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| 'Arksey Landing', High Street 1932 |
The Story Of The Floods
Few things bring communities together more than a disastrous flood, and thankfully, here in Doncaster we've seen relatively few floods over the last half century or so.
That wasn't always the case though, the low-lying land to the north of Doncaster has always been prone to flooding, especially prior to the drainage works carried out in the seventeenth century. Since then, the two major floods of 1932 and 1941, and a further one in 1947, had devastating effects the villages of Arksey and Bentley.
For fifty years these floods were consigned to history, with many believing that it could never happen again. However, in 2007 history was repeated when Bentley and Toll Bar suffered at the hands of mother nature once again, then in 2019 parts of Bentley found itself underwater once again.
In this updated post we take a look at some of the floods to affect Bentley, Arksey and the surrounding areas along with the hardship and community spirit that came with them.
In this updated post we take a look at some of the floods to affect Bentley, Arksey and the surrounding areas along with the hardship and community spirit that came with them.
Contents
- The Deluge of 1932
- Bentley and Toll Bar
- Arksey
- A Child's Perspective
- When Arksey Really Did Need an Ark
- History Repeating...
- Flooding in 2007
- November Rain in 2019
The Deluge of 1932
Bentley and Toll Bar
At the first signs of impending flood, people in Bentley and Toll Bar moved as many of their possessions to upstairs rooms as possible. Flood water reached a height of four feet in the houses, while the road outside stayed relatively free of water for some time. People were reluctant to leave their homes at first, but as the situation got more serious Bentley Council got together a number of carts to evacuate marooned people, those who refused or who could not leave their homes had provisions brought to them by the council at a cost to the council of £4 a day.
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| Bentley Road and the flood arches 1932 |
Rafts were used on Askern Road to rescue people, but were replaced with horse-drawn carts. Forty boats and a motor boat were in operation, rescuing people; the sick were carried on stretchers for half a mile on the shoulders of bearers who waded through the water.
The water was still rising on the 23rd of May and people who chose to stay in their homes spent a night in terror as the levels reached six feet, in some houses the levels rose to ten feet high.
A week after the rain began thousands were made homeless and over a thousand homes were seriously affected by the flooding. Five hundred people were sheltered in New Village School but they resented being treated in an institutional way and so the council were forced to give up arrangements for providing provisions.
A flood disaster fund was set up and £100 was given to it by the British Legion. The flooding was so serious in Toll Bar that a number of government officials toured the area to see the damage for themselves.
High Street was under six feet of water and while hundreds of rats sought refuge in houses, frogs were seen swimming around and large patches of frog spawn floated on the surface. Many poultry farmers lost flocks during the floods and dead hens were seen floating in the water. One resident who kept birds, released his entire stock of canaries into one of his upstairs bedrooms with plenty of food, before evacuating his house. When a newspaper reporter visited the area days later, the birds could be seen perched on the windowsills.
Trains between Doncaster and York were temporarily diverted on Tuesday 24th May, when ballast from the sides of the railway was washed away by the rushing water. The trains had to go via Stainforth and Applehurst Junction before rejoining the main line a few miles north of Doncaster.
People whose homes were not affected by the flooding found themselves unable to get to Doncaster as Arksey lane became flooded to a depth of several feet and could only be used by carts supplied by the council. Arksey was virtually cut off from the rest of Doncaster.
The people of Arksey seemed to show tremendous resilience in the face of adversity. People who had not been evacuated but had moved to their upper floors, filled the upstairs windows and passed jokes about the rowing styles of the boatmen in the flooded streets below. There was a great deal of hilarity when a milkman stepped into a boat making it rock wildly, he then lost his balance and fell into two feet of water.
Despite the camaraderie and hilarity that went on the floods caused tremendous damage and hardship for those affected and their lives were disrupted for quite some considerable time. However, the clean-up got underway and normality eventually returned to the area.
To watch a video containing cine footage of the Bentley, Arksey and Doncaster floods in the 1930's and 1947, use the link below.
