As it probably always has done, the state of the weather remains a constant pre-occupation, made worse of course by increasingly dire climate change predictions. It all has to be processed into our daily lives.
Historical weather ‘events’ captured the imagination too but relied of course upon slower methods of reporting than we now take for granted. The local press really came into its own on such occasions. The Wilts & Glos Standard, the town’s weekly paper since 1837, was its voice of record especially when events such as snowstorms or flooding proved to be spectacular. With luck a local photographer was quick off the mark too, and some fascinating images resulted.
So it was in the last days of April in 1908 when a heavy snowstorm was unexpected so very late in the winter cycle. In looking back, Google lets rip, describing it as ‘one of the most outrageous weather events April has ever given us.’ Four days of heavy snow hit many parts of southern Britain from 23-26 April, while Scotland and northern England endured unprecedentedly severe night frosts.
For the technically-minded, several present-day websites lay out the details. Philip Eden in the WeatherOnLine website calls it ‘the worst April can do’ as a ‘phenomenal blizzard’ raged all day on the 25th across Wessex, the Thames Valley and much of the Midlands, with Berkshire and Oxfordshire badly affected. In Oxford itself a snow depth up to 42cm was recorded. The Daily Echo, as the local paper in Southampton, published a striking series of photographs from around the city. It was extremely cold and not surprisingly Cirencester and the Cotswolds was very much caught up in all that too.
In its issue of 02 May 1908 the Standard was in reflective mood. It expressed the hope that ‘the snow and frost which were general throughout the country last week will be the culminating point in a singularly cold and trying spring.’ More genial conditions were now expected after six or eight weeks of low temperatures, biting winds, and intermittent showers of cold rain or sleet.
With as ever one eye on its readership, the paper shared the concerns of the local farming community, and an insight into what mattered at this important stage of the farming year: ‘field operations, which had been making good progress, were interrupted at a critical moment. The drilling of corn had been all but finished, the planting of potatoes well advanced, and the preparation and seeding the mangel land in full swing.’ So, more inconvenience than disaster perhaps.
There were also memories of two earlier heavy snow ‘events’, then still remembered. The ‘Severe Weather’ of 18 January 1881 allowed the reporters to wax lyrical and at length about freezing conditions, sufficient to allow skaters to turn out in some numbers on frozen fields at Thames Head, along the Thames & Severn Canal at Siddington and most welcome of all to allow townspeople to enjoy access to the lake in Lord Bathurst’s park.
In mid-February 1888 the ‘great snowstorm’ brought snow levels deeper than in 1881. Travel and deliveries were disrupted. What a pity that there seem to be no surviving photographs recording either event – but perhaps some might remain, tucked away somewhere?
Happily, the 1908 ‘event’ was well recorded by the local photographer W. Dennis Moss, then still in the early years of his long career running studios in the town. The images reproduced here are some of the half dozen or so he published in his popular and long-running Cecily Series of postcards, which are so popular with Cirencester collectors. All are dated ‘April 25th 1908’ and concentrate on the Abbey Grounds, a good seller no doubt. One shows ‘A Peep in Baunton’ on the same day, so perhaps he visited other local villages as well?
David & Linda Viner
Thanks to: www.weatheronline.co.uk
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