Northwich flood disaster 1946..............................................................



London Road the Volunteer public house is on the right

I have mentioned before that Northwich is prone to flooding.

I remember my Dad taking me into town in the 1960's to see the flood water in London Road close to the Regal Cinema. The cinema had a large mural on the wall of the foyer depicting the flood of February 1946 (the cinema opened in 1939). The Regal was closed in 2007 but there is a campaign to get it reopened.On February the 8th 1946 the Rivers Weaver and Dane flooded.

When the water level reached the steps of the Regal Cinema the manager called off the performance. He came back later to check that all was well and he became trapped by the water. In his office he constructed a makeshift raft and he and the cinema cat waited there floating on eight foot of water which completely submerged the stalls. They were eventually rescued the next morning when police rowed in through the cinema doors after they heard shouting.

The scene I viewed that day in the 60's was nothing like the flood of 1946 but although it stopped short of the cinema it made a really big impression on a young very curious mind.

A view of the flooding River Weaver the town centre in the background

Bus leaving the terminus on Chesterway (now a supermarket)

Town Bridge

The scene from Hayhurst Bridge

Castle Street looking towards Town Bridge

Northwich town centre

Witton Street

There has been flooding in recent years most notably 1977 and 2000 but upgrades to the weirs along the River Weaver has made managing the water levels a lot easier.