It wasn’t until Tuesday the 26th of June that Doncaster became the main focus of concern. The Ulley Reservoir Dam near Rotherham was near to collapse and the fear was that if it went, a tidal wave would surge down the river Don and flood large parts of Doncaster and the lower Don Valley. Residents of Scawthorpe, Bentley and Arksey were advised to evacuate but efforts to reinforce the dam worked and the threat was lifted. Despite this, enormous volumes of water draining from the upper Don Valley were now finding their way into rivers, becks and drains at lower levels.
During the night of the 26th and 27th the Ea Beck which runs through Bentley to Toll Bar had burst its banks and people had to be evacuated from Toll Bar and Thorpe-in-Balne.
By Thursday the 28th of June Bentley High Street was under three feet of water and the whole of Bentley Road, from the Town End roundabout to the end of Arksey Lane was closed. Land around the old Thorpe Marsh Power Station was also flooded, and although the power station was now disused, the electricity sub station was still operational and there was a real danger of water getting in and cutting supplies of electricity to a large part of north east Doncaster.
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| Flooded Toll Bar 1932. Photo courtesy of Bob Lord |
Arksey
In Arksey the floods arrived a little later than in the neighbouring villages. The streets of Arksey were still dry by early evening on the 23rd of May. The authorities had been warning of the danger throughout the previous two days and farmers moved as much of their livestock as they could to higher ground at Cusworth and Warmsworth. The vicar of Arksey, Rev. John Pierce-Price, could see across to Barnby Dun from the top of the church tower and as the water approached from the breached banks of the River Don he went around the village warning everyone to move their possessions to rooms upstairs.
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| View from church tower with Brookhouse farm. Arksey Hall top left |
A wave of water many feet deep soon hit Arksey and within a few hours houses were standing in eight to ten feet of water. The Almshouses were badly hit and had to be evacuated quickly. The last resident was removed at one thirty a.m. The water got into the church and the vicar had to remove all the valuables in the middle of the night. Arksey Hall, which had never flooded before stood in eighteen inches of water and garden frames were found floating hundreds of yards away.
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| Flooded Almshouses. Photo courtesy of Laura Hawkins |
Trains between Doncaster and York were temporarily diverted on Tuesday 24th May, when ballast from the sides of the railway was washed away by the rushing water. The trains had to go via Stainforth and Applehurst Junction before rejoining the main line a few miles north of Doncaster.
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| High Street from the church tower, looking towards the railway. Photo courtesy of Bob Lord |
A number of heroic acts took place in Arksey during the floods. Rescuing people from the post office proved difficult as it was impossible to get them out via the ground floor. A twenty foot ladder was leaned up against a wall while the bottom end was balanced in a small boat. The occupants then climbed out of a window to make their escape down the ladder. A horse pulling a cart load of pigs refused to move in the water leaving the one-legged driver in a dilemma until someone nearby put on a swimming costume and dived in to lead the horse to safety. A brave milkman continued to make his rounds by cycling round with the milk can held in one hand while only the saddle and handlebars of his bicycle showed above the water.
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| Boating on Station Road at the junction with Ings Lane |
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| Arksey Lane |
The people of Arksey seemed to show tremendous resilience in the face of adversity. People who had not been evacuated but had moved to their upper floors, filled the upstairs windows and passed jokes about the rowing styles of the boatmen in the flooded streets below. There was a great deal of hilarity when a milkman stepped into a boat making it rock wildly, he then lost his balance and fell into two feet of water.
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| People stood out on top of bay windows in Marsh Lane. Photo courtesy of Jill Lowe |
Despite the camaraderie and hilarity that went on the floods caused tremendous damage and hardship for those affected and their lives were disrupted for quite some considerable time. However, the clean-up got underway and normality eventually returned to the area.
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| After the floods - a resident of the Almshouses with a piece of water damaged furniture. Photo courtesy of Laura Hawkins |
A Child's Perspective
Without a doubt the flooding in Arksey must have been a terrible time for all those affected, especially the adults who had to drag heavy furniture upstairs, and clear the floors of all the muck and debris left behind. A child though sees things differently; the sense of excitement and adventure can be remembered for a lifetime.
