History
Stormy Weather at St. Neots
By Peter Ibbett
Around a decade ago scientists pondering the carbon dioxide increase in the atmosphere predicted an increase in global temperatures with a rise in mild winters and more storms and flooding mixed with occasional harsher cold snaps. But our Victorian ancestors had to deal with their own climate changes which caused much more local impact than we suffer today. One letter to the local paper in 1894 looked back into Georgian times:- “Dear Sir, The floods now affording so much amusement to the young are a source of great anxiety to those who experience loss of property, and know the after consequences. How few of the old inhabitants are now living who remember the flood of 1823. The dining room of the house in which you now reside was then one foot deep in water, and up to the middle of the fireplace. Mr William Foster Sen. then lived there and kept his deeds in a lower drawer in his private secretary. These are now in my possession and many of the old deeds are illegible. The Old Meeting was 18 inches deep in water and the (parish) church about a foot,
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and as the flood happened on a Sunday no services were held.” It makes recent overflowings of the Hen Brook seem trivial! The work of the Environment Agency now regulates the flow of the Great Ouse in ways that were not possible in the past. An entry in the St Neots Boys’ School Log Book for 3rd October 1880 stated:- “School closed on account of floods, water in nearly every street. Omnibus could not run to the station in the evening as the water reached the knees of the inside passengers.” Thanks to the St. Neots History Society Newsletter and Rodney Todman for the quotes. Hopefully St. Neots will still be flood free in 2020 and you will be able to visit the award winning local Museum, which has a full and varied programme of exhibitions and events for the whole family. It also has a shop with a wide range of items not available elsewhere in the town. Entry is free for locals. Please check its web site for information and also how you can become involved in the work of the ‘Best Small Museum in Cambridgeshire 2019’, either as a Volunteer or a Trustee.
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