The East Anglian Shock

[Weather-history]

A tremor believed to be of magnitude 5.2 struck at 9.18am on the 22nd of April 1884 effecting an area of over 53,000 square miles from Exeter to Ostend. The main strutural damage occurred in a 25 square mile area centred near Colchester.

Some reports

Colchester: About 5% of chimney stacks collapsed, the main damage was in the NE of the town. 20ft of the top of the Congregational Church collapsed.

St Giles's Rectory was much damaged.

Abberton to Peldon: Not a chimney standing along the road.

Peldon: About 70% of chimney stacks collapsed. Huge cracks in Peldon Church.

Langenhoe Church was badly damaged,

Rowhedge: Up to 75% of chimney stacks collapsed.

Wivenhoe: About 70% of chimney stacks collapsed.

Ardleigh: Church bells rang, clocks stopped, several chimneys collapsed.

Berechurch: The field was said to rise and fall like a wave.

Bishop's Stortford: Considerable oscillation, furniture shaken, house bells rung.

Brightlingsea: Part of the tower was shaken down and fell through the roof of the church.

Chelmsford: A signalman was thrown against the levers in his box, doors were set swinging and many clocks stopped.

Dedham: Church tower seen to oscillate, bells rung.

Great Wigborough: Schools and many farm houses damaged. Church badly damaged.

Halstead: House bells rung

Harwich: One person thrown down, house bells rung.

Kelvedon: a lady thrown against a wall, a parrot shaken off its perch

Little Wigborough: Church completely riddled and must be rebuilt.

Manningtree: Several clocks at railway station were stopped, the station-master thrown out of his chair.

Shock felt in Middlesex, especially the Strand, Fleet Street, the City, Hampstead, Enfield. Clocks were stopped in several locations.

Photo records of magnets at Kew Observatory showed they were shaken at 9.18am

The shock was violently felt at Rochester, Strood and Sheerness. The boarding school at Strood was so shaken that the masters dismissed the scholars. At Sheerness and Herne Bay, house bells rung and at Greenwich Observatory, the photo records of several instruments showed vibrations around 9.20am.

The shock was also felt at Chiselhurst, Tunbridge Wells and Maidstone, where the long gas pendant was set swinging.

In Sussex, it was felt at Brighton, Hastings, St Leonards and Eastbourne.

In Portsmouth, light articles of furniture were shaken.

In Cambridge, a rumble of the quake was heard. Doors were opened.