Day landscape of Newmarket changed forever
Twenty years ago this week Newmarket woke up to the devastation caused by the 100 mph hurricane that swept across the south of England on the night of October 15, 1987.
Hundreds of thousands of pounds of damage was caused to trees, property and vehicles and one resident was seriously injured as his car was crushed by a falling tree in Bury Road.
Huge trees, some of which had been standing for centuries, were toppled like ten-pins by the strongest winds recorded for 200 years.
Around 2.8million trees were lost in Suffolk alone. As they crashed to the ground they took miles of overhead power lines with them, snapping the supporting wooden poles like matchsticks and leaving a spider's web of tangled cables and crushed equipment. Around 750,000 people were left without electricity. Some supplies were restored within hours other customers had to wait up to 10 days.
For the first time in nearly 80 years Newmarket had to call off a race meeting as hospitality marquees were strewn across the Rowley Mile, railings were uprooted and the grandstand was damaged. The Dewhurst Stakes, one of the top two-year-old races of the year had to be cancelled but racecourse staff worked round the clock to make sure the Saturday Champion Stakes and Cesarewitch meeting was able to go ahead.
A belt of beech trees between Bury Toll and the Boy's Grave at Kentford was devasted with 1,000 trees lost.
Robert Fellowes, the Jockey Club Agent said: "We have some damage down at the July Course which is bad but the Bury Road belt is probably the best known – this will change the landscape of Newmarket forever."
All over the town and surrounding area there were tales of lucky escapes. Two pensioners in Duchess Drive woke up to find a 60-foot larch tree had crashed through their roof and CI Caravans saw five caravans destroyed and around 12 badly damaged.
But despite the devastation some were still able to smile.
At a wedding in Barton Mills parish church two days after the storm the guests had to hum the wedding march because there was no power.
What do you remember of that day. Call newsdesk on 01638 564104 or email alison.hayes@newmarketjournal.co.uk or leave your comments below.
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Weather for Newmarket
Tuesday 07 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -7 C to -1 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: -5 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: North east