One such 'child of Arksey' Pat Thorp, remembers how the flooding of 1932 brought misery to her parents, but excitement to her young self.
Born in 1922, Pat was encouraged to write down her memories by her niece Rosalind Fielding. Pat died in 2008 but her memories of the 1932 flood were published in the February 2013 edition of Down Your Way magazine.
Below is an account of those memories re-written from the article.
When Arksey Really Did Need an Ark
Pat remembers the time in 1932 when the floods were coming and how, in her excitement she rushed to welcome them. This was a magical thing to happen, in that selfish, unconcerned way children think. She tells how the children met the advancing water, which crept in scallop shaped waves up each side of the street, and how they would help each scallop wave to meet in the middle using their feet, the water creeping too slowly for them.
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| Flooded High Street |
Of course it was a different story for Pat's parents, as they dragged all possible furniture up the narrow stairs of their cottage. The cottage was one foot lower than ground level, meaning that as soon as the water reached the door it would immediately pour in to the kitchen, bringing with it dead chickens, rotten fruit, and even snakes. The ceilings in the cottages were also low, meaning that a flood of more than seven feet high would reach upstairs too! The water in Pat's cottage rose as high as six feet, so it was close. Their kitchen table, which wouldn't go upstairs, had to withstand three floods, and Pat remembers how its ends curled up like a pagoda roof.
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| Children rafting near cottages on High Street, 1932. |
Pat enjoyed living upstairs during the flood, waking up beside the bedroom fire while her mother fried breakfast and boiled the kettle on it. Then sitting on the edge of the bed eating from a table between the beds, it was better than a luxury hotel to Pat.
After getting dressed they would sit on the window sill and wait for the rowing boat, sometimes with the vicar at the oars, to take them shopping. Pat loved being lowered on to the boat from the window. This was her 'gondola' which took her past all the buildings completely surrounded by water, except the church and the school, which stood on higher ground.
After the flood water had subsided Pat's father had the terrible job of shovelling and bucketing the muck and water over the doorstep. He was left to clean up single handed as Pat, her mother, and brother had fled down the raised bank of the railway line to take refuge with her grandfather on his farm eight miles away. Pat wasn't happy at being taken to the farm, not only was she leaving the village she loved, but she would also have to attend a nearby school, while her friends in Arksey enjoyed an extra holiday, the school being forced to close.
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| Rev. Pierce Price assisting neighbour, Mrs Lilley at her cottage. |
After the flood water had subsided Pat's father had the terrible job of shovelling and bucketing the muck and water over the doorstep. He was left to clean up single handed as Pat, her mother, and brother had fled down the raised bank of the railway line to take refuge with her grandfather on his farm eight miles away. Pat wasn't happy at being taken to the farm, not only was she leaving the village she loved, but she would also have to attend a nearby school, while her friends in Arksey enjoyed an extra holiday, the school being forced to close.
Pat and her brother, who she describes as a 'pain in the neck', even though they were good friends, were stranded on the farm, miles from any shops, so they had to wait until Saturday when the travelling shop came. The small lorry was weighed down with all manner of goods, candles, pegs, paraffin, crockery, carbide for lamps, which made a hissing sound on the bicycles. Pat was always drawn to the sweets though, and soon her money was spent and the sweets eaten. Her brother on the other hand thought about his poor mother, who had returned to the cottage to help clean up. He bought her a box of 'Imps', tiny black cough type sweets in a red and black tin box with little devil-like creatures on it. But after spending the morning in their granddad's fields, they had to cross a small wooden bridge over a drain (a kind of stream). Leaning over the rail to look for minnows or eels, the box of Imps fell into the water below, never to be seen again.
