The Great Snow Storm of 1886

Snow fall isn’t anything new to us, but we have escaped heavy falls over the years. When it does snow there have always been travel delays, cancelled trains, snow drifts and communities pulling together. Although there have been some changes for instance horse power means something different these days and newspapers are slowly a thing of the past being replaced by social media and the internet. And the words reporters use in their stories, have changed dramatically. So let us go back virtually to the day, to 1886 and see what happened in Morpeth and the surrounding area…

On 6 March 1886, the Morpeth Herald reported that on Monday the inhabitants of the town and district witnessed one of the most severe snowstorms that have ever occurred perhaps in living memory. It started in the early hours of Monday morning and the storm raged with unwonted impetuosity. As the evening approached the wind seemed to increase in violence until it assumed the character of a hurricane whirling the blinding showers of snow in all kinds of fantastic shapes making traffic very unpleasant and almost impossible. Bridge Street and Newgate Street were almost deserted. There was very little abatement on the Tuesday morning. The sky had a dull laden appearance. Snow was drifting and most thoroughfares were 3ft deep and in some parts with the drifts up to 5ft 6”. The snow had drifted up the side of houses, creating fancy patterns on the windows and in some cases was half way up the side of residents front doors. On the Tuesday morning the residents mobilised and began searching for shovels, spades and implements of every description to try and clear the pathways. In a few hours both sides of the street were in good order. Mr Sanderson, Road Surveyor of the Local Board, rigged up a snow plough and soon made a capital passage down the middle of the road for vehicular traffic. He proceeded towards the country district, but came to a halt due to the high snow drifts on the Stobhill Road where the efforts of the 8 horses attached to the plough stopped.
Mr Sanderson, on the Wednesday made another attempt up Shields Road with the snow plough and got a fair distance along, then returned and went up the South Turnpike, but got no further than South Gate, where a snow drift of some 18 feet stopped his progress.

The shop keepers and merchants of the town could not get their provisions out to their customers and the Post Office faired little better with delivering the post. The Rothbury Coach driven by Mr Paton arrived on the Monday night, but could not proceed on the Tuesday. Mr Drysdale on Tuesday attempted with two horses to get to Newbiggin, but only got as far as Quarry Bank when he had to turn back to town. On the Wednesday, Mr Knight the Post Master and Mr Drysdale attempted to proceed to Newcastle by road with the mail bags for the South, but on getting the Catchburn, they were compelled to abandon their carriage and proceed on horseback. They managed to reach Stannington, but no further. There was no good news for train travellers at Morpeth Station either as the lines were under so much snow. The “Fish Train”, which normally arrives about 9.30pm did not arrive at all. It had been shunted into sidings a little further north to allow the “Scotch Express” to come through. The Express arrived at 10.20 and proceeded on its way south through a blinding snowstorm. It got as far as Forest Hall and got stuck in the snow and its passengers were stuck in their carriages until Tuesday morning. Arriving at Newcastle Central Station, some 12 hours late.

The news of heavy snow in the north complied trains to stop at Morpeth Station and passengers had to make their minds up to “Rough It” until the way was clear. Many went into the town and stayed in hotels until the Thursday morning. Some stayed in the waiting room, others in the carriages or Saloon cars.  A snow plough with 4 engines attached left Newcastle on Tuesday morning at 8am. They were prevented from getting to Morpeth until they cleared the North Mail Train and after several hours got her clear only to encounter further drifts at Annitsford and Cramlington, reaching Morpeth at 2pm.
It was not until the Thursday morning that a train arrived from Newcastle in the afternoon with the newspapers and letters aboard. A train also arrived from the Blyth and Tyne section which had been blocked since the Monday. A few cattle trains were snowed up north of Morpeth and many poor animals were reduced to sore straits, through not being able to procure food or water and also exposure to cold. In a few instances some cows in one truck were delivered calves.

The Passengers in Morpeth:
The majority of the passengers who left the train found their way into town with considerable difficulty. Mr Thompson, an Auctioneer from Chester-le-Street on his way to Glasgow for a Stallion show and Secretary of the North East Agricultural Horse Society found lodgings in the Newcastle Hotel, run by Mrs Atkinson. He and his fellow travellers, speak in the highest terms of the Morpeth people and the Railway officials. The gentlemen travellers were entertained by members of the Morpeth Club. The Rector of Morpeth invited the ladies to take up quarters in the Rectory, but some preferred to remain in the Pulman Cars which formed part of the train. They stayed there until 1pm on the Thursday when communication with Newcastle was opened. Notification was received that the down line was open, but there was still a blockage on the north bound line, north of Berwick. Those wishing to leave Morpeth south bound left at 3.15pm and reached Newcastle shortly after 4pm. A large number did venture north in the hope that when they reached Berwick the blockage would be cleared. Mr Turnbull, states that on his journey back home he saw in many places the height of the snow was greater than the height of the carriages and the cuttings of the snow drifts had been done entirely by hand.

The cattle truck stuck north of Morpeth arrived on the Thursday morning; however in some of the trucks a few sheep had died and the cattle for the Newcastle, Leeds and Wakefield markets were in need of fodder. Once these carriages reached Morpeth, hay was put into the trucks and devoured most ravenously by the cattle. Three trains from the south were delayed at Morpeth and surprise was expressed by passengers that the railway company’s should have despatched the trains under the circumstances.

The story of one family:
Among the passengers on the Pullman stuck near Acklington were Mr Barclay Holland and Mrs Holland of Countesswells, with Miss Beadon their nurse and a child aged 4, the daughter of Mr & Mrs Holland (the only child on the train). The party left Aberdeen at 4.40pm on the Monday for London and were on the Pullman attached to the “Scotch Express” and were stuck in the drift near Acklington on the Tuesday morning. There we were, said one of the ladies “Stuck in the middle of two fields of snow for 17 hours with little food, except what some cottagers were kind enough to bring us”. The provisions provided were shared equally amongst the travellers and consisted of a cup of tea a slice of bread and butter and a bit of cheese. The tea of course was cold by the time we got it, but they were grateful. There was a chance to get to Acklington.

On arriving at Acklington they ploughed waist deep in snow towards the inn. They got there on Tuesday night at 8 and had ham and eggs, bread and butter. There were only 4 rooms in the house and many slept on the floor others sat in chairs round the fire and dozed the night away. Others stayed in the waiting room. The inn keeper wasn’t prepared for the influx of 45 guests as well as 80 navvies working on the railway. “We had nothing, but ham in the house and had to cook 12 hams and managed to get some loafs of bread. Once the bread was all eaten up on the Wednesday morning we only had ham and biscuits.” Nobody seemed the worse for the trouble and inconvenience, although they all suffered from the cold on the Tuesday. The snowed up passengers had made a deal of the only child on the train and the family party concurred in praising the innkeeper for the way he had ransacked the place for provisions and done his best to make them comfortable in the circumstances.