of icicles 1963 |
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| Main
Weymouth Road |
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From Veronica Young |
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| Veronica
Young in her front garden |
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From Veronica Young |
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| Hive
Close |
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From Veronica Young |
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And
flooding was always a problem -
as
can be seen from these pictures from 1949
(Photographs
provided by Tony Legg) |
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| What
with flooding...and the cattle!
(Note high wall & low sign opposite the pub) |
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| Harold
Greenham, landlord of the Three Horseshoes, looking
for customers? |
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| Greenwich
Corner was flooded once again |
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| Pedestrians
wondering how to get through |
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| Fortunately,
the bus got through |
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so did the lorry |
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| This
is when tractors come into their own! |
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And flooding was always a problem – as can be seen from
these pictures from 1955 |
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| Greenwich
Corner |
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| High
Street from the Forge |
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| A
group wondering how to get to the pub |
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| And
the playing fields were also under water |
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And
again in 1979 - On 30th May, 1979,
fifteen months after the heavy snows, as a result
of only one nights’ rain, large areas of Dorset,
including Burton Bradstock, suffered severe flooding.
Luckily a visitor had a dinghy on his roof rack
and he spent the day providing a ferry between Cheney’s
garage and The Anchor. |
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| No
cream teas at Manor Farm today? |
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| Floods
seen from the coast road |
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| People
came to see |
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| It
even reached the garage |
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| Flooding
at the garage |
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| Boating
in the High Street!! |
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| Wading
down the High Street |
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| Tractor
and breakdown truck came to help |
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| Wonder
what they’re looking at?? |
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| The
sign was right! |
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