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History is full of unexpected disasters, but few are as strange and shocking as the London beer flood of 1814. What started as an ordinary day in the city quickly turned into chaos when an industrial accident sent an enormous wave of beer rushing through the streets.
While industrial accidents were not uncommon in the 19th century, this particular disaster stood out not only for its bizarre nature, but for the tragic consequences it brought. Buildings collapsed, people were swept away, and the overpowering stench of beer lingered in the city for months.
Although the event has often been remembered with an air of dark humor, the reality for those affected was far from amusing. Intrigued? Click through this gallery to see the full story of how a brewery mishap turned into one of London’s most infamous disasters.
On October 17, 1814, a catastrophic accident at The Horse Shoe Brewery sent a wave of beer flooding through London’s streets. The disaster, later called the London beer flood, caused significant destruction and tragically claimed several lives.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, breweries were thriving in London and contributing significantly to the economy. The Horse Shoe Brewery was one of many expanding businesses that sought to produce beer on an enormous scale to meet increasing demand.
The brewery was first established simply as The Horseshoe in 1623. By 1764, it became The Horse Shoe Brewery under Thomas Fassett. Ownership changed multiple times, and it grew into one of London’s most prominent beer producers before being snapped up by Henry Meux.
Sir Henry Meux, born in 1770, was from a brewing family. After a disagreement with his father, he left their business and took over The Horse Shoe Brewery. Under his leadership, the business expanded and became one of London’s six largest beer producers.
The brewery contained enormous wooden vats reinforced by metal hoops. One vat, built in 1795, could hold 20,000 barrels of beer, which is equal to about 860,000 US gallons (3.3 million liters).
The beer vats located at the brewery were incredibly tall, towering up to 22 feet (6.7 meters). Although they were certainly impressive, they were vulnerable to pressure buildup, which could cause structural failure and lead to catastrophic consequences.
Hours before the disaster, a clerk at the brewery named George Crick noticed that a metal hoop had slipped off one of the vats. These hoops, weighing around 700 lbs (320 kg) each, were critical to the vat’s integrity. But a supervisor dismissed the concern, claiming that no harm would occur.
Within an hour after the warning was ignored, the weakened vat exploded violently and released its contents into the brewery. The force of the rupture triggered a domino effect, breaking additional vats open.
The powerful surge of beer shattered the brewery's rear wall, which stood 25 feet (7.6 meters) high and was 19.7 inches (50 cm) thick. Some bricks were propelled into the air, crashing down onto rooftops along nearby Great Russell Street, causing further destruction.
A tidal wave of beer reaching a height of 15 feet (4.6 meters) poured out of the brewery, demolishing two houses and severely damaging two more. The sheer force of the liquid left residents with no time to react, as buildings collapsed under the unexpected and deadly flood.
The flood released between 153,200 and 388,300 US gallons (580,000 and 1.47 million liters) of beer, surging through the streets of London. The powerful wave swept away everything in its path, knocking down walls, damaging buildings, and trapping residents in basements and alleyways.
The force of the flood caused severe structural damage to nearby buildings. One of the first casualties was Eleanor Cooper, a 14-year-old servant girl who was struck by falling bricks from a collapsing wall. She was killed instantly.
The disaster took the lives of eight people, including Mary Mulvey (aged 30) and her three-year-old son Thomas, along with other children of a similar age. Others, like Ann Saville (aged 60), were unable to escape the surge in time.
Four-year-old Hannah Bamfield was having tea with her mother and another child when the flood hit. Her mother and the other child were swept into the street, but Hannah was trapped inside the house and tragically lost her life.
Although everyone inside the brewery survived, three workers had to be rescued from the rubble. The superintendent and one worker were taken to Middlesex Hospital, along with three others, suffering from injuries caused by the catastrophic structural collapse.
Beyond the tragic loss of life, the flood left London’s streets drenched in beer. The overwhelming stench of stale yeast lingered for months and made the area unbearable for residents. Even long after the cleanup, the smell of beer remained.
In the aftermath, curious onlookers flocked to see the destroyed vats and flood-damaged streets. Some spectators even paid to witness the devastation firsthand, turning the deadly event into a grim spectacle for public entertainment.
For a brief time, parts of London resembled a bizarre river of beer. With nowhere to drain, the liquid pooled in low-lying areas, submerging streets and buildings. People waded through waist-deep beer, struggling to recover belongings and search for survivors.
After the disaster, rumors spread of crowds collecting the spilled beer, leading to mass drunkenness. Some claimed a person died from alcohol poisoning a few days later after consuming excessive amounts from the flood. These stories have never been substantiated.
The disaster could have led to criminal charges, but authorities ruled it an "Act of God," which meant no one was held accountable. This legal decision spared the brewery from liability and left the victims' families without any form of compensation.
Although the brewery was responsible for the flood, it was granted financial relief. British Parliament waived its taxes and provided a £7,250 payout to ensure that the company did not suffer financially. When adjusted for inflation, this equates to around US$632,000 today.
Despite surviving the immediate financial strain of the beer flood, The Horse Shoe Brewery did not last forever. It eventually shut down in 1921 when production was moved to the Nine Elms brewery in the south of London (pictured).
At the time that the brewery was closed, the site covered 103,000 square feet (9,600 square meters). Just a year after its closure, the entire brewery was demolished and the Dominion Theatre was later constructed.
The London beer flood served as a wake-up call regarding the dangers of wooden beer vats. Over time, breweries switched to safer alternatives, using stainless steel, concrete, glass, ceramic, and plastic to prevent similar catastrophic failures in the future.
Fermenting beer produces carbon dioxide, which builds pressure inside vats. If the structural integrity of a vat is compromised, as it was in this case, the trapped gas can cause an explosion and turn a minor issue into a full-scale disaster.
Today, breweries follow strict safety regulations to prevent similar accidents. Modern brewing tanks are designed with pressure release systems to ensure that fermentation does not create dangerous conditions like those that led to the London beer flood.
The London beer flood wasn’t the only unusual disaster of its kind. In 1919, the city of Boston saw the deaths of 21 people and the injuries of 150 more when a 25-foot (7.6-meter) wave of molasses was released on the city’s North End.
Another incident in 1878 saw a flour mill explode in Minneapolis. Since flour is extremely flammable, a small spark at the mill created an explosion in one of the machines, while a resulting blaze continued destroying the facility. Eighteen lives were ultimately claimed.
Today, the London beer flood can be seen as a reminder of the dangers of industrial negligence and the human cost of preventable disasters. Though the brewery is gone, its tragic flood remains an unforgettable part of London’s history.
Sources: (TheCollector) (Britannica) (History.com) (Historic UK)
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History is full of unexpected disasters, but few are as strange and shocking as the London beer flood of 1814. What started as an ordinary day in the city quickly turned into chaos when an industrial accident sent an enormous wave of beer rushing through the streets.
While industrial accidents were not uncommon in the 19th century, this particular disaster stood out not only for its bizarre nature, but for the tragic consequences it brought. Buildings collapsed, people were swept away, and the overpowering stench of beer lingered in the city for months.
Although the event has often been remembered with an air of dark humor, the reality for those affected was far from amusing. Intrigued? Click through this gallery to see the full story of how a brewery mishap turned into one of London’s most infamous disasters.