Tuesday, July 2

The Lynmouth Flood Coincidence And The Town Today

Flood Damage at Lynton in 1952
Damage caused in Lynmouth floods in 1952
One of the places we visited while in North Devon was Lynmouth. It's a beautiful spot but is still remembered for the severe floods here back in 1952, as the photo above illustrates. Many lost their lives in one of the worst floods ever known in England.

There is a coincidence attached to the disaster. As mentioned the flood was in 1952 and exactly 52 years later, again on the identical night of the 15th of August, there was another nasty flood at the nearby town of Boscastle in 2004.

The Boscastle floods were like history repeating itself. The only difference being that, by some miracle, no lives were lost.

On part of the river Lyn at Lynmouth there is a memorial garden for those whose lives were lost.

River Lyn at Lynmouth

The following photo shows a bed frame that has grown into a tree and remains at the memorial garden.

Bed frame growing into a tree Lynmouth Devon

Part of the memorial garden today at the Middleham area of Lynmouth.

Middleham Lynmouth memorial garden

But all is now far from doom and gloom at Lynmouth. It's a beautiful town and tourists flock to enjoy the scenery during the summer months of July and August. The following photos give a taste of the town today.

Lynmouth harbour Devon
Lynmouth where the River Lyn joins the sea
Lynmouth Devon
Lynmouth looking inwards from the coast
Thatched pub and traditional houses at Lynmouth Devon
Thatched pub and traditional houses at Lynmouth
Bridge over River Lyn at Lynmouth Devon
Bridge over the River Lyn and the hills surrounding Lynmouth
Small shingle beach at Lynmouth, Devon
Lynmouth also has an unusual Cliff Railway that ascends some 500 feet up the side of the cliffs. It was built back in 1890 and is powered only by the weight of water, each passenger car (there are two) counter-balances the other. It's one of the most environmentally friendly ways of travelling as there are no carbon emissions.

Cliff Railway at Lynmouth
Part of the Cliff Railway track at Lynmouth
Passenger Car at Lynmouth to Lynton Cliff Railway
Lynmouth to Lynton Cliff Railway
Cliff Railway Lynmouth to Lynton
Cliff Railway Lynton to Lynmouth
Travelling on the Cliff Railway from Lynmouth towards Lynton
View from Lynton at the top of the Cliff Railway
The flood of 1952 is still very much part of Lynmouth with a dedicated museum but it's a wonderful place to visit should you be anywhere nearby in North Devon.

Other recent North Devon Posts:
The Red Sky And The Invasion Of The Scarecrows
The Strange Orbs And Mysterious Coincidences Of Tawstock
The Photo Of The Ghost Of Broomfield Cottage Tawstock

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8 comments:

  1. Great post Mike. What a strange coincidence but how lovely the town looks today, really beautiful. I've never been but must add it to my list. BF would be interested in that railway, would like a ride on that. Must get on, got to start work at 8 am today unfortunately.

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    1. Lots to see in that area of north Devon, it's worth a visit. Some great beaches as well.

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  2. What a gorgeous town! I always wonder about synchros where a disaster occurs so many years to the day of the last disaster. Why? It's mysterious. And I love that railway car!

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    1. I had a coincidence at Boscastle where the second flood occurred - mysterious how history often repeats itself.

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  3. Re:
    "There is a coincidence attached to the disaster. As mentioned the flood was in 1952 and exactly 52 years later, again on the identical night of the 15th of August, there was another nasty flood at the nearby town of Boscastle in 2004."

    Maybe this is another sign that you should contribute stories to Innerself Magazine.
    I was going to mention their General Equiries number was (08) 8396(67)52 in my comment in your last post.
    I was wondering if 52 was some kind of sync number in your life and now I see this next post with the #52 mentioned.Sign or what ? :-)

    http://innerself.com.au/

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    1. Not sure about contributing but the 52 (and the 67) in the number could be a sign ...

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  4. The railway car actually works on Water power
    the Rail car at the top fills its tanks up whilst the rail car at the bottom lets out the water in its tanks .

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