London Beer Flood
The London Beer Flood occurred on 17 October 1814 in the parish of St. Giles, London, England. At the Meux and Company Brewery[1] on Tottenham Court Road,[1][2] a huge vat containing over 135,000 imperial gallons (610,000 L) of beer ruptured, causing other vats in the same building to succumb in a domino effect. As a result, more than 323,000 imperial gallons (1,470,000 L) of beer burst out and gushed into the streets. The wave of beer destroyed two homes and crumbled the wall of the Tavistock Arms Pub, trapping teenage employee Eleanor Cooper under the rubble.[3]
The brewery was located among the poor houses and tenements of the St Giles Rookery, where whole families lived in basement rooms that quickly filled with beer. Eight people drowned in the flood or died from injuries.
The brewery was eventually taken to court over the accident, but the disaster was ruled to be an Act of God by the judge and jury, leaving no one responsible. The company found it difficult to cope with the financial implications of the disaster, with a significant loss of sales made worse because they had already paid duty on the beer. They made a successful application to Parliament reclaiming the duty which allowed them to continue trading.[4]
The brewery was demolished in 1922, and today, the Dominion Theatre occupies a part of the site of the former brewery.
[edit] Known drowning fatalities
| Name[5] | Age |
|---|---|
| Ann Saville | 53 |
| Eleanor Cooper | 14 |
| Hannah Bamfield | 4 |
| Catherine Butler | 63 |
| Elizabeth Smith | 27 |
| Mary Mulvey | unknown |
| Thomas Mulvey | 3 |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Greenberg, Michael I.. Disaster!: A Compendium of Terrorist, Natural, and Man-made Catastrophes. Jones & Bartlett Publishers. pp. 156. ISBN 0763739898. http://books.google.com/books?id=EZAdQAuPyKAC&pg=PA156&dq=%22beer+flood%22&hl=nl&sig=Y6Ha_T9sgglenbul8-ZzlGoTUaY.
- ^ Rennison, Nicholas (2 November 2006). The Book of Lists: London. Canongate Books Ltd. ISBN 9781841956763. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Book-Lists-London-Nicholas-Rennison/dp/1841956767.
- ^ London Beer Flood at Expages.com (archived version)
- ^ Industries: Brewing (British History Online) accessed 10 January 2009
- ^ [1] The Times, 19 October 1814
[edit] External links
- "Beer Flood Claims Nine Souls" by Alan Bellows, Damninteresting.com (September 28, 2005)
- "A Brew to a Kill" by Barbara Mikkelson at Snopes.com
- "The Times", 19 October 1814
- "The London Beer Flood of 1814", BBC
Coordinates: 51°31′00″N 0°07′49″W / 51.516556°N 0.130139°W
