The Great Storm of 1987- 20 years ago today.

Posted by: Chillkram on 16 October 2007

I had gone to bed that evening and listened through the night as the winds raged, thinking it was just a bit windy! There was a park at the bottom of the garden and the larches that lined the fence were bent double. I couldn't sleep and got up at 5.00am as usual to go to work. I walked to the bus stop and had to duck behind cars as tiles flew from the roofs and whistled over my head. A six foot by four foot piece of corrugated fence flew right past me. A bit further on a wall collapsed directly in front of me, but I carried on walking and eventually made it to the bus stop to wait for the bus. The road was completely flooded and the bus never came.

Eventually I went home and waited for the winds to die down. It was only when I turned on the tv that I realised the full extent of what was happening. Later on I went for a walk in the park and was gobsmacked to see about a third of the trees lying down. Huge oaks, elms and horse chestnuts just ripped out of the ground and lying across the path.

The next day I went to work and travelled to Basingstoke along the A33. The extent of the loss of our trees was pretty unbelievable to see.

Do you remember what you were doing?

Mark
Posted on: 16 October 2007 by Huwge
Was out on the pop in the West End with friends. Slept over in Hackney, got up to go to work and found the front door blocked by a fallen tree. Thought I must be dreaming, but no, there it was. Walked to the office in the City and then walked most of the way back to Ealing in the afternoon.
Posted on: 16 October 2007 by Chillkram
quote:
Originally posted by Huwge:
Walked to the office in the City and then walked most of the way back to Ealing in the afternoon.


I lived in Southall 3 miles up the Uxbridge Rd from Ealing. I think I'm right in saying that Ealing lost more trees than any other London borough that night.
Posted on: 16 October 2007 by Bob McC
Up in Manchester we turned on the televsion and wondered what the fuss was about.
Posted on: 16 October 2007 by JWM
Huwge,
We must have almost been neighbours! I was working as a Lloyd's Reinsurance Broker at the time, and living in a flat in Ealing Village.

I well remember walking round the matchwood on 16th October - "CAT(astrophe) 87J" as I seem to recall it becoming coded in Lloyd's speak.

The irony was that I was on an 'Insurance & Reinsurance Research Group' conference that week, at a venue on Gloucester Road ... on catastrophe reinsurance!

(It was dozing through the afternoon sessions than finally confirmed for me that reinsurance really wasn't the job for me... Roll Eyes)

James
Posted on: 16 October 2007 by BigH47
We went to my son's school for a parents evening earlier on, when leaving 9 0'clock ish we noticed a strange sea smell and the temperature had risen.I went in to work,at 12 midnight the wind had got up and the contractors we were supervising decided to go home, so we did too.I was called out around 2:30, it was a bit windy and a few branches were down. I remained in the exchange all night accompanied by the sound of howling winds, getting phone calls from further up country trying to find out why so much of the telephone network down south was faulty.I was finally relived around 10:30 am when some other guys finally got into work. My route home was a mass of diversions due to felled trees and branches which must have fallen down behind me as I travelled to work earlier in the night. Quite sobering to think what might have been.
Posted on: 16 October 2007 by Huwge
quote:
Originally posted by JWM:

(It was dozing through the afternoon sessions than finally confirmed for me that reinsurance really wasn't the job for me... Roll Eyes)

James


James - I'm still sleeping in the afternoons Winker

Mark - yes, it was a mess. Can't believe it was 20 years ago, though.

Huw
Posted on: 17 October 2007 by JWM
Huw-

I used to work for RK Carvill and although I know that it wasn't the business for me, I still look back with real fondness - above all to my ex-colleagues.

And one of my favourite things in those dandy days of very stripy shirts and raspberry linings was visiting the tailor - an experience long past, I fear - can't afford that now with all this Naim gear!

But also, emerging from Bank tube station outside the Royal Exchange on a cold clear winter's morning, and the cold air hitting the nostrils after the stifling heat of the tube (great hair-dryer!).

I wish you well. And you make me realise how fortunate I am to be able to pretty much set my own working patterns now.

James
Posted on: 17 October 2007 by Huwge
James - the coloured linings only come out one week a month, otherwise the slough of despond that is "business casual," an alleged benefit of not working full time in the City.
Posted on: 17 October 2007 by JWM
Business casual?? Confused

My father was a 'Lloyd's man' in the '50s (and 'proper' Lloyd's - marine). He was a lso a very keen sailor. He loves to tell (ad nauseam...) how one Friday he was going straight off after work to catch a tide somewhere on the East Coast, so went to work in a blue gingham shirt - still with stiff collar, of course! Most of the day was spent with him being ribbed, "weekend beginning early, then?"

No, anyway ... I always thought 'business casual' meant Prince of Wales check rather than pinstripe! Roll Eyes
Posted on: 17 October 2007 by Sir Crispin Cupcake
We lost two trees in our garden - one fell through the neighbours' fence and the other fell through our garage, resting propped up our car.

And I slept through the whole thing!

Rich
Posted on: 24 October 2007 by David Sutton
It coincided with the collapse of my marriage. Although I was not in the UK on the day, it has always seemed quite poignant.
Did not Sevenoaks become Threeoaks?
David
Posted on: 25 October 2007 by tonym
I think it was OneOak David!

I was living in a small village in Kent at the time & before retiring to bed that night I'd sampled a glass or two of a quite reasonable wine.

During the night I was aware of my wife waking me up to tell me she was worried, & vaguely aware of the odd tile slipping down the roof, but basically I slept through the whole thing.

Looking out of our bedroom window the next morning was a bit of a shock - all the fences where flattened & as my eyes travelled up the South-West face of the North Downs I just couldn't believe what I was seeing. The woods were completely flattened.

We were cut off by fallen trees for two days & without power for most of that week. No work so we spent much of the time walking the local paths, climbing over and under massive tree trunks, marvelling at the sheer power & destructiveness of the wind.
Posted on: 25 October 2007 by Tarquin Maynard - Portly
quote:
Originally posted by Chillkram:
Do you remember what you were doing?

Mark


Yes; Nikki...
Posted on: 25 October 2007 by JonR
1987 was the first year of my degree course - at what was then known as Sheffield City Polytechnic. So, being safe in sound in deepest, darkest South Yorkshire at the time of the storm meant that I missed it completely!

I remember speaking to my dad the following morning and him telling me about how the house windows rattled all night with the winds getting up to around 90mph. I can imagine it must have been spectacular but naturally I was concerned for my parents especially as there is a rather large oak tree right outside their house which mercifully stayed upright throughout. I remember feeling rather relieved, though, that I wasn't there at the time.
Posted on: 31 October 2007 by Cheese
Was learning English at Brighton back then, school was of course closed so we took a walk along the seafront. Blimey! I had never seen such a rough sea, Brighton suddenly became a most impressive place. 20 years hmm.