This reminded Pat of the first time she ate eel. They used to catch them in the drain, and her granddad liked to eat them. They wriggled even after the heads were cut off, or so Pat's aunts and uncles told them. The eels were cut into two inch pieces and cooked. Her granddad made her try a piece, which she reluctantly did, but swears that the eel wriggled down her throat, putting her off eating them ever again!
Many thanks to Barry Morgan for bringing this article to my attention.
Pat and her brother, who she describes as a 'pain in the neck', even though they were good friends, were stranded on the farm, miles from any shops, so they had to wait until Saturday when the travelling shop came. The small lorry was weighed down with all manner of goods, candles, pegs, paraffin, crockery, carbide for lamps, which made a hissing sound on the bicycles. Pat was always drawn to the sweets though, and soon her money was spent and the sweets eaten. Her brother on the other hand thought about his poor mother, who had returned to the cottage to help clean up. He bought her a box of 'Imps', tiny black cough type sweets in a red and black tin box with little devil-like creatures on it. But after spending the morning in their granddad's fields, they had to cross a small wooden bridge over a drain (a kind of stream). Leaning over the rail to look for minnows or eels, the box of Imps fell into the water below, never to be seen again.
This reminded Pat of the first time she ate eel. They used to catch them in the drain, and her granddad liked to eat them. They wriggled even after the heads were cut off, or so Pat's aunts and uncles told them. The eels were cut into two inch pieces and cooked. Her granddad made her try a piece, which she reluctantly did, but swears that the eel wriggled down her throat, putting her off eating them ever again!
Many thanks to Barry Morgan for bringing this article to my attention.
__________
To watch a video containing cine footage of the Bentley, Arksey and Doncaster floods in the 1930's and 1947, use the link below.
History Repeating...
After the area was once again hit by flooding in 1941 and 1947 better flood defences were built, which meant the threat of devastating flooding had been lifted. Everyone thought 'it could never happen again', but it did happen again, more than fifty years later in June 2007 and then again in November 2019.
Flooding in 2007
At a time when climate change was beginning to be talked about seriously, the British weather suddenly left us in no doubt that things were indeed changing and 2007 should be taken as a warning...
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| Swirling waters invade the streets of Sheffield |
Rain began to fall on South Yorkshire on Sunday the 24th of June; it rained heavily all night and all the next day. Sheffield and Leeds were the first to suffer, large parts of both cities were flooded, but Doncaster only had some localised flooding at first when streets in Intake began to flood due to overwhelmed drains.
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| Ulley Dam, Rotherham, near to collapse |
It wasn’t until Tuesday the 26th of June that Doncaster became the main focus of concern. The Ulley Reservoir Dam near Rotherham was near to collapse and the fear was that if it went, a tidal wave would surge down the river Don and flood large parts of Doncaster and the lower Don Valley. Residents of Scawthorpe, Bentley and Arksey were advised to evacuate but efforts to reinforce the dam worked and the threat was lifted. Despite this, enormous volumes of water draining from the upper Don Valley were now finding their way into rivers, becks and drains at lower levels.
During the night of the 26th and 27th the Ea Beck which runs through Bentley to Toll Bar had burst its banks and people had to be evacuated from Toll Bar and Thorpe-in-Balne.
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| Flooded car sales premises in Toll Bar |
During Wednesday the 27th the situation became steadily worse, Toll Bar was under five feet of water and Bentley was starting to be affected too. Many of Toll Bar’s residents were taken to Adwick where a well organised relief centre had been set up at the leisure centre. In Arksey, people were warned to evacuate as a precaution. Those who could make their own way out went to Adwick Leisure Centre, while the elderly were taken there by other means.
Unfortunately, to add to people’s misery, stories of looting in Toll Bar began to emerge, as properties were left abandoned thieves started to move in and the police had to patrol in boats to protect the empty houses and shops.
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| Flooded Toll Bar from the air |
Unfortunately, to add to people’s misery, stories of looting in Toll Bar began to emerge, as properties were left abandoned thieves started to move in and the police had to patrol in boats to protect the empty houses and shops.
