Historical perspectives on extreme weather
May 8, 2014
This week I wanted to use my blog post to explore historical perspectives on extreme weather whilst also publicising a couple of activities and events involving members of the project team. Our project aims to build up a database of information relating to extreme weather events of the past that we hope will be of …
Getting into the Archive – The Hingham Town Book (part 1)
April 24, 2014
A trip to Norfolk Record Office A few weeks ago I began exploring the collections of Norfolk Record Office (NRO), looking for information on extreme weather events experienced in the East Anglia region, another of our case study areas. I went equipped with a list of material of interest, generated with the help of searches …
Getting into the archive: the Pegge-Burnell diaries
March 28, 2014
Over the last few weeks I’ve been spending time at Nottinghamshire Archives looking through some of the documents of interest that we’ve identified from online catalogues searches. These potentially contain information on extreme weather events of the past that will be included in our database. Pegge-Burnell of Winkburn One of the largest collections of documents …
Getting into the archive – Pies, snowball fights and blazing chimney pots? Must be the diary of a Victorian lady
March 20, 2014
Elizabeth Nutt Harwood I spent a fulfilling day in Nottinghamshire Archives last week. Among the documents I requested was the diary of one Elizabeth Nutt Harwood of Beeston Meadow, Nottinghamshire. This covers a period from 1838 to 1842 and is rich in detail about the daily life of this educated young woman and her well …
Getting into the archive – Shrewsbury in ‘The Great Frost’ of 1739
March 10, 2014
‘The Great Frost’ of 1739 Whilst the frost fairs held on the River Thames, London in the years 1608, 1683-4, 1789 and 1814 are well recorded in both documentary evidence and artistic representations, little is known about comparable events in provincial town and urban settings throughout England. The engraving by an unknown artist shows a panoramic …
Frost Fairs at the Museum of London
March 4, 2014
Last week I visited a small display at the Museum of London about frost fairs on the Thames. Frost fairs had a carnival like atmosphere and combined market stalls with street entertainments set upon the river near London Bridge. They took place on the Thames in years where the depth of ice was sufficiently thick …
What is an extreme weather event?
February 23, 2014
This question, although it might seem simple, is actually harder to answer than could be imagined. If we take the definition of the American Meteorological Society, weather is “the state of the atmosphere, mainly with respect to its effects upon life and human activities.” Weather measurements usually include temperature, humidity, precipitation (e.g. rainfall, snowfall) and …
Getting into the archive – H.R. Potter
February 3, 2014
Although we’re still in the early stages of the project and very much finding our way through numerous ideas, technologies, and archive catalogues… I have managed to complete a few days of work in the archives. Deciding to start local, these days have been spent over at the Kings Meadow Campus of the University of …
Introducing our new British Weather Extremes project
January 29, 2014
Extreme weather in the news (again) In the past couple of months, the British weather has once again hit the headlines. Communities across the UK have been battered by storms, gales and floods, bringing down trees, causing significant property damage, devastating iconic sea fronts and contributing to travel chaos. This week we have also seen …
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