Flooding in Egham and District
Flooding from the Thames has always caused problems for travellers and affected property in the Egham area. The land round Egham Hythe, which belonged to Chertsey Abbey until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1537, did not attract any settlement because of frequent flooding by the River Thames. However, the building of locks on the river in the 19th century limited flooding and people began to build houses in areas previously under threat.. Areas frequently affected were the Glanty and Runnymede Meadows, including Windsor Road, Egham High Street and The Avenue. In 1947, following heavy falls of snow in February and March of that year, Egham and Egham Hythe suffered the worst flooding since 1894.
Even now buildings adjacent to the Thames are frequently at risk of severe damage, and to limit the danger to Maidenhead, Eton and Windsor a new river called the Jubilee River, planned and constructed over 20 years, was completed in 2002 . Because of engineering defects in the construction, however, the first major rainfall in 2003 again caused serious flooding along the river from Maidenhead to Egham (the Runnymede Hotel being completely surrounded by water up 5 feet in depth).
Items on Display
1. 1894. The "Great Flood". Where Egham High Street meets The Avenue.
2. 1903-04. Runnymede Meadows
3. 1904. The Avenue, Egham
4. 1904. The Avenue, Egham
5. 1904. The flood from Cooper's Hill '
6. 1900-1910? Bottom of Egham Hill. The building by the lamppost is now part of the Loch Fyne Restaurant. The buildings to the left have been demolished
7. 1910. The Glanty, Egham
8. 1910. Windsor Road, Egham
9. 1915. Runnymede Meadows
10. 1915. Runnymede Meadows
11. 1915. The Avenue, Egham
12. 1915? The High Street, Egham
13.1947. Pooley Green
14.1947. Pooley Green
15. A descriptive and historical account of Egham. Printed by C.C.Wetton. Page 63 records the building of the Causeway in the time of Henry III "to protect the road, and other adjoining lands from being overflowed by the river... and the road in winter rendered impassable"
Joan Wintour
March 2008
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