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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Northumberland => Topic started by: DavidJP on Monday 24 February 14 22:40 GMT (UK)
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Hi all,
Yesterday, whilst rooting around the Northumberland Board, I decided to look at a post about Blyth Railway. Within this thread was a link to some photos of Blyth on flicker, put on there by a fellow Rootschatter. In amongst these were three photos of a flood in Blyth, which happened on 27th October 1900. One of these photos was of Folly Road (now Park road) with a gentleman in a wooden rowing boat in the street! The road & pavement could not be seen!
This particular photo is of great interest to me as my gt gt grandparents George & Alice Hill, with their family including my five & a half year old gt grandmother Isabella Hill were living in Folly Road at the time of this flood.
What caused the flood?
Were they (floods) regular occurrences?
Was there any newspaper reports of this flood?
Any & all information would be fantastic & gratefully received.
Many thanks in advance.
Kind regards
David
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Just had a quick look at the newspapers ... not a lot about Blyth itself - one report (from Blyth) described the floods as "unparalleled in local history" with a man reported as swimming in the main thorougfare and a young lady suffering from Typhoid finding her bed floating away. The cause of the flooding is given as heavy storms in the area.
Most of the newspaper articles appear to copy one another and the same small snippets of information are given in each.
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Hi Falkyrn,
Many thanks for your reply, very much appreciated.
Thanks for that, which newspaper & date was the report in, that you mention?
Kind regards
David
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Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper (London, England), Sunday, October 28, 1900
The Huddersfield Daily Chronicle (West Yorkshire, England), Monday, October 29, 1900
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Hi Falkyrn,
Many thanks for that, very much appreciated.
Kind regards
David
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I think there were some photographs on an earlier thread about Old Blyth of flooding on Bridge Street. It seemed that the River Blyth was more open in those days and sometime rose to road level with very high tides.
I think it was the area where the library and Post Office are, even up to the Police Station.
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1900 fotos of flooding.
http://communities.northumberland.gov.uk/005353FS.htm
http://communities.northumberland.gov.uk/006268FS.htm
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1860 Maps showing centre area of what is modern-day Blyth.
http://communities.northumberland.gov.uk/004891FS.htm
http://communities.northumberland.gov.uk/004890FS.htm
Maps show the tidal area where an underground stream/burn
from the south surfaced near Plessey Waggonway, and was
joined by another coming along what is now Princess Louise Road.
then flowed through the central area, to finally flow into River Blyth
north of today's bus station.
This stream made such a muddy mess of this central area that a bridge
was built in 1815, then replaced by a higher one in 1841, which gave it's
name to Bridge St. Stream got a variety of names, such as Cowpen Slake,
Cowpen Brook, Cowpen Gut, the Flanker.
Much efforts through the years to fill in the void with ballast, eventually
allowed streets to be erected in late 1800s, Union Street, Beaconsfield St etc.
It is alleged that Folly Road got it's name from an entrepreneur's failed attempts
to make a success of installing salt pans on the muddy flats !
The Gut formed a part of the boundary that separated the parishes of Horton (to the left)
and Earsdon ( to the right)
Michael
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Well found Michael!
Perhaps this can be compared to the current floods on the Somerset flats? But obviously the problem was overcome at Blyth. We lived near PL Road and there was no problem with damp.
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Hi TriciaK & Michael,
Many thanks indeed for your replies, very much appreciated indeed.
TriciaK, many thanks for your info, much appreciated & yes the flooding did take in Bridge Street & the library & Post Office area as shown in the photos.
Michael, many thanks indeed for the links, much appreciated. Have had a quick look but will have a more thorough look tomorrow.
The photos in question, that I mentioned in my OP were put on Flicker by fellow Rootschatter Phodgetts. Here is a link to them, the 3 flood photos are on page 1.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51893012@N05/page1/
I hope that its okay to link to another Rootschatters photos here, if not then I apologise to Phodgetts now in advance.
My thanks again for all the kind help and assistance so far. It is very much appreciated indeed.
Kind regards
David
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I have no problem with you linking to them. I am very glad that people get to see the pictures, that is the whole point of them being put there. Enjoy.
One of the problems with the lay of the land at Blyth is that the town centre is more or less at the high water mark and there is a 'hump' of land between the centre and the river, so it is possible to have dry land between the river and the centre whilst the centre is flooded!
In 1900 there was heavy continuous rain and sleet for 18 hours beforehand which swelled the river, there was an unusually high tide and also storm surge. Hence Blyth as had happen before and since 1900 (it also happened 17 December 1921) was inundated.
A huge flood defense scheme was erected about 1976 / 77. I think most all of the streams and culverts along the river were given one way sluice gates so water cannot backup into the town, there are also two huge pump houses which shift enormous amounts of water back into the river as and when required, one can be seen by the gas storage tank in the heart of the town, and the other one is up by the site of the Golden Fleece. Someone a little while ago asked about photographs of the scheme when it was being built, since a lot of the town centre and roads were dug up at the time. No pictures have come to light yet.
