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.