Skating on the Thames

Skating on the River Thames.

It was only two months ago that I blogged that London, England only has a 1 in 10 chance of having a White Christmas every year.  However, every so often Britain gets hit with a severe winter.  Such was the case in 1929 when Britain was blanketed with snow for 15 hours straight.  Londoners skated on the River Thames and on the Royal Park Lakes.  Skaters also appeared on the Rivers Cam and Ouse as three undergraduates made their way from Cambridge to Ely and back again.  On Windermere Lake, the country's largest natural lake located in the north, it's estimated that 50,000 people skated on its frozen surface.  In Sheffield, in central England, residents had no drinking water since their pipes had frozen over.  Dartmoor, located in southwest England, was covered by six feet of snow.  Trees fell under the weight of their snow-covered branches.  Many motorists abandonned their trapped vehicles. Brits were disappointed that every Rugby League match had to be postponed.

Skaters on Lake Windermere during another cold winter, 1895.