The Big Freeze that was the biggest freeze, bringing the country to a standstill.
The winter of 1962–63 is remembered simply as the Big Freeze. It remains one of the harshest and longest cold spells ever experienced in Britain. It was the coldest winter on record since 1740.
And I lived through it.
Now, I have to confess that despite being there, I have no memory whatsoever of that big freeze. I have an excuse, though; I was only three years old at the time. I can only imagine how cold it must have been, and life was very different back then when winter hit.
In 1962, early 63, it wasn’t just a few bad weeks of snow. The cold weather never seemed to end. It froze the sea and rivers; it halted transport and working life. Temperatures went to minus twenty degrees. For a few months it reshaped everyday life. It froze homes, routines, and memories.
When the Cold Took Hold
It began just after Christmas Day 1962, with snow falling across much of the country on Boxing Day. Falling temperatures followed and stayed that way for weeks. As we entered the new year and January 1963 got underway, much of Britain was locked under deep snow and ice, with temperatures regularly below zero.
It was a time when Britain was far less prepared for extreme weather than it is today. I know, we do complain about the weather a lot in Britain. It’s always a topic of conversation, and even being prepared is not enough to stop the weather when it is extreme. But in 1963, no one was ready for what was about to happen.
Home life
Central heating was rare. Many homes relied on coal fires, and keeping them going was a daily struggle and, for many, costly. Inside homes, families gathered around one heated room, the living room, no doubt with extra layers of clothing to provide some heat. Ice would form on the inside of windows.
And that was my home. My parents rented a small terraced house that relied on a coal fire and, occasionally, electric heaters. The coal fire was downstairs. Most of the rest of the house, and upstairs, had no heating. A hot water bottle, and many blankets, would have been your warmth against the cold winter.
I must have been wrapped up well.
It was a time when pipes froze and water supplies failed. Milk froze in bottles on doorsteps. The milkman must have been frozen when he delivered them. I remember that many of the old milk floats were very open to the weather. Even in the 1960s, some were still horse-drawn. This was also the case with coal deliveries.
Children, however, often looked upon winter differently.
Endless Snow
In the 1970s, power cuts closed the schools, sometimes for extended periods in winter, but in 1963, it was the big freeze. As an older child, I remember those power cuts and being sent home. We looked forward to it, although when we got home, there was no heating there either.
As children, we braved the cold because we all thought that snow was fun. We had snowball fights, sledging, and building snowmen in the park or yard. Snow happened at Christmastime; what more could a child ask for?
In the winter of 1963, I’m not sure that I would have found it to be fun, though. It’s probably a good thing that I don’t remember it, as this wasn’t just a short-lived Christmas cold snap. Britain was trapped in a sustained freeze, where the snowmen you built stood for weeks without melting.
The freeze affected the entire country. Industry slowed to a standstill. Keeping the power on was tested, and coal shortages added to the hardship. Farmers struggled to feed livestock. Wildlife suffered. I did some research on what it was like where I lived, and at one point, temperatures did fall to minus 20 degrees. This was more than an arctic blast.
And sport was disrupted too. Football matches were cancelled week after week. During that season, a few teams, including Manchester City, had to wait a record 70 days between fixtures. It took 66 days to complete the third round of the FA Cup.
Eventually, the ice thawed, and the snow cleared for another year, but it wasn’t until early March that temperatures finally began to rise.
A Lesson From History
The Big Freeze has become a benchmark against which all British winters are measured. Occasionally, comparisons are made, and 1963 is still mentioned, but nothing in recent times compares. You can find videos on YouTube about that winter.
What makes it so memorable is that it showed how unprepared we were. There were fewer safety nets in place and far less technology to soften the impact. Today, the main concern around heating the home in winter is one of cost, not the lack of central heating.
However, in 1963, people coped and adapted.
As I write this, Britain is experiencing a very different winter. The weather is actually mild for this time of year, and it’s rain, not snow, that is the problem in 2026. Yesterday, the country had over 100 flood warnings in place. Where I live, in the Midlands of England, the river nearby has a flood warning in place. It regularly overflows, flooding the local country park. As each year passes, the flooding gets worse and closer to the houses in its way — at least, that’s my impression.
We are better prepared now, but climate and the weather are things that will continue to throw up challenges.
Today, the winter of 1963 exists as both a historical event and a collection of personal stories for people who were there. It is a pity that even though I lived through it, I don’t remember it at all. My mind has decided to archive away that experience as one that is not to be remembered.
Image by didier aires from Pixabay
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