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| Bentley High Street |
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| Bentley High Street with pumps in place |
By Thursday the 28th of June Bentley High Street was under three feet of water and the whole of Bentley Road, from the Town End roundabout to the end of Arksey Lane was closed. Land around the old Thorpe Marsh Power Station was also flooded, and although the power station was now disused, the electricity sub station was still operational and there was a real danger of water getting in and cutting supplies of electricity to a large part of north east Doncaster.
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| Flood water surrounding Thorpe Marsh Power Station, apologies for the poor quality picture |
The army, fire services and council worked tirelessly to prevent further disasters, sand bags were flown in to reinforce the river banks. The fire service, including many extra teams from around the country used hundreds of hoses to pump water away from key areas.
By Friday the 29th of June Toll Bar and Bentley were headline news nationally, the situation was equally as serious as in 1932 and just like that event, government officials visited. The Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, who had just taken over from Tony Blair, visited Toll Bar, and a few days later HRH Prince Charles also took the boat trip through the flooded streets of Toll Bar.
While all this was going on Arksey remained dry, the village was surrounded by water but, apart from a little localised flooding on Marsh Lane, all properties were spared. By Sunday the 1st of July the residents of Arksey had all moved back home. People in Toll Bar and Bentley were not so lucky though. By the Sunday all the water had been pumped out of Bentley High Street but lots of businesses had to start the process of drying out and repairing the damage. In Toll Bar the situation was much worse, the water, which was eight feet deep at its highest stayed for a whole week before the pumps started to make a difference. Many hundreds of people were homeless so the council built and provided a temporary caravan site so that residents could live nearby while their houses were renovated.
It would be close to eighteen months before everyone got back in their homes, many were not insured and faced hardship. The story of Toll Bar was not forgotten by the news teams who visited during the floods, BBC Look North produced a DVD telling the story of the floods and the proceeds of sales went to the flood relief fund. In another TV programme, DIY SOS, the team visited Toll Bar to renovate the home of a local foster carer and they also renovated Toll Bar Club clubhouse as a gift to the whole community.
Since the 2007 floods action was taken to prevent a repeat performance, and it has been successful up to point, however, it seems that any excesses of rain can still cause problems in certain areas, as was the case in late 2019.
By Friday the 8th of November the river Don was bursting its banks at Marsh Gate. Also affected were Willow Bridge caravan park, Yarborough Terrace and Hunt Lane in Bentley. Further afield there were problems in Stainforth, and a severe threat to Barnby Dun. Worst affected of all was the village of Fishlake, just over six miles north east of Arksey.
Although the rain had stopped falling by the end of Friday, the river continued to fill as water drained into it from higher up.
On Monday the 11th of November Chinook helicopters were used to drop aggregate on the banks of the river at Bentley to shore up the drainage channels.
Once again Doncaster was national news, the focus of coverage centering on Bentley and Fishlake. Once again politicians visited to pledge their support, and once again fundraising efforts got underway.
At the height of the flooding thirty nine roads in the Doncaster area were closed. Evacuations were carried out in a number of places north of Doncaster and the severe flood warnings stayed in place for some considerable time.
Almost as soon as the flooding hit, relief efforts swung into action. Donations of household goods and cleaning equipment were collected at various centres and the generosity of the public was welcomed as communities worked together to get some normality restored to people's homes.
By the 15th of November the situation had eased in Bentley but it would take much longer for the flood water in Fishlake to disperse. Around one hundred homes were damaged in the village and many people were forced into temporary accommodation.
While this flooding event was probably less severe than 2007, it affected areas not previously hit. Fishlake hadn't seen flooding like that for a century, but Bentley and Toll Bar, places impacted badly in the past got off relatively lightly.
It all goes to show you can never be too complacent as you never know which areas might be impacted next time. Sadly there will be a next time - with climate change happening right now, it is inevitable.
For more old photos of the Arksey floods go to Old Photo Gallery.
For more old photos of Bentley floods go to Flood Images on sister site Bentley Village, A History.
