Lynmouth Floods

The Lynmouth Flood Disaster - On 15 and 16 August 1952, a storm of tropical intensity broke over south-west England, depositing 229 mm of rain within 24 hours on an already waterlogged Exmoor. Debris-laden floodwaters cascaded down the northern escarpment of the moor, converging upon the village of Lynmouth. A guest at the Lyndale Hotel described the night:

"From seven o'clock last night the waters rose rapidly and at nine o'clock it was just like an avalanche coming through our hotel, bringing down boulders from the hills and breaking down walls, doors and windows. Within half an hour the guests had evacuated the ground floor. In another ten minutes the second floor was covered, and then we made for the top floor where we spent the night."

The 1952 Lynmouth floods

The 1952 Lynmouth floods

The 1952 Lynmouth floods

The 1952 Lynmouth floods

The 1952 Lynmouth floods

Lynmouth

Overnight, over 100 buildings were destroyed or seriously damaged along with 29 bridges, and 38 cars were washed out to sea. In total, 34 people died, with a further 420 made homeless. Similar events had previously been recorded at Lynmouth in 1607 and 1796. After the 1952 disaster, the village was rebuilt, with major efforts made to ensure that the catastrophe would not be repeated. These included the diversion of the river around the village. In 2001, a BBC Radio 4 featured suggestions that the events of 1952 were connected to government cloud seeding (cloud seeding is the attempt to change the amount or type of precipitation that falls from the sky) experiments being conducted in southern England at the time. There does not presently seem to be any direct evidence to support such allegations, but conspiracy theories have been fuelled by rumours of missing or destroyed government documents relating to the experiments.

During the 24 hours of Friday August 15th 1952 more than 225 mm of rain fell on the Chains, the catchment area for most of Exmoor’s main rivers. It was one of the three highest daily rainfalls recorded in Britain during the last hundred years. Most of the rain fell during the afternoon and evening. And the flood came during the night.

It had been a wet summer. The peaty soil was already saturated and could absorb no more. The rivers were full and during the storm every stream and rivulet became a torrent which poured off the moor in a raging flood. To the south the Barle uprooted trees, carried away the huge stones at Tarr Steps and flooded Simonsbath to a depth of ten feet. At Dulverton the river rose twenty feet above normal and there and at Exford there was widespread flooding. The flood carried all the way down the Exe to Tiverton and Exeter. To the north west all the water poured into the narrow, steep-sided valleys of the East and West Lyn river. The rushing rivers became torrents bearing boulders, tree trunks and other debris in a remorseless flood towards the sea. In the narrow sections of the valleys and behind bridges this debris formed dams. Floodwater built up behind them until they eventually burst and huge surges of water poured down the valleys.

Near the confluence of the East and West Lyn river in the holiday village of Lynmouth the course of the West Lyn river had been constricted by narrow bridges and embankments. A bridge became blocked with debris and the river took a new course, sweeping away the tightly packed houses and hotels that had been built on the flood plain. It was a night of fear and of heroism. In the morning the full extent of the devastation began to be realised. 34 people had lost their lives in the Exmoor area. Lynmouth lay under tonnes of debris and many buildings were destroyed or beyond repair. The sea wall was badly damaged; nineteen boats had disappeared from the harbour and 38 cars had been lost without trace, swept out to sea. Roads had been undermined and bridges swept away. Electricity and telephone links had been lost during the night. Sewers and water supplies were totally disrupted.

The whole town had to be evacuated as clearing up and rebuilding operations began. The emergency services, including the army and Police, were engaged for a month in the first phase of reconstruction. Donations to the Emergency Fund totalled more than £500,000 (£10m at today’s values) in just a few weeks. Measures were taken to make sure that if it were humanly possible such a disaster should not occur again in Lynmouth. A new wider course for the East Lyn was created with high walls and an overflow area, while the West Lyn river was re-channelled to the south of its pre-flood course.

A new street was built as a buffer between river and buildings, and bridges with wider spans and higher arches were built. On the moor the predecessors of the Environment Agency took on the responsibility of maintaining rivers and making sure that water courses were kept clear of debris. In 1960, when river levels rose to similar heights, all was well.

