Snow and London are generally not two words that go together, even if meteorologists are predicting a flurry later this month. The capital rarely gets cold enough to see a few flakes, let alone be covered by a white blanket.
However, this wasn’t always true as our fine city was once brought to a standstill by the worst winter in recent history. Between late 1962 and early 1963, newspapers reports claimed it snowed for months on end.
The Big Freeze, as it was later dubbed, saw temperatures plummet and the UK’s waterways freeze over. This included the lake at St James’s Park and swimming pool of Brockwell Lido.
It was so frosty at times even the sea in Whitstable and waterfalls in Wales turned to ice. The upper reaches of the River Thames also reportedly froze over – though the icy clutches didn’t quite reach Central London.
One survey that winter suggests snow lay on the ground for 69 days that year with the maximum depth being more than 30 cm. It was a white out like no other and Londoners decided to enjoy it.
See the amazing vintage photos below:
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