When 'The Creek' froze in February 1929

It may seem cold at the moment (December 2022) but in 1929 the weather was much colder and brought many problems.

In February 1929 the winter was a biting one.  The photos below are from this time, when the estuary froze over with ‘pancake ice’.  The slabs of frozen water with curled white edges caused a polar phenomenon in the estuary and some 250,000 homes in Benfleet and Canvey were frozen out with burst pipes.

The ferry boat between Benfleet and Canvey was delayed for hours on end while the oarsmen tried to bash through the ice to release the boat.

Great chunks of frozen water also cluttered up Church Creek.

The  description above and the photos below are from an article, by Emma Palmer,  in the Echo newspaper of  December 12 2022.

The Benfleet to Canvey ferry boat trying to navigate an estuary full of ice in February of 1929
Echo news
The February freeze of 1929 brought harsh conditions to Benfleet and Canvey
Echo news
In 1929 Church Creek was covered in ice
Echo news

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