1932 Dec 18th Flood
Waterloo Bridge, High Sand Lane, Main Street ‘a foot from ceilings’

Main Street 23 Globe Hotel horse and cart gets through flood possibly 1931 or 1932

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1932 Dec 18th Flood Waterloo (Barrel) Bridge High Sand Lane Main Street ‘a foot from ceilings’

Flooding occurred after three days of almost continuous rain with a fall of 4 inches in the Keswick area and more than double that in the Borrowdale valley. Nearly 3 inches fell in one day at Keswick and 6 inches in Borrowdale. In Borrowdale it was said to be the highest flood for 36 years (Cumberland News) and more generally the Carlisle Journal reported that the floods were the most extensive experienced for over 40 years in the area between Keswick and the coast.

Low-lying land between Thirlmere and Keswick was inundated as Thirlmere overflowed. The Greta at Keswick threatened to overflow but it fell short by a few inches and there was no serious flooding there.

With the highest rainfall over Borrowdale, Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite were said to be the biggest and highest ever known having become one lake The water was up to the edge of the pathway down to Friar’s Crag. Boat landings and sheds and their contents were washed into the lake. The boathouse on Derwent Island was almost submerged. Downstream, the River Derwent overflowed at Portinscale Bridge and at Braithwaite Bridge and in the main road in both places was 2 to 3 feet under water.

The main damage was done however downstream at Cockermouth from the sequential effects of the Derwent and Cocker. The Cocker rose rapidly on Friday 16th, then subsided but later rose again to a peak around 0400 on 17th, flowing over the Barrel Bridge and into the houses on High Sand Lane. During the 17th the Derwent started to rise and between 2300 on 17th and 0100 on 18th it overflowed and rushed down streets finishing up with 3 feet of water at the junction of Main Street and Sand Lane. The Main Street was inundated to a depth of 2 feet for 300 yards. It was in the Globe Hotel to a depth of 8 inches. In side streets and alleys over 100 houses were completely isolated, and in some ‘it was barely a foot from the ceilings of the kitchens and parlours’. ‘It went up Lindsey’s yard and Irving’s court like a torrent’ . In the thoroughfare behind Main Street on the banks of the Derwent, water flowed like a millrace and inhabitants were confined to upper rooms. Houses in High Sand Lane and Waterloo Street were flooded to half way up their windows.

Two hundred people in the area known as The Goat were marooned. Sandair cricket field was under water eight feet deep and the rugby field was little better. All roads into the town were impassable for more than an hour.

Four photographs which appeared in the Cumberland News are reproduced as Figure 3. Two photographs from Bradbury (1995) show the River Cocker again overtopping the Barrel bridge are reproduced as Figure 4 and 5. Figures 6, 7 and 8 (again from Bradbury, 1995) show Cockermouth Main Street looking towards the Mayo statue, a fisherman in the Main Street and the River Cocker taking a short cut down South Street, looking towards Quaker Bridge.

Although both Cocker and Derwent caused flooding it was the effects of the River Derwent which were more serious during this event.

The river Derwent caused damage to land and property in the Great Broughton district, inundating several hundred acres of land. A house at the Penny Bridge Great Broughton was surrounded and the road from Great Broughton to the main Cockermouth Workington road was impassable at Stoneybeck Lane. The roads from Great Broughton to Ribton and Camerton were also flooded several feet deep in places. At Carr Meadow the footpath to Camerton Parish Church had water spread over 100 yards. At Salmon Hall the water reached the top of the railway fencing. At Workington it inundated the Mill Field and flooded houses in Park View to a depth of one foot.

Flooding also occurred in Carlisle from the River Eden but more unusually also at the Maryport suburb of Grasslot from a small channel. Sixty houses and several shops were flooded and only two streets were unaffected. Floods were unknown there to ‘all residents under 40 years of age’.

