8.—Trinity Wesleyan chapel, Dereham, the foundation-stone of which was laid in the month of April, was opened for public worship. The work, executed from designs by Mr. Edward Boardman, architect, Norwich, cost, inclusive of minister’s house, &c., £3,400.
15.—A new warehouse, erected at the cost of many thousands of pounds, at Lynn docks, and stored with large quantities of cotton seed, belonging to different merchants, was destroyed by fire. The damage was estimated at £15,000.
18.—At a meeting of the Executive Committee of the county of Norfolk, held at the Shirehall, Norwich, the Chairman (Mr. C. S. Read) reported an alarming outbreak of foot-and-mouth diseases affecting 1,754 cattle, 1,640 sheep, and 66 pigs. (See February 28th, 1881.)
24.—The Christmas pantomime produced at Norwich Theatre by Messrs. Herbert and Collingwood was entitled, “Robinson Crusoe and Harlequin Billee Taylor, or Man Friday among the Afghans.” This was the last Christmas pantomime performed at the Theatre. At Messrs. John Sanger and Son’s Circus, on December 27th, was produced, “Little Red Riding Hood, the Wicked Wolf, and the Princess’s Fairy Garden Party.”
1881
JANUARY.
8.—Dr. F. E. Gladstone, it was announced, had resigned the post of organist of Norwich Cathedral, upon receiving a similar appointment at Christ church, Lancaster Gate, London. He was succeeded by Mr. Frederic C. Atkinson, organist of Manningham church, Bradford, a native of Norwich and pupil of Dr. Buck.
12.—Winter set in with great severity, and during the night upwards of six inches of snow fell. The frost was intense. On the 17th the Yare was frozen over and navigation stopped, and on the 18th an extraordinary snowstorm and gale occurred. The thermometer registered 32 degrees of frost, and the wind, which during the preceding night had veered to the east, suddenly assumed the strength of a hurricane, which raged for nearly twenty-four hours. “A velocity of 548 miles was recorded, a force very rarely experienced in this part of the country.” Little snow fell until about five o’clock in the afternoon, when the clouds discharged themselves with a virulence almost unprecedented. From six to eight inches of snow fell in a few hours, and in places there were drifts ten feet in depth. The traffic on most of the branch lines of the Great Eastern Railway was suspended nearly twenty-four hours. The mail train from Norwich to Yarmouth—four hours late—ran into a drift near Buckenham, and remained embedded six hours. The use of five engines and the efforts of sixty men proved unavailing, and there was no alternative but to take the train back to Norwich. Many of the roads being impassable, the mail-cart drivers abandoned their journeys. Terrible shipping disasters occurred off Yarmouth; thirteen vessels were wrecked, and nearly fifty lives lost. The surf lifeboat was capsized a few yards from the shore, and of the crew of ten who were entangled in the tackle beneath the craft six were drowned. From the 14th to the 21st never once did the thermometer rise above freezing-point. On the 26th the temperature rose to 38 degrees, and rain fell on the 27th.
17.—Prince’s Street Sunday schools and Lecture Hall, Norwich, were opened, as an adjunct to the Congregational church. The fine block of buildings was designed by Mr. Edward Boardman, architect, and erected by Messrs. Downing and Sons, at the cost of about £12,600.
24.—The National Skating Association held a race-meeting on Wroxham Broad. Fixed originally for the 18th, but postponed in consequence of the gale, it was attended, amongst other competitors, by George (“Fish”) Smart, Champion of England, W. (“Turkey”) Smart, and many prominent Fen skaters.