Alison Vainlo
First written 2012, updated 2016, further updated 2020
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| An Army Chinook flying in extra sand |
By Friday the 29th of June Toll Bar and Bentley were headline news nationally, the situation was equally as serious as in 1932 and just like that event, government officials visited. The Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, who had just taken over from Tony Blair, visited Toll Bar, and a few days later HRH Prince Charles also took the boat trip through the flooded streets of Toll Bar.
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| Prince Charles visits flooded Toll Bar |
While all this was going on Arksey remained dry, the village was surrounded by water but, apart from a little localised flooding on Marsh Lane, all properties were spared. By Sunday the 1st of July the residents of Arksey had all moved back home. People in Toll Bar and Bentley were not so lucky though. By the Sunday all the water had been pumped out of Bentley High Street but lots of businesses had to start the process of drying out and repairing the damage. In Toll Bar the situation was much worse, the water, which was eight feet deep at its highest stayed for a whole week before the pumps started to make a difference. Many hundreds of people were homeless so the council built and provided a temporary caravan site so that residents could live nearby while their houses were renovated.
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| Arksey Lane was a near as the flooding got to Arksey itself |
It would be close to eighteen months before everyone got back in their homes, many were not insured and faced hardship. The story of Toll Bar was not forgotten by the news teams who visited during the floods, BBC Look North produced a DVD telling the story of the floods and the proceeds of sales went to the flood relief fund. In another TV programme, DIY SOS, the team visited Toll Bar to renovate the home of a local foster carer and they also renovated Toll Bar Club clubhouse as a gift to the whole community.
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| The BBC's DIY SOS programme |
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| Finished interior of Toll Bar Rugby Club |
Since the 2007 floods action was taken to prevent a repeat performance, and it has been successful up to point, however, it seems that any excesses of rain can still cause problems in certain areas, as was the case in late 2019.
November Rain in 2019
On Thursday the 7th of November 2019 it rained heavily in Doncaster all day. The rain fell on already saturated ground as it had been one of the wettest autumn's for decades.By Friday the 8th of November the river Don was bursting its banks at Marsh Gate. Also affected were Willow Bridge caravan park, Yarborough Terrace and Hunt Lane in Bentley. Further afield there were problems in Stainforth, and a severe threat to Barnby Dun. Worst affected of all was the village of Fishlake, just over six miles north east of Arksey.
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| Fishlake |
Although the rain had stopped falling by the end of Friday, the river continued to fill as water drained into it from higher up.
On Monday the 11th of November Chinook helicopters were used to drop aggregate on the banks of the river at Bentley to shore up the drainage channels.
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| A Chinook shoring up banks at Bentley |
Once again Doncaster was national news, the focus of coverage centering on Bentley and Fishlake. Once again politicians visited to pledge their support, and once again fundraising efforts got underway.
At the height of the flooding thirty nine roads in the Doncaster area were closed. Evacuations were carried out in a number of places north of Doncaster and the severe flood warnings stayed in place for some considerable time.
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| Evacuations by boat |
Almost as soon as the flooding hit, relief efforts swung into action. Donations of household goods and cleaning equipment were collected at various centres and the generosity of the public was welcomed as communities worked together to get some normality restored to people's homes.
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| Collections for the relief efforts |
By the 15th of November the situation had eased in Bentley but it would take much longer for the flood water in Fishlake to disperse. Around one hundred homes were damaged in the village and many people were forced into temporary accommodation.
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| The clean-up in one house |
While this flooding event was probably less severe than 2007, it affected areas not previously hit. Fishlake hadn't seen flooding like that for a century, but Bentley and Toll Bar, places impacted badly in the past got off relatively lightly.
It all goes to show you can never be too complacent as you never know which areas might be impacted next time. Sadly there will be a next time - with climate change happening right now, it is inevitable.
For more old photos of the Arksey floods go to Old Photo Gallery.
For more old photos of Bentley floods go to Flood Images on sister site Bentley Village, A History.
Alison Vainlo
First written 2012, updated 2016, further updated 2020
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