Record of Floods in Cockermouth – Cockermouth History

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Main Street 23 Globe Hotel horse and cart gets through flood 1931 or 1932 p2
Main Street 23 Globe Hotel horse and cart gets through flood possibly 1931 or 1932
Main Street 37 Brown Cow 39 plumber 41 Huntsman 43 Appletree Nov flood 1932 p2
Main Street 37 Brown Cow Hotel 39 was McKay plumber (now Health food shop) 41 Huntsman Hotel (now Hunters bar) 43 Appletree Hotel (renamed Wordsworth Hotel now WestLakesRecruit.co.uk). Observe on the right is the signpost from Station Street was washed to this point in the flood November 1932
Main Street 37 Brown Cow flood bus gets through clock tower demolished 1932 p2
Main Street 37 Brown Cow Hotel was a Workington Brewery hotel, one of the few, if only, that were not Jennings. On the end wall is written Peel which is John Peel ales which Workington Brewery sold. In this flood the bus gets through around the clock tower which was demolished in August 1932 and the flood in 1932 was in November so this photo is of the 1931 flood.
Main Street 38 Parker stationery 40 Elsie Ray 42 Timothy Whites Chemist road sign in flood 1932 p2
Main Street 38 Parker stationery 40 Elsie Ray 42 Timothy Whites Chemist. Behind the man wading in the flood is a shop adjacent to Martins Bank (now Barclay), this shop was Walter Wilson’s first shop in Cockermouth before expanding left and later moving to Lowther Went before closing. Note the road sign in the flood. Date worked out because in August 1932 the clock tower was removed, so this is winter of 1932
Main Street 41 Huntsman 43 Appletree became Wordsworth Station Street signpost Nov flood 1932 p2
Main Street flood 41 Huntsman Hotel 43 Appletree Hotel later renamed Wordsworth after Wordsworth tavern demolished to widen Sullart Street. Note the road sign had been moved by the force of the flood from bottom of Station Street where it temporarily replaced the clock tower that had been demolished in 1932 before a stone plinth for the signpost was built. November flood 1932
Main Street 42 Taylors Chemist 44 National Provincial Bank 46 Martins baker flood Nov 1932 p2
Main Street 42 Taylors chemist before it became Timothy Whites then New Bookshop ; High Sand Lane; 44 National Provincial Bank became various shops numbered 46; 46 Martins baker became 48 Fish chips; TSB now 50 Waugh & Musgrave; 48 Irving became Oak Tree charity; 54 Harris Ward became Greggs baker; 52 Rydiard and 54 Miss Straughton. To date this flood, note the removal of the clock tower was in August 1932 and a temporary road sign of a wooden finger post was put where the stanchions in the road are in this photo, and the flood washed the temporary wooden sign away as shown in the photo: Main Street 37 Brown Cow Hotel
Main Street 51 now Fagans flood looking west floods in 1931 and 1932 p2
Main Street 51 now Fagans flood looking west. It is possible that the shop on the left of 51 is 49 Higgins family tobacconist and confectionery. There were floods in 1931 and in 1932
Main Street 54 Harris Ward 52 George Rydiard shoes 50 George Irving records radios flood 1932 p2
Main Street 54 Harris Ward 52 George Rydiard shoes 50 George Irving records and radios. 54 later became Northern Rock Building Society and is now Greggs baker. 52 was George Rydiard shoes which became Dennis Pattinson shoes (see Main Street 56 58) and is now the animal charity shop. 50 George Irving has an advert to sell records and wireless sets including the new Portable Wireless Set but in 1931 the “portable battery” Advert 1931. Flood 1932
Main Street 56 Lothian Straughton now Boots Kings Arms Lane clock Mayo flood 1931 1932 p2
Main Street 56 Railings round Mayo were removed in 1940. On right is Lothion and Straughton in the building that was later demolished and replaced with a new building for Boots chemist. Note the arch to Kings Arms Lane and the clock on the wall outside Croasdell chemist. Note roof sign for Mayo furnishing and the small size of trees. Flood 1931 or 1932
Main Street 56 public clock flood railings around Mayo statue before flood 1932 p2
Main Street flood. On the right is the archway entrance to Kings Arms Lane. Note the large clock on the wall above 64 Main Street at a time when few people could afford expensive watches. The railings around Mayo statue were removed in 1940. flood 1931 or 1932

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