The great snows that went down in local folklore (From Craven Herald)

The great snows that went down in local folklore

6:00pm Saturday 30th January 2010 in

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The bad weather experienced in the past few weeks was nothing compared to the winter of 1962-63 when the “Big Freeze” started in January and lasted until March. Here reporter, Lesley Tate, looks back at the Herald archives to discover how Craven coped

Most of us will be hoping we’ve experenced the end of the worst winter weather we’ve had for many years – but it’s nothing compared to the great freeze of 1962-1963.

The Big Freeze started in earnest in December and carried on right until March. In January, Skipton recorded its lowest temperature in years – a bitter 4F (-15C) and for the whole month, the minimum temperature never rose above freezing.

The winter was compared to the previously appalling winter of 1947 – but it was generally agreed that, although there was more snow in ’47, it was colder in ’63.

As over the past few weeks, roads were impassable and schools and shops were forced to close.

But with the cold temperatures lasting so much longer 47 years ago, the impact on Craven – and the rest of the country – was far greater.

The Leeds-to-Liverpool Canal and rivers froze over and frost penetrated the ground to a depth of three feet – cutting off water supplies to hundreds of homes.

Strong winds created drifts of more than 20 feet as heavy snowfall was followed by gale-force winds.

Railway workers and special snow ploughs dug out trains stuck in drifts and worked tirelessly to keep the track clear.

The Settle-to-Carlisle line was closed for four days following a blizzard that saw 52 people stranded on the Edinburgh Waverley express to London St Pancras.

Firemen from Settle and Skipton became the first outsiders to reach Litton in three days when they struggled through snowdrifts as high as their vehicles to reach a fire.

A farmer had been defrosting frozen pipes with a blow lamp when the fire had broken out, destroying a barn full of hay.

The firemen had to get water from a frozen river two miles away and run a shuttle service between the water supply and the fire.

In late January, when temperatures hit their lowest, a helicopter from RAF Leconfield proved a lifeline for farmer Wilfred Briggs.

Mr Briggs, his wife and four children lived two miles from the nearest road and had been cut off for a month.

He had been manhandling supplies over deep drifts for his stock, but was running low when his plight came to the notice of the local branch of the National Farmers’ Union.

The union contacted the Ministry of Agriculture and the lift was organised, guided to the site by a beacon of burning hay.

A particularly bad blizzard in late January left only one road between Yorkshire and Lancashire passable.

Men with shovels worked alongside snow ploughs and farmers put up snow barriers in an attempt to stop roads being blocked with drifts.

The Craven Heifer Inn on the outskirts of Skipton was cut off by five-foot-high drifts and a bus heading out of Buckden was stuck in a drift at Grassington for a whole weekend.

In Waddington, 38 people had to spend the night at the Moorcock Inn after roads became impassable.

A 12-year-old girl broke both her legs after falling off a sledge at Aireville Park and a 70-year-old man died while clearing snow at his home in Skipton.

AS in recent weeks, people were urged to feed the wild birds.

A meeting of the Upper Wharfedale Field Society in Grassington was urged to put out raw pastry, as well as bread spread with peanut butter and coconut shells filled with fat.

Meanwhile, two Carleton boys were praised after feeding two swans trapped in ice on the River Aire with bread daily.

Skipton Police issued a warning to children not to venture onto the canal once the thaw started.

Residents at Long Preston were forced to get their water from a standpipe on The Green after supplies to homes were cut off because of frozen pipes.

The Craven Herald’s countryside correspondent told how 100 of his ewes got stuck in a snowdrift for two days after his snow barriers caused extra deep drifts.

He eventually got the sheep out and brought them to more sheltered positions, but one or two of them suffered snow blindness.

The village hall also became a temporary home for 50 travellers who spent two days there after roads became blocked.

But there was little criticism levelled at the council workmen – hailed as the heroes of the “Big Freeze” who worked, often throughout the night, to clear roads.

The chairman of Skipton Urban District Council said he had no hesitation in thanking highways staff and said he had heard nothing but praise from members of the public.

In the midst of all the snow, representatives of several local authorities gathered in Skipton’s Aireville Park to witness the very latest in snow-clearing machinery.

The Danish-made Danline Snow Brush, apparently much-used in Copenhagen, featured a rotary brush of steel bristles.

Demonstrated by the Craven Motor Co to assembled local authorities and Burnley Football Club, the machine was put through its paces and excelled in all sorts of snow – from freshly dropped to impacted ice.

An enthusiastic Craven Herald reporter noted it could also tackle steep gradients and that it would be particularly useful in clearing roads before night frosts.

It was reported that several authorities had put in orders for the Snow Brush, which could also be used in the summer to mow verges and sweep roads.

Meanwhile, a “special snow correspondent” for the Craven Herald reported on just how people coped in Canada with heavy snow.

The correspondent pointed out that it was important to note almost three-quarters of all homes in Canada had central heating. Moreover, fuel companies in Canada kept a careful note of householders’ needs and made sure there was no chance of running out of gas or oil.

The sensible Canadians made one weekly shop – instead of continually dashing out for small purchases – and had a deep freeze, something considered a necessity and not a luxury.

The Herald wrote that not since 1947 had there been such wide- scale disruption and estimated that the cost to the country would be in the region of £200 million.

“Memories of the Big Freeze will linger on to become part of the folklore of Craven,” said the Herald.