Shadow Leader
At the Start
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2003
- Messages
- 9,884
I've just knocked a whole sodding bottle over - one of the larger size ones - when trying to give some to the mutt! :rant: Knocked it into a drawer too so the stuff's gone everywhere....
200 pics on 17 webpages of the Newbury Weekly News, some as published in the paper today:
http://www.newburygallery.co.uk/picturedesk.tlx
There's a pic of the Swan at Gt Shefford on sheet 5, also sheet 10 inc the flood by the hump bridge over the Lam; and the flooded racecourse on sheet 6.
Pics of Lambourn are on sheet 9
Pics of Eastbury on sheet 12 - the long brick building with white timbering atop is the main stable block in the 'old yard' at the Lidderdales, which saved the yard really - the drain in that yard couldn't take the water and started a bit of a flood, but nothing like the main road thru the village where all the houses were under water. The two cars in the centre pic are right outside Jacqui Doyle's house
Therre's a few pics of East Isley and Compton [also racing villages] but they haven't put Harry Dunlop's pics up which he sent into the paper and they published. Some show the staff getting horses out - AFTER the water had gone down two feet... it was still almost up to their chests. Pretty scary. It apparently happened in minutes - no warning. Phil who used to be David Arbo's head lad works for Harry now - bet he was a brick! - he only lives round the corner from the yard
Pics of Thatcham are pretty grim... poor poor folk.
They have published a long, detailed and extremely interesting letter from a local historian in Thatcham, detailing exactly where in the past excess rainwater would flow and be held in flood meadows or carried away by dug or natural bournes, culverts, watercourses etc into the canal or before that into the river. He then details exactly what has been built over them - usually housing estates and their associatiated infrastructure of tarmac-ed roads and pavements.
Some of these roads even retain the names which betray their former purpose and nature. It makes nonsense of attempts to pretend that these floods 'couldn't have been forseen' - our ancestors all over the country understood the workings of nature, and didn't disregard them when planning their towns and villages
http://www.newburygallery.co.uk/picturedesk.tlx
There's a pic of the Swan at Gt Shefford on sheet 5, also sheet 10 inc the flood by the hump bridge over the Lam; and the flooded racecourse on sheet 6.
Pics of Lambourn are on sheet 9
Pics of Eastbury on sheet 12 - the long brick building with white timbering atop is the main stable block in the 'old yard' at the Lidderdales, which saved the yard really - the drain in that yard couldn't take the water and started a bit of a flood, but nothing like the main road thru the village where all the houses were under water. The two cars in the centre pic are right outside Jacqui Doyle's house
Therre's a few pics of East Isley and Compton [also racing villages] but they haven't put Harry Dunlop's pics up which he sent into the paper and they published. Some show the staff getting horses out - AFTER the water had gone down two feet... it was still almost up to their chests. Pretty scary. It apparently happened in minutes - no warning. Phil who used to be David Arbo's head lad works for Harry now - bet he was a brick! - he only lives round the corner from the yard
Pics of Thatcham are pretty grim... poor poor folk.
They have published a long, detailed and extremely interesting letter from a local historian in Thatcham, detailing exactly where in the past excess rainwater would flow and be held in flood meadows or carried away by dug or natural bournes, culverts, watercourses etc into the canal or before that into the river. He then details exactly what has been built over them - usually housing estates and their associatiated infrastructure of tarmac-ed roads and pavements.
Some of these roads even retain the names which betray their former purpose and nature. It makes nonsense of attempts to pretend that these floods 'couldn't have been forseen' - our ancestors all over the country understood the workings of nature, and didn't disregard them when planning their towns and villages
Love Everlasting
At the Start
- Joined
- May 8, 2003
- Messages
- 358
Thanks for those pics HS, you can see my friends house, in the background, where i was staying last weekend. Thankfully he's a bit higher up so wasn't affected, but as you can imagine picking up my daughter from the school was a bit of a trek!! Jase ended up carrying her back on his shoulders through the st Michaels close cut as i didnt fancy damaging my car and being stck in the dump for any more time than is necessary!!!
nearly forgot, i seem to remember the crowle road being flooded earlier this yr too, can't remember exactly when it was but seem to remmber it coinsiding with the races being called off again? or being very heavy if not??
nearly forgot, i seem to remember the crowle road being flooded earlier this yr too, can't remember exactly when it was but seem to remmber it coinsiding with the races being called off again? or being very heavy if not??
The horses - c 20 - which had to be evacuated from Harry Dunlop's were taken in at v short notice by John Hills and Tor Sturgis who responded to a deserate ring-around for space among local trainers. Apparently Lambourn Horse Transport were quite marvellous - turned up at once throught the rising water and helped get the horses [mainly Harry's 2 yr olds] out of the flooded yard and into their huge boxes
The Universal Stores in Lambourn kept serving thoughout in Spirit of the Blitz manner with a river running past - they'd sandbagged the front but water came in thru the back! I'll hear this week whether Peter Walwyn's house was badly flooded - he owns Dunlop's yard and lives in the big Georgian house next to it. He's the kind of 'Father Figure' of the town and he's got, as you can imagine, masses of racing memorabilia and local records after a lifetime at the centre of the sport - esp as he is Chairman of all the racing-related Lambourn Committees etc. I do hope all that survived. I believe his wife Bonk is very unwell too
iirc Peter's sister Judy was married to Nick Gaselee - tho it may be Nick who is Bonk's brother! - usual Lambourn inter-family connections. Nick Gaselee trained Party Politics to win the Grand National. They've been running their house as a charming B&B in Upper Lambourn - it's a bit of a shrine to the old horse. Judy died of cancer on the day of the floods. I'm going to her funeral on Wednesday.
The Universal Stores in Lambourn kept serving thoughout in Spirit of the Blitz manner with a river running past - they'd sandbagged the front but water came in thru the back! I'll hear this week whether Peter Walwyn's house was badly flooded - he owns Dunlop's yard and lives in the big Georgian house next to it. He's the kind of 'Father Figure' of the town and he's got, as you can imagine, masses of racing memorabilia and local records after a lifetime at the centre of the sport - esp as he is Chairman of all the racing-related Lambourn Committees etc. I do hope all that survived. I believe his wife Bonk is very unwell too
iirc Peter's sister Judy was married to Nick Gaselee - tho it may be Nick who is Bonk's brother! - usual Lambourn inter-family connections. Nick Gaselee trained Party Politics to win the Grand National. They've been running their house as a charming B&B in Upper Lambourn - it's a bit of a shrine to the old horse. Judy died of cancer on the day of the floods. I'm going to her funeral on Wednesday.
Colin Phillips
At the Start
That was the latest edition of the Lambourn Newsletter. 
K
Kathy
Guest
The weather has gone a bit mad again. I do feel sorry for all the farmers and anyone whose livelihood depends on holidaymakers during the summer - that involves being outdoors. ie. Ice cream sellers.