Nottinghamshire Floods - 1947

Summer House in Hall Park, west Bridgford, in 1947

By Jenni Dobson

The finding of four unlabelled images on large sheets of photographic film amongst the effects left by Newark-born Charles Henry Allen prompted research to try identifying where and when they had been taken. Though with a long-standing interest in photography, Charles was an engineer during most of his working life and is highly unlikely to have taken the original photos. It was hoped that research may uncover clues to explain how he came to have these images but that currently remains a mystery.

Curiously these images were positive, not negative, and all showed scenes of major flooding. Two show the same collapsed bridge taken with slightly different exposures. This scene has been identified, by Chris Copp of Staffs. Museums at Shugborough, as the Cavendish bridge at Shardlow, Derbyshire which suffered severe damage during the winter of 1947.

Having determined that they relate to Derbyshire, these images have been offered to that County’s archive. However, the story of that winter, its effect upon the people of Nottinghamshire and including the disruption of north-south traffic due to the collapse of the Cavendish bridge, is told vividly through the following headlines of the Nottingham Evening Post, along with occasional extracts from the newspaper’s columns.
[N.B. Researcher’s comments in bracketed italics.]

Wed Mar 5 1947
NOTTINGHAM’S WORST ROAD AND RAIL HOLD-UP
Workmen Battle All Night In Blizzard To Keep Communications Clear
TROLLEY BUSES IN COLLISION
Highway Blocked For Two Hours
Following in the wake of a blinding blizzard which continued unabated throughout the night, Nottingham today faced its worst road and rail hold-up of the winter. Five inches of snow fell in the 13 hours up to 9a.m., making the seasonal total one of 44 in., the highest figure ever recorded.

Fri Mar 7
Coldest March Night Ever Recorded
NOTTINGHAM’S 23 DEGREES OF FROST  [freezing point 32’ Fahrenheit]
Little Prospect Of Change

Sat Mar 8
NOTTINGHAM TEMPERATURE SOARS TO 42 [degrees Fahrenheit]
Highest Figure Recorded For Six Weeks But Cold Spell Not Yet Over
SECONDARY DEPRESSION RETURNS
Increased Danger of Trent Floods

Mon Mar 10
No Immediate Flood Danger
RISE OF TRENT
Thaw Spreading Over Britain
The River Trent, following the return to milder weather conditions, is on the rise, but there is no immediate danger of any floodings the “Post” is informed.
At 10 a.m. the height of the river was 69 ft. 11 ins. above the summer datum level, representing a rise of 13 inches since noon yesterday. This is not unusual for the time of the year, and an official of the River Trent Catchment Board went so far as to say, “The river is very low indeed.”
A quick thaw, however, could bring about a radical change and those people living in the flood areas have an anxious week ahead.

Tues Mar 11
STEADY RISE OF THE RIVER TRENT
Forty Inches Above Normal Summer Level At Nottingham This Morning
NO FLOOD DANGER AT MOMENT
Yesterday’s thaw in the Midlands has resulted in a steady rise in the River Trent throughout the night, and this morning at Nottingham it was standing at 71 ft. 4 in., or 3 ft. 4 in. above the normal summer level.

Wed Mar 12
Trent Rises Another Foot
THE FROST MAKES A COME BACK
Still More Snow Possible
The River Trent is still rising slowly. At 9 a.m. today it was just 12 inches above the level at the same time yesterday and is 4 ft. 4 ins. above normal summer level.

Thurs Mar 13
HEAVIEST MARCH RAIN FOR 58 YEARS
Threat Of Extensive Flooding In River Trent Danger Zone
1.3 INCHES RECORDED IN 24 HOURS

Fri Mar 14
RAY OF HOPE FOR BRIDGFORD
Trent Flood Peril May Be Removed By Slow Thaw
DAY & NIGHT VIGIL: RIVER RISING SLOWLY
Wilford Precautions: Children Evacuated
IS THE TRENT GOING TO REACH A FLOOD LEVEL WHICH WILL SMASH PREVIOUS RECORDS? THIS IS THE QUESTION UPPERMOST IN THE MINDS OF WEST BRIDGFORD FOLK AND PEOPLE LIVING BETWEEN NOTTINGHAM AND SOUTHWELL AND LONG EATON.

