Earthquake

There have been at least six earthquakes in the Bourne area, two of them serious. The first occurred soon after midday on Sunday 30th September 1750 and the shock was so severe that it was felt not only in Bourne and the surrounding area, but also across the county borders in Leicestershire and Northamptonshire.

John Moore, the historian, wrote in his Collections of the Hundred of Aveland in 1809: "The houses tottered, plates and glasses fell from the shelves, and slates, tiles and some chimneys fell from the houses; but happily, no great mischief was done. In some churches where services were not over, the people ran from their devotions in the utmost consternation. The shock was attended with a rumbling noise." The Stamford Mercury reported that elsewhere in the town, people who were preparing their Sunday dinners rushed into the streets believing that they were about to be swallowed up.

The second tremor occurred on 24th February 1792 and was felt in Bourne and neighbouring villages but again there was no serious damage.

A third tremor occurred in 1896 but this was less serious. The Stamford Mercury reported on Friday 25th December: "A slight shock of earthquake was felt in Bourne about half past five on Thursday morning. Many townspeople noticed the earth tremor. In Bourne Fen, the shock was distinctly felt, several people being awakened by the rocking of their beds."

A fourth tremor occurred on Friday 14th January 1916 which the Stamford Mercury reported as "a seismic disturbance". Their report said: "For some seconds, a very distinct shock was felt as windows rattled violently and furniture and crockery rocked in many homes. At Rippingale, chairs and tables were moved, pots and pans on shelves danced, doors were opened. In Bourne, members of the Volunteer Training Corps were in the Congregational schoolroom for shooting practice when a lamp suspended from an iron rod near the ceiling danced as though the rod had been shaken. There was also a rumbling noise which was heard by several people. Youngsters in bed complained of having their beds moved. Happily, the disturbance was a very mild one and no personal or material damage was caused."

A fifth tremor occurred in the late spring of 1884 and the Grantham Journal reported on Saturday 26th April:

A slight shock of earthquake was felt at Bourne on Tuesday the 22nd inst. at about 9.15 am. Mr [Robert] Mills, Market Place, Bourne, says: "I felt the shock sitting in my breakfast room reading. I felt the house heave three or four times, and the windows shook - quite as if a very heavy locomotive was going by, but there was nothing near; and from the peculiar way in which the shake waved, I concluded at the time it was much like my idea of an earthquake. I forgot all about it until the evening when I saw reports from other towns, and my opinion was confirmed." The shock was also felt by several other persons in the town, though only in a slight degree.

SEVERE TREMOR IN 2008

An earthquake occurred in the Bourne area during the early hours of Wednesday 27th February 2008 when families throughout the district were woken by the seismic shock. One resident described the occurrence as a loud rushing sound as though an express train were thundering past the front window followed by walls shuddering, pictures and ornaments vibrating.

Graphic from the British Geological Survey

Many people rushed out into the streets and gardens wondering what had happened while others telephoned relatives or friends to see if they had been similarly affected. It was later revealed to be the biggest earthquake in England for a quarter of a century which had shaken homes across many areas and the British Geological Survey recorded a 5.3 magnitude on the Richter scale for the tremor which had an epicentre at Market Rasen in Lincolnshire, only forty miles away. The disturbance was first felt shortly before 1 am and there were subsequently more than 200 distress calls to the county police force although no one was hurt in the Bourne area and there was no structural damage. But further north in the region, houses were damaged by cracks and collapsed chimneys and one man was taken to hospital with leg injuries when brickwork fell through the roof into his bedroom.
The most serious damage was caused to the the slim and elegant spire of St Andrew’s church a Haconby where a large crack appeared in in stonework. Architects who made an inspection decided that it had been rendered unsafe and scaffolding was erected because there was a serious risk that the 14th century steeple might collapse. The top 18 feet of masonry was therefore shored up with wooded battens and the weathercock removed until repair work could begin later in the year. The church and graveyard were also closed to the public and the fortnightly Sunday service transferred to local houses for the time being. The occurrence was a disaster for the village and one that proved to be expensive because repairs were estimated at £25,000.
The earthquake may also have caused damage to the stone pinnacles on the gable ends of the Red Hall in Bourne. A survey revealed that they were already unsafe and that the problem could have been made worse by the seismic shock. Builders arrived on Wednesday 16th April 2008 to repair the damage using a 12-ton cherry picker to reach the roof sixty feet up and each of the limestone pinnacles was removed and then cemented back into place.

 

SEVERE TREMOR IN 2015

Graphic from the British Geological Survey

Graphic from the British Geological Survey

The earthquake which affected Bourne on the night of Wednesday 28th January 2015 occurred soon after 10 pm when a lady living in Stephenson Way reported that the sofa in her lounge had moved and this was accompanied by a loud rushing sound as though a heavy lorry has just driven past.
Within minutes, the social media was at work on the Internet spreading the message that Bourne had been hit by an earthquake and charts posted by the British Geological Survey (pictured above) indicated that the tremor had a magnitude of 3.8 on the Richter scale and was centred on Oakham which was enough to cause consternation in the shires.
Other messages on Twitter revealed the extent of the event with one lady claiming to have been thrown out of bed while other contributors said that their houses had shaken and items dislodged from the shelves. One lady, Sally Smart, wrote: “Earthquake wow that was a biggen! Thought a truck was coming through the house. Adrenaline pumping.”
The tremor had occurred at 10.22 pm and lasted for about ten seconds, affecting a large area of the East Midlands, and although the BGS received 1,4000 reports and many people were shaken by the event, no one was hurt and there was no damage to property.

REVISED JANUARY 2015

See also

Earthquake at Haconby     Damage to the Red Hall

Things that go bump in the night

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