P
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I forgot to mention that the 1900 flooding was the first time the 'new' Blyth steam powered fire engine was used to pump water out of shops and cellars.
Also if you get opportunity to look, there are pictures of the flooding on page 16 of the Images of England, Blyth vol 2 book. ISBN 0 7524 3349 0
I did a quick search "Blyth Flood" at the British Newspaper Archive and a number of items turned up besides the 1900 event.
P
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Bridge Street got flooded 28 June 2012, so at times it is still an ongoing problem.
Film footage of the flooding can be found on Y*oTube
P
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I recall as a lad when we lived on Princess Louise Road in the sixties opposite the bus garage (now the flats) we seemed to regularly get flooded; and not with the nicest of water :( :( !
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Hi Phodgetts & Fremund,
Many thanks for your replies, very much appreciated.
Phodgetts, many thanks for all the info, will also take a look at the book that you mention & am relieved that there is no problem linking to your flicker photos, very much enjoyed looking at them. The few photos of Blyth Railway Station in particular as I had never seen the station! My first recollections are from when Prestos Supermarket was on the site, if i've got it right! ;D
Fremund, I know Princess Louise Road fairly well as my gt grandmother lived there for a time & also a lady that I always knew as just an aunty but was just an old family friend rather then family who lived next door to my gt grandmother. I can't ever remember it flooding myself but then not living in Blyth and only visiting reasonably regularly over the last forty years may have something to do with that! ;D
My apologies for the delay in responding, been a little busy over the last few days.
Kind regards
David
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For your interest DavidJP, my latest acquisition of the 1900 flood featuring Folly Road, Blyth. Enjoy.
P
https://www.flickr.com/photos/51893012@N05/39190222614/in/album-72157641931957224/
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Hi Phodgetts,
Many thanks indeed for that, very much appreciated.
Fantastic photo, incredibly clear too. Is that looking towards Bridge Street or would Bridge Street be behind the photographer?
My thanks again.
Kind regards
David
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Interesting photos Phodgetts (as usual).
I think I've heard about this flood before, and I wonder whether it would have been fresh water, or salt water from the sea?
If salt, it could have been more corrosive.
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Hi Phodgetts,
Many thanks indeed for that, very much appreciated.
Fantastic photo, incredibly clear too. Is that looking towards Bridge Street or would Bridge Street be behind the photographer?
My thanks again.
Kind regards
David
Folly Road is now called Park Road, and the view is looking south. This is the view on modern mapping today;
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.1231709,-1.5030742,3a,89.6y,340.67h,83.56t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sUrCqHMsV2DH9mw5X-2RZnA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en
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Hi Phodgetts,
Hi Phodgetts,
Many thanks indeed for that, very much appreciated.
Fantastic photo, incredibly clear too. Is that looking towards Bridge Street or would Bridge Street be behind the photographer?
My thanks again.
Kind regards
David
Folly Road is now called Park Road, and the view is looking south. This is the view on modern mapping today;
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.1231709,-1.5030742,3a,89.6y,340.67h,83.56t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sUrCqHMsV2DH9mw5X-2RZnA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en
Many thanks for the link, am now correctly oriented! ;D Had confused myself as had been thinking about Freehold Street, where the family had lived before! ::) They moved to Folly Road/Park Road in about 1895 a few months after my gr grandmother was born.
My thanks again.
Kind regards
David
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There are articles in the Whitley Seaside Chronicle & Visitors' Gazette about this. This was a weekly newspaper. One in the edition dated November 3 1900, is quite long and detailed and is entitled:
'Disastrous Floods
Exciting Scenes'
This article records the mayhem this natural disaster seems to have caused in all parts of the region - not just Blyth. I would recommend contacting the North Shields local studies in the library to obtain a copy of this article. It makes for a most interesting read.
Part of this very long article records that several deaths were reported and ... 'People had to be rescued by means of ladders and boats, while at Blyth (Northumberland) a man was able to swim in the main thoroughfare.' ...I
A previous edition dated October 27, 1900 has an article about the floods at Morpeth and the transference of families to the Isolation hospital.
There is an article re floods in Tynemouth area in edition November 3 1901.
Perhaps you might like to contact the North Shields library, local studies department to enquire if they could send you photocopies as this is where the paper is kept on microfilm. The first article I have mentioned is long and gives a lot of detail about the impact of the floods all around this local area.
There is also an article specifically about the floods in the Blyth area in the Shields Daily News dated October 27 1900. Another edition - October 29 1900 records that the last of the flood at Blyth abated during the night. However, it also records that a rescuer who was a cartman was subsequently been found drowned at Newsham in Blyth and also that the damage is incalculable and that many families were imprisoned due to the floods.
This paper is also on microfilm at the library. You may also perhaps be able to view this on British Newspaper Archive.
Best Wishes :)
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Hi River Tyne Lass,
Many thanks for that, very much appreciated indeed.
I will definitely look to get copies of the articles that you mention.
My thanks again.
Kind regards
David