We may have seen some heavy snow in the last week, but nothing compared to the Great Blizzard of 1891 that wreaked havoc from March 9, 1891 for several days. Trevor James reflects on the storm and how it affected the West Devon community.

The storm that wreaked havoc throughout the west on Monday, March 9 1891 came suddenly.

At first the barometer had been rising and there was every sign of it being a fine day, but by mid-morning the reading fell sharply and an E.N.E. wind started to blow, increasing in strength until by nightfall it was blowing a full gale.

With it came the snow, not the usual flake kind but a fine powder that penetrated every crack in doorways and windows and, like the sands of the desert, blew in the wind to form drifts.

The results were devastating as roofs were swept away like cardboard, telegraph lines and often their support poles collapsed, trains and travellers were stranded when they encountered piles of snow several foot deep, sheep and cattle died in the terrible cold, hundreds of trees fell before the terrific force of the wind and countless chimney stacks were destroyed.

The Dartmoor area received the brunt of the hurricane. In Tavistock the snow lay a foot deep in Bedford Square, with drifts five to six foot deep adjacent to the town hall. All roads became impassable.

A wagoner returning to Phoenix Mills, Horrabridge, from Lifton with three horses had to abandon his wagon and animals at Heathfield when he came up against a deep drift. He managed to get to Tavistock on foot and returned at 10pm to rescue the horses.

They were nowhere to be seen! He located them the following morning and dug them out unharmed from the covering of snow that probably saved them from dying in the cold.

Pick up your copy of this week’s Times to read the full story.