On August 15th 1952, thirty-four men, women, and children perished, and Lynmouth lost sixty properties when each river was transformed into a raging torrent that devastated the little resort The event is recognised as Britain's worst river disaster.
Over 9 inches (230 mm) of rain falling in 24 hours on the high ground of Exmoor transformed its trickling streams into thundering rapids. Many newly created waterways poured down the hillsides into the already swollen Lyn Rivers.There was nowhere for the floodwater to disperse as the swollen rivers thundered down steep narrow and high-sided valleys at an ever increasing speed towards the helpless village.The maelstrom wrenched large trees from the hillside that collected with telephone poles, boulders, and even motorcars which all blocked against the river bridges. Under tremendous pressure, the dams gave way. Surges of water up to 30 ft (9.2 m) high were released to overwhelm an already ravaged village.

This is the view form Lynmouth Bridge looking down towards the sea and Harbour It was this river that caused so much damage in the terrible floods of 1952.

In Middleham at the top of the village a row of 10 cottages were swept away entirely by the East Lyn River with the loss of three elderly residents. Only die cottage gardens remain as a memorial.When four houses collapsed into the West Lyn river at Barbrook twelve people including four holidaymakers were drowned.The same river overflowed and diverted
leaving 8,000 tons of boulders in the centre of Lynmouth and a shop, house, chapel, and filling station disappeared. Over 114,000 tons of debris lay around the village after the rivers had subsided.Today, it is hard to imagine that die river reached the roof of Shelley's Hotel.

The Rhenish Tower that had withstood winter storms since 1832 vanished along with the harbour walls. A replica tower erected in 1954 was the only building to be replaced after the flood. Picture postcards were used to guide the rebuilding, as no plans existed of the original structure. Nearly all the buildings you see in the village today are survivors, only six having been built since 1952.

After the flood, Lynmouth was redesigned to cope if die 15 million tons of water that had swept through die village should ever recur.The Lyn Rivers are now three times wider and 10 ft (3.07 m) deeper. Riverside Road was built on die old Lyn River bed to act as a flood barrier and give easier access to the esplanade and harbour area. Before the flood, only narrow Lynmouth Street (now pedestrianised) served the lower end of the resortA flood plain to contend with excess water flowing from die West Lyn river is sited alongside die Lyn River opposite Riverside Road. Vulnerable buildings near where die rivers meet were demolished and site replaced by Lyndale car park

It was feared by many that Lynmouth would lose its identity after the necessary reconstruction. Thankfully, those fears have proved unfounded, for the village retains its essence and unique beauty. For good reason, Lynton and Lynmouth are one of only three areas in Britain designated 'an area of serene tranquillity'.

Details of the flood can be viewed in Lynmoudi Flood Memorial Hall opposite die harbour. Contemporary photographs, memorabilia, and a scale model of Lynmouth as it appeared before the flood is on display. The hall is open from Easter until theend of October and is open every day from 10am. Entry is free.

A new edition of The Lynmouth Flood Disaster' by local author Tim Prosser is available from local retailers

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1516880.stm

The worst post-war flooding disaster in Britain took place in the North Devon village of Lynmouth in August 1952 and speculation over the cause of the flooding has raged ever since the tragedy happened. More than 50 years later questions are still being asked about this shocking disaster. The flooding occurred after 9ins/230mm of rain fell in 24 hours, the downpour caused, a raging torrent in the steep, narrow valleys leading into Lynmouth, to surge down from Exmoor bursting forth creating massive walls of water that carried huge boulders into the village. In all 34 people were killed, 39 buildings collapsed, 4 main road bridges were swept away and hundreds were left homeless. The normally picturesque holiday village was evacuated as the army were drafted in to begin clearing up the devastation. The Queen sent a message of sympathy, local policeman, Derek Harper, was awarded the George Medal for the part he played in rescuing people from the flood and 13 other local people received bravery awards.
In 2001, an investigation discovered that classified documents on secret experiments had gone missing, survivors had told of how the air smelled of sulphur on the day of the floods and that the rain was so hard, it hurt people's faces. Fresh evidence was unearthed about the alleged experiment, including RAF logbooks and personal testimony, however the Ministry of Defence denied any knowledge of the so-called 'cloud-seeding' experiments during early August 1952. On the 50th anniversary of the disaster a special memorial service was held with a wooden cross being erected overlooking the river in memory of the victims. Contemporary photographs and a scale model of the village at the time of the flood are on display in Lynmouth Flood Memorial Hall.

Contributed by: Julie Ward, Alan Keene