Sat Mar 15
11TH HOUR RESPITE FOR BRIDGFORD
But Immediate Outlook Remains Extremely Critical
TEMPERATURE HOLDS KEY TO THE SITUATION
Water Rising Again At Long Eaton

Mon Mar 17
GALE’S TRAIL OF DEATH AND HAVOC
Reports From Upper Reaches Of The Trent Are Not Reassuring
NOTTINGHAM AREA HIT
Trent Rising An Inch Every Sixty Minutes

Tues Mar 18
SERIOUS SITUATION IN TRENT VALLEY
Extensive Flooding After Exceptionally Heavy Overnight Rainfall
RIVER STILL RISING RAPIDLY
Grim Outlook For Residents Of Bridgford
Following an exceptionally heavy overnight rainfall, and with thousands of acres of deep snow melting quickly in relatively high temperatures, people living in the low-lying areas of the Trent valley face a grave situation today.

Wed Mar 19
WORST FLOODS IN MEMORY
Catastrophic Situation In The Trent Valley
FACTORIES ARE CLOSED, TRANSPORT SUSPENDED
Clifton Colliery Cut Off: Men Are Marooned
Long Eaton’s Plight
PEOPLE LIVING IN BEDROOMS
Dangerous Bulge In Canal Wall
Thousands of people are living in upstairs rooms at Long Eaton, where the flood is described as the worst since 1932, and now covers one third of the town.
[in the same issue, on p.5:]
RESCUE OF MAROONED DUNKIRK COUPLE
An elderly Dunkirk couple, marooned in a bungalow yesterday by the Trent flood, were rescued by three Nottingham City police officers, working in complete darkness as water lapped the bed on which they had taken refuge.

Thurs Mar 20
LEVEL OF RIVER TRENT NOW FALLING
Flood Crisis Past Unless There Is More Heavy Rain
POSITION IN BRIDGFORD STILL CHAOTIC

Fri Mar 21
RAIN RETARDS FALL OF TRENT
North-South Road Cut By Shardlow Bridge Collapse
AS A RESULT OF THE HEAVY RAIN, THE RATE OF THE FALL OF THE TRENT IS NOW AN INCH EVERY TWO HOURS AS AGAINST AN INCH EVERY 1 ½ HOURS EARLY TODAY THE LEVEL WAS THEN 78ft. 7 in. – 14 in. BELOW THE PEAK REACHED ON WEDNESDAY

[A separate item under a photo of Cavendish bridge, caption reads:]
Cavendish bridge as seen by the “Post” camera man after today’s partial collapse.
Traffic Hold-Up At Shardlow
FLOOD DAMAGE TO BRIDGE
Pier Sinks Into River Bed             

 [same date, p.5]
£2000 IN TWO HOURS
Nottingham Flood Relief Appeal
The Lord Mayor of Nottingham’s Flood Relief Appeal topped the £2000 mark in two hours today, several handsome gifts being received.

Sat Mar 22
FLOOD CHAOS OVERTAKES N. NOTTS
Slaughter Of Cattle And Wholesale Evacuation Of Villages
ARMY AMPHIBIANS AT WORK
Hundreds Of Square Miles Inundated

Fri Mar 28
p.5
INSIDE STORY OF NOTTINGHAM FLOOD BATTLE
EIGHTH OF CITY INUNDATED
More Than 4,000 Homes Affected

Tues Apr 1
[foot of page 1, photo, caption below reads:]
Workmen preparing the roadway on the Cavendish Bridge, Shardlow, for the construction of a Bailey bridge over the gap caused by the collapse of one of the archways during the recent flood.
[Later edition, Tues Apr 1:]
WETTEST MARCH ON RECORD
And Coldest Since 1919
[i.e. Wettest March since observations began in Nottingham 80 years ago.]

Thurs Apr 3
[Photo, caption below:]
The “nose” of the Bailey bridge nearly over the gap caused by the collapse of the Cavendish bridge at Shardlow. This part of the bridge is pulled over, taking the bridge proper, which will be three panels high when complete with top bracing and will take a load of 70 tons.
[same day, further down page:]
Nottingham Relief Fund Passes Five Figure Mark
Only 12 days have elapsed since the Lord Mayor of Nottingham launched his fund ….. now standing at £10,296 7s.

Wed Apr 16
[Photo, caption:]
Rowland Avenue, Wilford still a flooded area
[another photo in same edition of a man in a canoe in a back garden.]

Fri Apr 18
BREACHED WEIR CHANGES COURSE OF TRENT
[Photo of Beeston weir, caption reads:]
A panoramic view of the Beeston weir showing : “A” the breach caused by the recent heavy flooding of the Trent, which allowed the river to rush into the right bank “B” which was swept away to a considerable depth, giving the river a new but temporary course. It will be some time before the breach is sealed and navigation resumed.

[Researched by Charles Allen’s daughter]