The Wray Flood of 1967
Memories of a Lune Valley Community
The long-term impact of the flood on the village
has been to help create a body of shared experience that has played an important part in strengthening the community spirit of the village. A notable illustration of this strong sense of identity and community is Wray's; renowned annual Scarecrow Festival and Fair, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year. The continuing significance of the Flood of 1967 is demonstrated in the Millennium Mosaic, completed in September 2000, which represents the wind and storm spewing out a great tide of water. The Mosaic is sited in the 'Flood Garden' on the site of houses demolished as a result of the flood.
The legacy of the extraordinary flood of 1967 is enshrined in the folk history of the village of Wray in the Lune Valley, near Lancaster. A flash flood of incredible speed and ferocity in the river Roeburn left a trail of destruction that resulted in the loss of houses, bridges, livestock, vehicles, furniture and personal possessions. Remarkably, despite the scale of the devastation caused by the flood, no serious harm was done to the people of the village and surrounding area.
Emmeline Garnett has used her skills as historian and author to piece together the remarkable events of 8 August 1967. The story of the Flood and its aftermath is drawn partly from documentary sources, but most importantly, it is a people's history, relying on the vivid memories of local people caught up in the event. The book is lavishly illustrated and contains a number of contemporary photographs showing the sheer scale of the devastation caused by the flood.
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