Great Sheffield flood: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

The Great Sheffield Flood, also known as the Great Inundation, was a disaster which devastated parts of Sheffield, England on March 11th 1864. The flood resulted in more deaths than any other disaster in Britain before or since.

The flood occurred when the Dale Dyke Dam, under construction above Low Bradfield on the River Loxley burst. This sent huges waves of water flooding down the valley, through Loxley and Hillsborough, and then down the River Don through central Sheffield, Attercliffe and as far as Rotherham. The estimated 3 million m³ (700 million imperial gallons) of water destroyed 800 houses, killing 270 people, and wrecking every bridge as far as the Lady's Bridge in the city centre. Bodies swept by the flood waters were later found as far afield as Mexborough.