February 1941: Shrewsbury's worst floods for 60 years remembered
Things are even worse than they look – because apart from all this, there's a war on.
This photograph was taken in Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, on February 10, 1941, when the town experienced its worst flooding for 60 years.
And thanks to Jane Brown for emailing it in on behalf of her mother, Mrs Joan Bevan, who lives in Clive, but used to live in Shrewsbury.
"She has been sorting out old photos of Shrewsbury and wanted me to send this to you," said Jane, from Derby.
"She is coming up to 90 now. I spoke to my mum and she does remember the flood as they had a day off school. She would have been nine or 10 years old.
"She doesn’t know who took the photo. It was given to my father by a work colleague."
At the time of the photo Jane's mum was the young Joan Reade.
"My mum and my late dad Peter Bevan both lived in Shrewsbury and their families kept pubs in the town. She lived in High Street all her childhood where her family had the Criterion when it was a hotel.
"My father's family had a pub at the bottom of Wyle Cop, right by the bridge – I don't think it's there now – and one in Coleham, on the river."
However the couple did not themselves keep a pub – Peter was an accountant.
"In the picture you can see in the distance that there are lots of people on top of a bus. It looks like the picture was taken from a boat. On the back of it it gives the date of February 10, 1941."
On the right one car driver in the shadow of Shrewsbury Abbey is ploughing on through deep water – definitely not something to be recommended.
