Damage to Weymouth by The Great Gale of 1824.
Records of terrible storms devastating the Dorset coast date back as far as AD877,
when over a hundred Viking longships foundered in Swanage Bay.
The storm which has gone down in local folk-lore as the worst, occurred in
November 1824. High tides combined with gale force winds resulted in the
destruction of numerous ships, and many people were drowned. The force of the
wind and the sea also resulted in widespread structural damage – cottages were
demolished, parts of the sea defences at Lyme were washed away, and at Fleet
even the stone walls of the church collapsed. Only the chancel survived. The
derelict village was later to provide the setting for John Meade Falkner’s classic
smuggling adventure, ‘Moonfleet’.(***Link***)
The following account was written by someone who witnessed the storm’s impact on
Weymouth.
Source: ‘The History & Antiquities of the Borough & Town of Weymouth & Melcombe
Regis’ by George Ellis, 1829, in the Dorset County Museum.
“The morning of the 23d of November, 1824, Melcombe was nearly swept from the
face of the earth by a tremendous and terrific hurricane, the wind howled in yelling
gusts, the sea roared in a most horrible and frightful manner, the elements of strife
mingled in appalling collision, and nature seemed determined to stamp upon the
scene, the fiat [command] of an invisible and omnipotent power …
The sea broke over the narrows in a strong and dreadful current, two individuals who
were at that moment crossing the spot were swept away, “and the end of anguish
knew,” whole rows of houses that fronted the foaming, raging, billows, were
completely inundated; the pride of Melcombe, its beautiful esplanade, was nearly all
demolished, the stone posts and chains, (which amount now to 336 stone posts, and
4620 feet of iron chain,) were rent up and entirely broken, the piers (over which the
surges rolled in an awful and sublime manner) also were demolished, vessels, boats,
and small craft, were either driven into the centre of the town, sunk, destroyed, or
carried out to sea; on the esplanade is cut in two of the posts, the following allusion
to it;ESPLANADE DESTROYED BY A TEMPEST NOVEMBER 23RD 1824.
REBUILT BY R. VINING BUILDER APRIL 23RD 1825.
The danger in which the front of the town stood, was appalling, the whole of the
roads and streets were covered with the rolling billows, driving impetuously masses
of sand and stone, boats were observed floating in close approximation with vehicles
of various descriptions, such a scene of devastation and ruin were never
remembered to have been observed before; orders were speedily issued for the
reparation of the town, the walls were erected in a more secure manner, and soon
the scene of destruction was followed by one of perfect security.”