On June 24th 1897, Marlow was planning to continue their celebrations of Queen Victoria's Jubilee. They did not expect to be dodging falling trees or the scattered glass of blown in windows at All Saints. The storm unleashed on our town is chiefly remembered generally for the giant unseasonal hailstones, and locally for the damage done to the steeple of the church. But when reading contemporary eye witness accounts it's hard to disagree with those who consider the storm may in fact have been a minor cyclone.
There have of course been many gales in Marlow history. In January 1840 for example, the roof of the stabling at Court Garden was damaged by a large ornamental elm tree torn up by it's roots and deposited on the building. It was one of several large trees in the park to suffer the same fate that day, and they were joined by a pair of old poplar trees at Remnantz. In the summer of 1846, Marlow featured in national newspapers after becoming one of several places to suffer a summer storm complete with hailstones "more akin to pebbles."
The 1897 storm hit Marlow at 6pm on a Thursday. The South Bucks Standard said it was one of the most violent on record. Torrential rain and deafening thunder thankfully saw those outside run for shelter before the worst hit.
The Rev Whittingstall was in All Saints conducting a service. Those in attendance commented on the dark looking sky looming above as they entered. Heavy rain was followed by hail that rattled the windows so much that the poor Reverend could no longer make himself heard. He finally abandoned the service when one of the hailstones broke a window and sent glass showering down onto the book he was reading from. Although national reports say several windows were blown in, the local press say the stained glass ones at least escaped with minor damage only. The windows on the south side were peppered with small holes however. Quite a lot of rain did get in, and the congregation bunched together where they could stay driest. It is a miracle no one was hurt, as the stone pinnacles of the West and East corners of the steeple came crashing down, one falling through the tower, narrowly missing the spot just vacated by the Sexton. The other, falling inwards, came to rest precariously on the tower. Unsurprisingly the cross on top of the steeple was said to be "somewhat displaced".
Those who saw the storm through a window described in as "an angry, roaring, hissing mist which whirled and swept along carrying all before it." All reports mention the deafening noise, and the fact the "devastation" wreaked was over a relatively narrow path. It is this which we probably have to thank for the fact no one was killed, although injuries to both persons and livestock occured. In Marlow, the storms path seems to have followed the River Thames for a while, more or less. This was obviously unfortunate for the riverside church, but also for those who had gathered on the cricket field off Pound Lane. It is said the field went from a pleasant grassy field to a "roaring field of water" within 2-3 minutes. It was worse on the river itself. The water was seen to rise several feet in height and the lock gates were blown open. A steamer was inside the lock at the time. Although those on board were severely shaken, it was considered incredible the vessel had not been destroyed rather than just badly damaged. Those at the cricket ground were delayed getting home as Pound Lane had been left a maze of branches that temporarily made the way impassable.
An estimated 18 large elm trees were uprooted, at Court Garden and Remnantz again, amongst other places and there were numerous other smaller trees lost. Fruit crops were also affected. In the county of Essex, which was probably worst hit overall, entire fields of wheat, oats and barley were swept away and crops of vegetables reduced to a pulp.
The local nature of the damage meant those celebrating the Jubilee with sports at Little Marlow were able to take shelter safely in a very large tent erected for the occasion of a linked communal dinner. They were able to continue their sports a little after, unaware of the damage experienced in Marlow just a few miles away, although the programme was reduced. One end of Glade Road saw the vegetation trashed, the other was unscathed. The allotment gardens around Marefield also escaped untouched.
The steeple was already damaged prior to the whirlwind, as it was soon described. One of the other pinnacles were said to have already been lost, and the parapet was decayed. A London engineer and expert in church spire restoration, Mr J S Morris, was called down to make a full assessment of the damage. He was accompanied to the top of the spire by churchwarden and enthusiastic mountaineer Francis O Wethered. Their verdict was not encouraging. An extensive fissure was seen at the top and the whole was considered to be in a very dangerous condition. It was immediately decided that the church bells could not be rung until significant repairs were made in case the vibrations created bought the whole lot down. So a fund was started to make good the damage and also change the appearance of the steeple to make it more attractive. The progress of this fund was reported in adverts over the next few years, with the names of donors usually attached. There was also a collection box affixed to the church door for those who preferred anonymous donations. The restoration work was completed in the June of 1900. The steeple now had 8 pinnacles at the base. Many considered this a big improvement. So perhaps some good came of this storm.
Related Posts
Marlow floods of the past here
Skating and snowballs - winter in old Marlow here
Other posts about the parish church, the river, other jubilee celebrations and life in old Marlow in general can be found in an index here
Researched and written by Kathryn Day.
Sources include:
South Bucks Standard 2 July 1897, 06 January 1899, 24 June 1900 - British Library Archive, accessed via the BNA.
Information on the hail stones provided by Jane Pullinger with thanks, and on the damage to trees of Remnantz by Alan Day.
Meteorological Record 1897 - (The Meteological Office 1897)
©Marlow Ancestors