When the Thames flooded Old Thatch

[Belly]

I remember reading in 'A Child at Green Hedges' (I think)? that the River Thames burst its banks and flooded Old Thatch in 1949?

I was reminded due to similar flooding know and wondered whether it wasn't as uncommon in the past as some suggest? Or if this was unusual etc? I think I read that water came into the dining room and all carpets had to be taken up. Old Thatch isn't next to the river either...

[Poppy]

I think you are refering to the book: A Childhood at Green Hedges by Imogen Smallwood. It is quite pricey now so I do not have a copy, therefore I'm not quite sure about your question, but I hope Old Thatch is alright, now.

[Julie2owlsdene]

It's been a while since I read this book, so maybe it is in there. When I heard about these floods, I too thought that Old Thatch would be okay, as it isn't close to the river in my opinion, and I'm not sure if there is a bit of an incline from the river to get to Old Thatch. It would be nice to know if it is clear from all these floods at the moment.

[Anita Bensoussane]

I remember reading in 'A Child at Green Hedges' (I think)? that the River Thames burst its banks and flooded Old Thatch in 1949?

Imogen Smallwood's book is about Green Hedges, to which the family moved in 1938, but in Enid Blyton - the Biography Barbara Stoney tells us that Old Thatch was flooded regularly while Enid Blyton lived there (1929 - 1938):

"...life for the occupants of Old Thatch was not always as idyllic as Enid's writings would sometimes have her readers believe. The house's proximity to the river often meant heavy flooding during the winter months, and the consequent dampness taxed even Enid's normally robust constitution, resulting in her being confined to bed on several occasions with severe colds and throat infections." (Chapter 7)

Barbara Stoney also mentions that children who read Teachers World were concerned about Bobs the dog "when Enid told her readers of the floods that had swept through Old Thatch during her first winter and of how he and Patabang (the first of the Siamese kittens) had had to walk across planks in the dining room 'with seven inches of water below'. The children feared he might have caught a cold as he had signed off his letter that week 'with a shiver and a splash'. (Chapter 6)

So it sounds as though flooding was more common in the past, rather than less common. Maybe better drainage systems have been put in place since then, so flooding now only occurs when the rain has been unusually heavy and prolonged? Old Thatch is around 400-500 years old so it must have seen quite a lot of floods over the centuries.

[pete9012S]

. It would be nice to know if it is clear from all these floods at the moment.

The BBC news showed a helicopter flying along the Thames from London towards Bourne End....To see Maidenhead and Bourne End from the air go to around 2.45 on this clip..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26146361" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Daisy]

Thanks Pete. It looks dreadful, doesn't it. Poor people.

[pete9012S]

I'm just wondering if it will be all over and dry by May.
Then again,we might be in the middle of a hose pipe ban by then knowing this country!

[Julie2owlsdene]

It must be really frightening for all those people who are flooded out along the Thames and the people of Somerset, who have had to endure many more weeks than the London areas. And all because of this government not handing out the appropriate funding to keep the rivers dredged!!! When will they learn, that it's always too late to bolt the stable door once the horse has bolted!!!!! Surely prevention should always be top of the list!!!

[Moonraker]

.... the River Thames burst its banks and flooded Old Thatch in 1949?...

Tony has provided a link to the flooding of Old Thatch in the Enid's Letters thread.

[Anita Bensoussane]

That letter describes one flood in 1929, but apparently wintertime floods were quite common in the days when Enid Blyton lived at Old Thatch.

[Moonraker]

And that was before so-called global warming!

[Anita Bensoussane]

I imagine we have fewer floods these days because drainage systems have been improved over the years.

[Ming]

I heard about the UK floods on the news - my thoughts are with all those affected.

We're used to heavy flooding every year so something like that here would barely make it to the news, but UK's condition seems far worse than ours.

Old Thatch is around 400-500 years old so it must have seen quite a lot of floods over the centuries.

Wow, I had no idea Old Thatch was so old. I'm surprised that the house is still residential property, really instead of a historically protected site.

[pete9012S]

You can how close Old Thatch is too the river by looking at this ariel view...

http://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/eni ... ?service=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

(Don't confuse the pool/small lake to the right with the Thames!)

[Moonraker]

That took me a while to get my bearings! And I 'confused' the pool with the river!