A Severe Swansea Snowstorm❄️

Good morning, Swansea!

This year’s winter in South West Wales has been unusually mild, but things couldn’t have been more different way back in 1895.

I try not to make a habit of sharing articles word for word, but this one stood out more than most - a firsthand account with vivid anecdotes, humour, and even poetry(!), from a Swansea winter so severe it brought everyday life to a standstill - and a snapshot of local life from 130 years ago.

Oh, and some old, snowy photos of Swansea - jut not 1895-old 🙂

Have a lovely Christmas and I’ll catch you on Sunday!

Andrew

P.S. Know someone else who’d enjoy the Scoop? Please forward this email to them and ask them to subscribe here 🙂

(Swansea Journal and South Wales Liberal - Saturday 02 February 1895)

“Old inhabitants of Swansea declare that there has been no snowstorm equal in duration and severity to that which was experienced at Swansea during the past three days for nearly half a century — that which approaches it most closely being the great storm of ’51 — the year of the Crimean War.

The flakes began to fall on Friday night, and they came down with such persistency that on Saturday — thanks to the accompaniment of a pretty sharp frost — the roads were rendered almost impassable, and vehicular traffic was carried on under very great difficulties. The trams had to stop altogether, and though Mr. Sugrue tried to minimise the inconvenience that Morriston people suffered by quickly organising a service of three-horse ’busses, the comfort of the suburban residents was materially interfered with.

At intervals through Saturday night, and again, with great force on Sunday afternoon, the snow fell until in some of the sheltered streets it formed a layer of half-a-foot, whilst in more exposed places a much greater depth was registered.

For boys on snowballing bent the storm offered, of course, an opportunity for diversion not to be missed, but pedestrianism was rendered decidedly unpleasant and, as a consequence, attendance at the various places of worship was seriously diminished.

The last heavy fall of snow in the district was six years ago — almost to the very week — but that was much milder than the present, and less severe than the storm of January 17–21, 1881, when a blizzard heaped up the snow in the Stroud Valley to such an extent that traffic on the Great Western Railway was seriously interfered with and the company mulcted in a loss of nearly a quarter of a million.

It will no doubt sound strange to a good many people to be told that there is an Australian family in Swansea who had never seen snow in their lives before. Their impression had been that it was like salt; and they were naturally pleased to see

They possibly like it less now that they have seen its transformation into slush.

The attendance has fallen so low that the teachers of several schools, acting on the discretion which the Education Department allows them, have closed the schools temporarily, for the double reason that the conditions present such danger to the health of the little ones, and that the attendance is as low as one-fourth of the number on the registers.

As an indication of how the severe weather tells upon the human frame, it may be stated that of the Swansea Police Force there are at present about a dozen constables on the sick list, whilst the local post and telegraph offices are minus the services of about twenty officials through illness.

There were 116 men engaged in clearing the snow from the streets of Swansea and St. Thomas on Wednesday. Out of these 49 were extra men, specially engaged for the work. No less than 35 horses and carts were engaged in removing the snow to the various places of deposit.”

Hope you enjoyed this journey back in time!

Catch you on Sunday!

Andrew.

✅ Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up

📧 Want to advertise your business to our audience of over 7,500 newsletter subscribers and 40,000+ on social media? Reply to this e-mail or contact us at [email protected]